THE 2004 AIDS BIKE RIDE IN NIGER
Prepared by: Sarah Stevenson
HIV/AIDS Program Coordinator
Peace Corps Niger
Introduction
The 2004 AIDS Bike Ride, organized by the Peace Corps with the
assistance of the government of Niger and local and international
partners, was a success. The Bike Ride caravan held meetings
in 31 cities, towns, and villages along the road between Maradi
and Zinder. 13.135 men, women, boys, and girls attended
meetings and heard the AIDS prevention message they gave.
The fifth edition of the AIDS Bike Ride had as a theme
Women, Girls, and AIDS. This theme was that of the
global campaign against AIDS in 2004 of UNAIDS, and is
particularly important in places such as Niger where women have
few civil rights and many traditional practices, such as early
marriage, put women and girls at a high risk of contracting HIV
The
village meetings included a speech by a local religious leader,
sketches, video projections, demonstrations on condom use, and
sessions about the transmission and prevention of AIDS and the
theme of women and AIDS. Fifty vendors of le Visa
condoms were trained and 60 free boxes of condoms were given to
village members. Health agents, professional sex workers,
and school directors were identified and given tools to assist in
their work.
The Bike Ride caravan consisted of 52 Nigeriens and
Americans: 22 Peace Corps volunteers, 15 educators, 4 Nigerien
cyclists, 1 cameraman, 6 drivers, and 4 gendarmes.
Representatives of the Nigerien government and the traditional
village chiefs and, above all, the populations of the villages,
welcomed the caravan with enthusiasm and hospitality.
The annual AIDS Bike Ride began as a
project organized and conducted by Peace Corps volunteers in 2000.
In subsequent rides it grew to be a collaboration between Peace
Corps, the government of Niger, international partners, and local
organizations. In
2004,
the collaborators were: the Embassy of the USA in Niger,
Family Care International, Union des Routiers, ANP+, Sahelcare,
ONG CAL, PDJM, Scouts de Niger, Federation des Cyclists Nigerien,
PLAN Niger, CARE International, Lux Development, Catholic Relief
Services, Lutheran World Relief, and Marketing Social. The
planning and actualization of the Bike Ride was aided by the
President’s AIDS Counselor, the Governors of Maradi and Zinder,
the Representatives of the regional AIDS councils of Maradi and
Zinder, the Head Commandant of the gendarmes, the Coordinator of
the National AIDS Council, the Traditional Kings of Takeita and
Gazoua, the Administrator of Takeita, the health program
assistant at Peace Corps, and the eastern regional coordinator of
Peace Corps at Maradi.
2004 marked the fifth annual Bike Ride.
The first Bike Ride, in 2000, took place between Tilabery and
Dosso and Konni and Dosso. The second edition covered
Gaya-Dosso. The third Bike Ride followed the road between
Toukounous and Hamdallaye. The fourth edition traveled from
Tabalek to Konni.
¡¡
Participants
The Peace Corps HIV/AIDS Program Coordinator, Sarah Stevenson, and
an education volunteer in Maradi, Drew Schmenner, were the
coordinators of the Bike Ride. Twenty other volunteers
participated as cyclists, actors (Andy Duddleston), cameraman
(Jason Chau), food organizer (Amanda Ree), mechanic and EMT (Cam
Caswell), logistic organizers, and babysitters during meetings.
¡¡
The
educators of the 2004 Bike Ride were Abdoulaye Assane (Abdou SIDA)
of UNRLS, Yac Amadou of FCI, Fatima Moussa of ANP+, Salamatou
Yahaya of Sahelcare, Moussa Sidi of ONG CAL, Salifou Ismaila of
ANP+, Aissa Djibo at the national stadium, Mahamadou Souley of the
Scouts of Maradi, Malam Hamisou Hassan, a religious leader in
Maradi, and six members of PDJM Maradi: Djamila Mahamane Ousman,
Aissa Hassan, Mariama Mamane NaBazaga, Ibrahim Idi Kakalay, Rabiou
Sani, and Mouctari Abdou. The five members of the Federation
of Niamey Cyclists were Asimou Hamidou, Amadou Halidou, Amadou
Hairouna, Abdou Tour? and the cameraman, Omar Kosso. The
chauffeurs were Amadou Yay?of PLAN, Moumouni Issa and Amadou Bania
of CARE, San Amadou of Lux, Boureima Ousseini of CRS, and Chaibou
Halilou of UNRLS, who was also an educator. The four
gendarmes who traveled with the caravan and provided security were
Chef Mahamane Rabiou Ibrah, Chaibou Yacouba, Ousseini Rabiou, and
Moctar Sawar
The 2004 Bike Ride
The 2004 AIDS Bike Ride began with a concert and theater series at
the Maradi MJC the evening of December 7. The opening
ceremony took place December 8 under the patronage of the
Ambassador of the United States and the Governor of Maradi.
During the six days that followed, the Bike Ride caravan visited
30 towns and villages on the road from Maradi to Zinder. At
every stop the caravan was warmly welcomed, especially in the
villages of Debi, Takalamawa, Takeita, and Tessaoua. The six
nights that were spent on the road were spent in the yards of the
village chiefs or in the schoolyards. Women in each village
prepared meals for the caravan with ingredients supplied to them.
The volunteers, Nigerien cyclists, and even
some of the educators biked the 230 kilometers between Maradi and
Zinder, escorted and followed by gendarmes on their motorcycles,
the animation vehicle, and the support vehicles.
Each day, three or four meetings were held during the day and one
in the evening. Upon arrival in each village, the members of
the caravan and the village would dance together. At the
same time, one or two educators conducted a short “pre-test? with
5-10 men or women to gauge the knowledge level of AIDS in the
village. When the men, women, and children of the village
were gathered in the meeting spot, the meeting would begin with an
introduction by Abdou SIDA, who would also send the children away
with a group of volunteers so that they would not be a distraction
in the meeting. Afterwards, the village chief would take the
microphone to greet his guests, and then the malam spoke about
AIDS and Islam. A number of sketches were then performed.
The sketch prepared by the members of the caravan included the
subjects of girls?education, early marriage, and treatment of STDs
in addition to the transmission and prevention of HIV, treating
AIDS, and living with HIV+ members of the community. If the
actors were tired or the audience especially rapt, the PDJM troupe
would perform a sketch that included the importance of fidelity,
positive behavior change, and HIV testing. Afterwards, a
number of short sketches were performed solely for entertainment
value.
Following the presentation of the sketches, the members of the
village were divided in to three groups: men, women, and young
men. In each group, the educators, talked about AIDS in more
details, using the pagivolt “Ne Nous Contaminons pas par le
SIDA.?nbsp; Condom demonstrations were done with each group and
the audiences had time to ask questions of the animators. At
the end of each meeting, the animators made true-false statements,
and gave prizes for correct answers. At the evening
meetings, or if the caravan was short on time, the true-false
statements were conducted following the sketch. A video was
projected instead of holding group meetings in the evenings
The 2004 Bike Ride concluded with a closing ceremony in Zinder at
the Residence II under the patronage of the Governor of Zinder and
the President’s AIDS counselor.
Evaluation
The
AIDS Bike Ride is a transitory project, and therefore project
evaluation in inherently difficult. The combination of
sketches, speeches, and small group sessions should assure that
the message brought by the caravan is as memorable as the
spectacle of the caravan itself.
The caravan attempts to present the most appropriate message
during the village meetings. In 2004, the information
gathered during the pre-test was used to arrange the meeting
content to ensure that misinformation understood by the village
was corrected and questions answered. The true-false
statement questions were useful in seeing if the information
presented was well received and understood by the audience.
The pre-tests showed that the population along the Maradi-Zinder
road know of the disease called AIDS, and that it is transmitted
through sex and blood and that fidelity and condoms protect one
from the disease. In numerous villages the correct answers
were given to all of the pre-test questions, which were:
1.
What is AIDS?
2.
What is the medicine for AIDS?
3.
How does one contract AIDS?
4.
How does one protect oneself from AIDS?
5.
Can mosquitoes give AIDS?
6.
Can you tell an HIV+ person by sight?
7.
Where can you buy condoms?
In numerous villages, the pre-test participants said that
mosquitoes could transmit AIDS, and because of this, the educators
put the correct information in to the sketch and group sessions.
In the true-false statement segments, the
majority of questions were answered correctly, proving that the
information presented was retained or that the information was
already known by members of the village.
The creation of Le Visa condom vendors with representatives
from Marketing Social creates the opportunity for prolonged
evaluation of the Bike Ride. The representatives will return
to the villages every month to restock condoms, and in doing so
will be able to judge if condom use, an indicator of behavior
change, has increased as a result of the Bike Ride. They
will submit a report after a few months of surveyance.
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The
village meetings included a speech by a local religious leader,
sketches, video projections, demonstrations on condom use, and
sessions about the transmission and prevention of AIDS and the
theme of women and AIDS. Fifty vendors of le Visa
condoms were trained and 60 free boxes of condoms were given to
village members. Health agents, professional sex workers,
and school directors were identified and given tools to assist in
their work.
The Bike Ride caravan consisted of 52 Nigeriens and
Americans: 22 Peace Corps volunteers, 15 educators, 4 Nigerien
cyclists, 1 cameraman, 6 drivers, and 4 gendarmes.
Representatives of the Nigerien government and the traditional
village chiefs and, above all, the populations of the villages,
welcomed the caravan with enthusiasm and hospitality.
The annual AIDS Bike Ride began as a
project organized and conducted by Peace Corps volunteers in 2000.
In subsequent rides it grew to be a collaboration between Peace
Corps, the government of Niger, international partners, and local
organizations. In
2004,
the collaborators were: the Embassy of the USA in Niger,
Family Care International, Union des Routiers, ANP+, Sahelcare,
ONG CAL, PDJM, Scouts de Niger, Federation des Cyclists Nigerien,
PLAN Niger, CARE International, Lux Development, Catholic Relief
Services, Lutheran World Relief, and Marketing Social. The
planning and actualization of the Bike Ride was aided by the
President’s AIDS Counselor, the Governors of Maradi and Zinder,
the Representatives of the regional AIDS councils of Maradi and
Zinder, the Head Commandant of the gendarmes, the Coordinator of
the National AIDS Council, the Traditional Kings of Takeita and
Gazoua, the Administrator of Takeita, the health program
assistant at Peace Corps, and the eastern regional coordinator of
Peace Corps at Maradi.
2004 marked the fifth annual Bike Ride.
The first Bike Ride, in 2000, took place between Tilabery and
Dosso and Konni and Dosso. The second edition covered
Gaya-Dosso. The third Bike Ride followed the road between
Toukounous and Hamdallaye. The fourth edition traveled from
Tabalek to Konni.
¡¡
Participants
The Peace Corps HIV/AIDS Program Coordinator, Sarah Stevenson, and
an education volunteer in Maradi, Drew Schmenner, were the
coordinators of the Bike Ride. Twenty other volunteers
participated as cyclists, actors (Andy Duddleston), cameraman
(Jason Chau), food organizer (Amanda Ree), mechanic and EMT (Cam
Caswell), logistic organizers, and babysitters during meetings.
¡¡
The
educators of the 2004 Bike Ride were Abdoulaye Assane (Abdou SIDA)
of UNRLS, Yac Amadou of FCI, Fatima Moussa of ANP+, Salamatou
Yahaya of Sahelcare, Moussa Sidi of ONG CAL, Salifou Ismaila of
ANP+, Aissa Djibo at the national stadium, Mahamadou Souley of the
Scouts of Maradi, Malam Hamisou Hassan, a religious leader in
Maradi, and six members of PDJM Maradi: Djamila Mahamane Ousman,
Aissa Hassan, Mariama Mamane NaBazaga, Ibrahim Idi Kakalay, Rabiou
Sani, and Mouctari Abdou. The five members of the Federation
of Niamey Cyclists were Asimou Hamidou, Amadou Halidou, Amadou
Hairouna, Abdou Tour? and the cameraman, Omar Kosso. The
chauffeurs were Amadou Yay?of PLAN, Moumouni Issa and Amadou Bania
of CARE, San Amadou of Lux, Boureima Ousseini of CRS, and Chaibou
Halilou of UNRLS, who was also an educator. The four
gendarmes who traveled with the caravan and provided security were
Chef Mahamane Rabiou Ibrah, Chaibou Yacouba, Ousseini Rabiou, and
Moctar Sawar
The 2004 Bike Ride
The 2004 AIDS Bike Ride began with a concert and theater series at
the Maradi MJC the evening of December 7. The opening
ceremony took place December 8 under the patronage of the
Ambassador of the United States and the Governor of Maradi.
During the six days that followed, the Bike Ride caravan visited
30 towns and villages on the road from Maradi to Zinder. At
every stop the caravan was warmly welcomed, especially in the
villages of Debi, Takalamawa, Takeita, and Tessaoua. The six
nights that were spent on the road were spent in the yards of the
village chiefs or in the schoolyards. Women in each village
prepared meals for the caravan with ingredients supplied to them.
The volunteers, Nigerien cyclists, and even
some of the educators biked the 230 kilometers between Maradi and
Zinder, escorted and followed by gendarmes on their motorcycles,
the animation vehicle, and the support vehicles.
Each day, three or four meetings were held during the day and one
in the evening. Upon arrival in each village, the members of
the caravan and the village would dance together. At the
same time, one or two educators conducted a short “pre-test? with
5-10 men or women to gauge the knowledge level of AIDS in the
village. When the men, women, and children of the village
were gathered in the meeting spot, the meeting would begin with an
introduction by Abdou SIDA, who would also send the children away
with a group of volunteers so that they would not be a distraction
in the meeting. Afterwards, the village chief would take the
microphone to greet his guests, and then the malam spoke about
AIDS and Islam. A number of sketches were then performed.
The sketch prepared by the members of the caravan included the
subjects of girls?education, early marriage, and treatment of STDs
in addition to the transmission and prevention of HIV, treating
AIDS, and living with HIV+ members of the community. If the
actors were tired or the audience especially rapt, the PDJM troupe
would perform a sketch that included the importance of fidelity,
positive behavior change, and HIV testing. Afterwards, a
number of short sketches were performed solely for entertainment
value.
Following the presentation of the sketches, the members of the
village were divided in to three groups: men, women, and young
men. In each group, the educators, talked about AIDS in more
details, using the pagivolt “Ne Nous Contaminons pas par le
SIDA.?nbsp; Condom demonstrations were done with each group and
the audiences had time to ask questions of the animators. At
the end of each meeting, the animators made true-false statements,
and gave prizes for correct answers. At the evening
meetings, or if the caravan was short on time, the true-false
statements were conducted following the sketch. A video was
projected instead of holding group meetings in the evenings
The 2004 Bike Ride concluded with a closing ceremony in Zinder at
the Residence II under the patronage of the Governor of Zinder and
the President’s AIDS counselor.
Evaluation
The
AIDS Bike Ride is a transitory project, and therefore project
evaluation in inherently difficult. The combination of
sketches, speeches, and small group sessions should assure that
the message brought by the caravan is as memorable as the
spectacle of the caravan itself.
The caravan attempts to present the most appropriate message
during the village meetings. In 2004, the information
gathered during the pre-test was used to arrange the meeting
content to ensure that misinformation understood by the village
was corrected and questions answered. The true-false
statement questions were useful in seeing if the information
presented was well received and understood by the audience.
The pre-tests showed that the population along the Maradi-Zinder
road know of the disease called AIDS, and that it is transmitted
through sex and blood and that fidelity and condoms protect one
from the disease. In numerous villages the correct answers
were given to all of the pre-test questions, which were:
1.
What is AIDS?
2.
What is the medicine for AIDS?
3.
How does one contract AIDS?
4.
How does one protect oneself from AIDS?
5.
Can mosquitoes give AIDS?
6.
Can you tell an HIV+ person by sight?
7.
Where can you buy condoms?
In numerous villages, the pre-test participants said that
mosquitoes could transmit AIDS, and because of this, the educators
put the correct information in to the sketch and group sessions.
In the true-false statement segments, the
majority of questions were answered correctly, proving that the
information presented was retained or that the information was
already known by members of the village.
The creation of Le Visa condom vendors with representatives
from Marketing Social creates the opportunity for prolonged
evaluation of the Bike Ride. The representatives will return
to the villages every month to restock condoms, and in doing so
will be able to judge if condom use, an indicator of behavior
change, has increased as a result of the Bike Ride. They
will submit a report after a few months of surveyance.