AEGiS-14IAC: Effective empowerment of volunteers promotes positive community response in the fight against hiv/aids.

14th International AIDS Conference

Barcelona, Spain - July 7-12, 2002

Effective empowerment of volunteers promotes positive community response in the fight against hiv/aids.

Int Conf AIDS 2002 Jul 7-12; 14:(abstract no. F11757)

Sendi K SK, Kaddumukasa AK, Katamujuna KE, Kapere KS
The AIDS Support Organisation (TAS0)(U)Ltd, Kampala, Uganda

ISSUE: Identifying potential volunteers, training them effectively and empower them to sustain the programme helps greatly in HIV prevention and care for people living with AIDS. PROJECT: Selected communities through baseline surveys by The AIDS Support Organisation (TASO) Uganda identify members willing to work as volunteers. These are trained in prevention and care for people living with HIV/AIDS, skills building to improve on the financial standards of living and diet improvement using locally available foods. The above and other useful information is exchanged with other communities through networking.

RESULTS: Presently TASO Mulago centre one of the 7 centres that make TASO Uganda has 10 such communities of 30 - 40 volunteers each trained and certified. They are doing a tremendous work on HIV prevention and care for people living HIV/AIDS, not only in their own communities but also in the surrounding ones. LESSONS LEARNT: HIV prevention and improvement of the general life standards of people living with HIV/AIDS can be effective by empowering volunteers within their own communities.

Keywords: AEGIS, Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, HIV Infections, Voluntary Workers, HIV Seropositivity, Social Support, Demography, Uganda, Education

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