The Lesotho Correctional Services (LCS) conducted a peer educators training workshop for prison inmates from all correctional institutions in the country. The first workshop was meant for the institutions around Maseru district namely female and male prison, Juvenile Training Centre (JTC) as well as open community camps were held on May 3 to 6, 2010 in Maseru.

The LCS HIV/AIDS Project Coordinator Ms. Nkepile Thokoa mentioned that the inmates from other 9 districts were trained in Maseru from May 18 to 21, 2010. She said the objective is to train inmates on HIV/AIDS to be able to educate their peers about the disease in their respective correctional institutions.

The main goal is to ensure HIV prevention among the high risk group of society particularly inmates as well as to eradicate stigma and discrimination among infected inmates.

During the training, the inmates learnt the importance of HIV Testing and Counseling (HTC), modes of transmission, Sexual Offences Act of 2003, behavior change as well as HIV prevention in general.

Currently there are inmates with HIV and TB in prisons who formed support groups to support each other and share experiences about disease management. The TB patients are isolated from other prisoners until when are cured.

 The training of prison inmates on HIV peer education is part of R8 HIV grant whose objective is to reduce the incidence of new infections in both the general and specific high risk population in the country.

Later the prison warders will also be trained to scale-up HIV prevention activities in correctional institutions.