Save The Children Australia, World Vision, Solomon Islands Planned Parenthood Association (SIPPA), ADRA, Ministry Of Youth under the Ministry of Women, Youth and Children's Affairs and OXFAM together with the Ministry of Health Services have organized a workshop, the first of its kind for nurses in the provinces.

Programs Officer and the Coordinator for the nurses training, Beretia Andrews said the workshop is to strengthen delivery of STI management and HIV prevention services to young people in Solomon Islands.

Set on the theme "Innovative STI and HIV Prevention Training for Community Based Nurses", the workshop is to train nurses in the provinces to have better understanding on issues affecting young people, and to enable them to give awareness talks to people in their communities.

Mrs. Andrews said that participants, following the workshop, are expected to practice what they learn, adding that participants must integrate youth learning services in their various clinics.

She further elaborated that the youth learning service is a place where young people will feel free to go and check themselves for HIV or STI.

Mrs. Andrews said that it is expected that participants will be able to better deliver services for young people including confidentiality, voluntary, counseling and testing of HIV.

She said that the workshop is only the beginning but monitoring will be done following the workshop to make sure that services provided be valid and correct.

Twenty-three nurses from the provinces participated in the workshop, which will end in six weeks time.