Dakar, Senegal - The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), in part nership with a developmental organisation, 'Nova Scotia-Gambia Association' (NSG A ), has started a nationwide "HIV/AIDS awareness and knowledge baseline survey" t a rgeting an identified "vulnerable groups" in the Gambia, NSGA's liaison, Lamin F a tty, revealed Tuesday.

The study which is expected to run for six months will try to find out how much knowledge /information groups like truck drivers, vendors and commercial sex wor k ers in major motor parks across the West African country have on HIV/AIDS.

According to NSGA, the survey which is the first of its kind, will involve peopl e considered as "high-risk" group owing to the nature of their job - always cris s -crossing the Gambia and neighbouring countries like Senegal, Guinea Bissau, and others.

As part of the study, NSGA team will conduct interviews with individuals with a view to gauging their level of awareness on HIV/AIDS, STIs, reproductive health,

malaria and gender equity.
 
Dakar - 04/03/2008

Panapress