AEGiS-14IAC: Sustainable and replicable strategy for community-level HIV/AIDS intervention.

14th International AIDS Conference


Barcelona, Spain - July 7-12, 2002

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Sustainable and replicable strategy for community-level HIV/AIDS intervention.

Int Conf AIDS 2002 Jul 7-12; 14:(abstract no. F11779)

Ojidoh CJ, Okide N
Community Life Project, Lagos, Nigeria

ISSUES: One major challenge of implementing community level HIV/AIDS interventions is how to engage grassroots people in a sustained manner to bring about real behaviour change. Grassroots people are often outside mainstream communication channels and so cannot easily be reached through television, radio and newspapers; their income earning activities take place in environments that are not suitable for workplace HIV/AIDS education sessions e.g. markets, shops, individual workshops; and their primary concern is not health but how to overcome poverty.

DESCRIPTION: The strategy adopted by Community Life Project,CLP involves using existing non-formal communication channels and forming partnerships with grassroots people through their social and vocational reference groups. Key features Same groups and individuals are reached repeatedly; groups serve as channels for feedback and evaluation; and also as framework for increasing grassroots people's access to other sexual and reproductive health information. Outcomes: CLP is: working with 23 community groups to increase and sustain HIV/AIDS awareness in the community; addressing HIV/AIDS within the broader framework of sexual and reproductive health through sexuality education sessions; and increasing community ownership and participation by training representatives of the groups as volunteers and family life educators. LESSONS LEARNT: CLP's model of community-level HIV/AIDS intervention is sustainable, simple, cost effective and replicable, and ideal for resource-poor settings both in rural and urban communities. RECOMMENDATION: The scaling up and replication of this model in developing countries especially in Africa is highly recommended.

Keywords: AEGIS, Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, HIV Infections, HIV Seropositivity, Health Education, Research, Patient Education, Africa, NursingKWDaegis,acquiredimmunodeficiencysyndrome,hivinfections,hivseropositivity,healtheducation,research,patienteducation,africa,nursing

020707
F11779

Copyright © 2002 - International AIDS Society (IAS). Reproduction of this abstract (other than one copy for personal reference) must be cleared through the IAS.