AEGiS-10IAC: Who cares? Systematic amplification of hidden community health structures responding to AIDS in southern Africa.

10th International AIDS Conference

Yokohama, Japan — Aug 7-12, 1994

Who cares? Systematic amplification of hidden community health structures responding to AIDS in southern Africa.

Int Conf AIDS 1994 Aug 7-12; 10:4 (abstract no. PS19)
Sabatier R, Wilson D; Southern African AIDS Training Programme, Canadian Public Health Association.

OBJECTIVE: To develop a programmatic approach to the amplification of community health structures capable of responding to AIDS in Southern Africa.

METHODS: The actual structures of community care comprise the pattern of agents, acts and resources available in the community to produce and protect the health of its members. The method employed by the Southern African AIDS Training Programme to identify, support and amplify these structures is described here as one example of such a mechanism.

RESULTS: Mechanisms can be devised to support and augment the actual structures of care which communities deploy to cope with the AIDS epidemic, and to interlink these with government services. Relatively small financial inputs, if accompanied by appropriate non-financial supports, such as local NGO skills-building and mentoring linkages, can achieve impressive results.

DISCUSSION: In the experience of the SAT Programme and its project partners, "who cares?" is a fundamental question which must be asked in order to achieve the broad community involvement needed in countries with an escalating burden of AIDS illness and death. Otherwise, community involvement remains a "black box", desired but not understood. Caring is shown to be an integral health-producing act based on respect for fellow human beings which at community level renders the distinction between "prevention" and "care" artificial: all good care incorporates elements of prevention; all sound prevention is caring. SAT's experience indicates that the structures of community care are an effective and sustainable entry-point into affected communities, and that responses grounded in care antidote the threat which communicable illness poses for human rights.

Keywords: AEGIS, Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, Counseling, Empathy, Africa, Southern, Consumer Participation, Health Education, Human Rights, Health, Community Health Services, Health Services, Delivery of Health Care, Voluntary Health Agencies, Health Personnel, Human, classification, nursing, economics, ICA10
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PS19