What is the Smiley Group?
What are The Smiley Group's Goals?
What is the Smiley Red Ribbon Project?
What is AIDS? What causes AIDS?
Where did HIV come from?
How can I tell if I'm infected with HIV? What are the symptoms?
Can I get HIV from performing oral sex?
How can people who use injectable drugs reduce their risk for HIV infection?
How does violence occur on any campus?
What is a secret cult?
Are secret Cults dangerous?
What is the Nigerian Government's Stand?
Are there any secret cults in Nigerian Universities?
Are all campus violence spawned from Secret Cultism?
What is the Smiley Stand?
What is the Smiley Radio?
Where is the Smiley Radio near me?
What is the Smiley ‘Civil Matters’?
How does the Civil Matters project work?
How can I benefit from the Civil Matters project?
What is prostitution?
Why do people engage in prostitution?
How do I join The Smiley Group?

Q. What is the Smiley Group?
A. Revert to the ‘About US’ page

Q. What are The Smiley Group's Goals?
A. Revert to the ‘About Us’ page.

Q. What is the Smiley Red Ribbon Project?
A. Kindly revert to the ‘Services Available’ page for details on project accomplishments and targets.

Q. What is AIDS? What causes AIDS?
A. AIDS stands for Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome. An HIV-infected person receives a diagnosis of AIDS after developing one of the CDC-defined AIDS indicator illnesses. An HIV-positive person who has not had any serious illnesses also can receive an AIDS diagnosis on the basis of certain blood tests (CD4+ counts).

A positive HIV test result does not mean that a person has AIDS. A diagnosis of AIDS is made by a physician using certain clinical criteria (e.g., AIDS indicator illnesses). Infection with HIV can weaken the immune system to the point that it has difficulty fighting off certain infections. These types of infections are known as "opportunistic" infections because they take the opportunity a weakened immune system gives to cause illness.

Many of the infections that cause problems or may be life threatening for people with AIDS is usually controlled by a healthy immune system. The immune system of a person with AIDS is weakened to the point that medical intervention may be necessary to prevent or treat serious illness.

Today there are medical treatments that can slow down the rate at which HIV weakens the immune system. There are other treatments that can prevent or cure some of the illnesses associated with AIDS. As with other diseases, early detection offers more options for treatment and preventative care.

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Q. Where did HIV come from?
A. We do not know. Scientists have different theories about the origin of HIV, but none have been proven. The earliest known case of HIV was from a blood sample collected in 1959 from a man in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo. (How he became infected is not known.) Genetic analysis of this blood sample suggests that HIV-1 may have stemmed from a single virus in the late 1940s or early 1950s.

We do know that the virus has existed in the United States since at least the mid- to late 1970s. From 1979-1981 rare types of pneumonia, cancer, and other illnesses were being reported by doctors in Los Angeles and New York among a number of gay male patients. These were conditions not usually found in people with healthy immune systems.

In 1982 public health officials began to use the term "acquired immunodeficiency syndrome," or AIDS, to describe the occurrences of opportunistic infections, Kaposi's sarcoma, and Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia in previously healthy men. Formal tracking (surveillance) of AIDS cases began that year in the United States.

The cause of AIDS is a virus that scientists isolated in 1983. The virus was at first named HTLV-III/LAV (human T-cell lymphotropic virus-type III/lymphadenopathy- associated virus) by an international scientific committee. This name was later changed to HIV (human immunodeficiency virus). Modify behaviors that pose a risk of transmitting the virus as well as the use of tests to screen donors of blood and organs.

The inescapable conclusion of more than 15 years of scientific research is that people, if exposed to HIV through sexual contact or injecting drug use, may become infected with HIV. If they become infected, most will eventually develop AIDS.

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Q. How can I tell if I'm infected with HIV? What are the symptoms?
A. The only way to determine for sure whether you are infected is to be tested for HIV infection. You cannot rely on symptoms to know whether or not you are infected with HIV. Many people who are infected with HIV do not have any symptoms at all for many years.

The following may be warning signs of infection with HIV:

• rapid weight loss
• dry cough, recurring fever, or profuse night sweats
• profound and unexplained fatigue
• swollen lymph glands in the armpits, groin, or neck
• diarrhea that lasts for more than a week
• white spots or unusual blemishes on the tongue, in the mouth, or in the throat
• pneumonia
• red, brown, pink, or purplish blotches on or under the skin or inside the mouth, nose, or eyelids
• memory loss, depression, and other neurological disorders

However, no one should assume they are infected if they have any of these symptoms.Each of these symptoms can be related to other illnesses. Again, the only way to determine whether you are infected is to be tested for HIV infection. Similarly, you cannot rely on symptoms to establish that a person has AIDS. The symptoms of AIDS are similar to the symptoms of many other illnesses.

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Q. Can I get HIV from performing oral sex?
A. Yes, it is possible for you to become infected with HIV through performing oral sex. There have been a few cases of HIV transmission from performing oral sex on a person infected with HIV. While no one knows exactly what the degree of risk is, evidence suggests that the risk is less than that of unprotected anal or vaginal sex.

Blood, semen, pre-seminal fluid, and vaginal fluid all may contain the virus. Cells in the mucous lining of the mouth may carry HIV into the lymph nodes or the bloodstream. The risk increases if you have cuts or sores around or in your mouth or throat; if your partner ejaculates in your mouth; or if your partner has another sexually transmitted disease (STD). If you choose to have oral sex, and your partner is male, use a latex condom on the penis; or if you or your partner is allergic to latex, plastic (polyurethane) condoms can be used.

Research has shown the effectiveness of latex condoms used on the penis to prevent the transmission of HIV. Condoms are not risk-free, but they greatly reduce your risk of becoming HIV-infected if your partner has the virus.

If you choose to have oral sex, and your partner is female, use a latex barrier (such as a dental dam or a cut-open condom that makes a square) between your mouth and the vagina. Plastic food wrap also can be used as a barrier. The barrier reduces the risk of blood or vaginal fluids entering your mouth.

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Q. How can people who use injection drugs reduce their risk for HIV infection?
A. If you regularly use drugs that have to be ministered by the aid of an injection, The Smiley Group strongly advices that you visit an AIDS/HIV testing vicinity. Though, this comes as the ultimate advice, here are some preventive measures that ensure lower risk of infection:

• Never reuse or "share" syringes, water, or drug preparation equipment.
• Only use syringes obtained from a reliable source (such as pharmacies or needle exchange programs).
• Use a new, sterile syringe to prepare and inject drugs.
• If possible, use sterile water to prepare drugs; otherwise, use clean water from a reliable source (such as fresh tap water).
• Use a new or disinfected container ("cooker") and a new filter ("cotton") to prepare drugs.
• Clean the injection site prior to injection with a new alcohol swab.
• Safely dispose of syringes after one use.

If new, sterile syringes and other drug preparation and injection equipment are not available, then previously used equipment should be boiled in water or disinfected with bleach before reuse. Injection drug users and their sex partners also should take precautions, such as using condoms consistently and correctly, to reduce risks of sexual transmission of HIV.

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Q. How does violence occur on any campus?
A. As a Nigerian college student, you should have seen or heard fights, unarmed or armed. Violence is an intricate part of every campus and it occurs in various forms: secret cultism, armed and unarmed robbery, street fights and rape.

Q. What is a secret cult?
A. A cult is group of people who meet and participate in activities peculiar to their organization. A secret cult is one in which the activities are performed incognito. The members of such organizations remain anonymous and they keep their guidelines in secret.

Q. Are secret Cults dangerous?
A. Yes! The illicit acts of a majoityr of these secret cults have left many dead. From ex-member witness accounts, we were able to collect facts on the initiation process into these organizations. The reports are gruesome as many unfortunate students die during the process.

Q. What is the Nigerian Government Stand?
A. Some people adhered and some in obstinacy remained. Shortly after the deadline of that move, the federal Government signed into law a bill that treats secret cultism on college campuses as armed robbery , thus invoking a minimum of 21 years incarceration for suspicion and a possible death penalty for individuals whom are caught with culpable materials.

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Q. Are there any secret cults in Nigerian Universities?
A. Contrary to popular belief, secret cultism on the Nigeria college campus is not a myth. There exist various renounced members who have testified before large courts revealing the activities of such cults. There are also over 5,000 police arrests related to violent campus activities dealing with secret cultism.

Q. Are all campus violence spawned from Secret Cultism?
A. No. However, secret cultism practices and activities are responsible for a vast majority of all violence on campuses.

Q. What is the Smiley Stand?
A. The Smiley Group denigrates violence in any form. We have consulted with ex-cult members and have iimbued them into the ACE program as resource personnel. We have also met with school officials on suitable methods for curbing this ill. Though we resent the activities, our approach to the matter would be termed peaceful. We have begun massive campaigns to disenchant existing members and to discourage prospective students by exposing secret cultism in its true light.

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Q. What is the Smiley Radio?
A. The smiley Radio is sister project that would incorporate the multimedia by establishing a Radio station to run 18 hrs daily. It will be located at a college campus near you. It will preach The Smiley view and enlighten scholars on the ills and their solutions.

Q. Where is the Smiley Radio near me?
A. Presently, we have no Radio station or house. We are still procuring funds to launch this project. Nevertheless, one will be near soon. Once lunched, it will cover 22 campuses of higher learning. Check this site frequently for details.

Q. What is the Smiley ‘Civil Matters’?
A. The civil matters project is enacted to tell college students of their rights, privileges and modus operandi as unique members of the Nigerian society.

Q. How does the Civil Matters project work?
A. We simply gather information from professional and share them with college students. This is done via workshops, seminars, Billboards, radio shows, concerts, email, this site and the information hotline near you.

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Q. How can I benefit from the Civil Matters project?
A. You simply attend any workshops, seminars and concerts deigned for this purpose. You could also call our information hotlines. Or, simply email this project with credible question and you will be enlightened from our vast databank.

Q. What is prostitution?
A. Prostitution occurs only when a party offers another party sex in exchange for something else.

Q. Why do people engage in prostitution?
A. Many people have jumped to the uneducated conclusion that poverty is the unanimous reason. Although, poverty plays an important role as the driving force towards prostitution, it makes no room for the people of affluence that still engage in this act. Prostitution should and would be treated as psychological predicament that instigates a person to offer sex in exchange for something else. When viewed as this, we can address the question that people engage in prostitution when they believe it is the best medium that empowers them with the opportunity to acquire a requirement. The payment for prostitution that is the reason why it s practiced differs in socio-economical status. A grade, money or even power could be offered in exchange for sex.

For more information on prostitution, contact the Smiley Red Ribbon project via email or phone OR contact the Federal Ministry Of Health and the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs

Q. How do I Join The Smiley Group?
A. Check our volunteer information page

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