As a partner in ROADS, the Solidarity Center is helping truckers along the East Africa transport corridor take responsibility and take action to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS.

	Djiboutians greet long haul truckers at the launch of ROADS, a five-year project aimed at fighting HIV/AIDS along the East Africa transport corridor.

Mobility, low wages, and long absences from home make transport workers especially vulnerable to HIV infection, and HIV prevalence may be far higher among truckers than in the general population.
But truckers also can be a key to prevention.

ROADS, Regional Outreach Addressing AIDS through Development Strategies, is a comprehensive five-year campaign aimed at bringing HIV/AIDS prevention, care, and treatment to long haul truckers and communities in Kenya, Djibouti, Rwanda, Uganda, and eventually Tanzania. ROADS has set up HIV/AIDS resource facilities called SafeTStop centers, which operate at truck stops and serve adjacent communities as well. The centers link truckers to voluntary, confidential HIV counseling and testing, treatment of sexually transmitted infections, education and training opportunities, and support for orphans and at-risk children.

“These truck stops have developed an entire infrastructure of networks and services meeting the business and recreational needs of truck drivers,” said a SafeTStop coordinator. “As a regional effort, ROADS can have an enormous impact on preventing HIV/AIDS.”

Get the facts on ROADS