Crianças Artistas Contra HIV e SIDA (Artistic Children Against HIV and AIDS), or CACHES, is a Community Art and Recreation Center in the community of Chicumbane, in the Xai Xai district of Gaza. We, at CACHES, envision a world in which children grow up to be self-confident and empowered adults, free from HIV. This vision for CACHES was the result of dedicated community members coming together with
the mission to create a refuge where local children can be motivated, encouraged and educated so that they gain the necessary information and skills to live happy, healthy lives free from HIV and AIDS. With the help of the United States Peace Corps, the dream of CACHES became a reality and has been open and running since May 2009. It is our method to use art and recreation with local youth as a tool to delay sexual debut, promote abstinence and fidelity, encourage testing and status disclosure, enable behavior change, provide community outreach, prevent HIV transmission and reduce HIV/AIDS prevalence in the next generation of adults. While HIV prevention and health education are our primary objectives, we consider it equally important to give children the freedom to be creative and the opportunity to have fun.
