AEGiS-14IAC: Sustainable HIV/AIDS community interventions: AJED's experience in Senegal.

14th International AIDS Conference


Barcelona, Spain - July 7-12, 2002

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Sustainable HIV/AIDS community interventions: AJED's experience in Senegal.

Int Conf AIDS 2002 Jul 7-12; 14:(abstract no. G12504)

Gueye H
AJED, DAKAR, Senegal

Experiences: The AJED NGO ( a youth association for education and development ) works mainly in the urban and suburban areas. Research conducted in Dakar, a few years ago, shows that most of its inhabitants live in poverty and socially poor environment. The configuration of the houses and education level of the populations result in the commonness of many forms of misconduct: living in the margins, drug use, informal sex work etc.

METHODS: In order to develop sustainable awareness raising activities and support for people living with HIV/AIDS, AJED is aware that a poverty reduction component targeting women and vulnerable people must be included. The communities' involvement in awareness raising activities is sometimes impeded by social and economic concerns ( family management, food and education etc. ). Some people are rejected or excluded from society like women and vulnerable people. Therefore AJED has developed an integrated approach of awareness raising which includes micro credit for income generating activities. The profit goes to peer educators who manage the activities within the communities.

RESULTS: Since 1994, AJED has trained 250 peer educators representing 80 women's groups that implement the awareness raising activities. Some behaviour change is being noticed among the target people. The awareness raising activities based on the participatory approach developed by AJED at Pikine ( a suburban district in Dakar ), helped train 9 peer educators in each women's group resulting in the capacity building of 260 women who are involved in the activities. At the end of the program, people are noticed to have owned the approach and are implementing it themselves. Income generating activities are used to support financially and technically the sustainability of the program monitored by the peer educators

Keywords: AEGIS, Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, HIV Infections, HIV Seropositivity, Poverty, Senegal, Human, Female, Education, Nursing, organization & administrationKWDaegis,acquiredimmunodeficiencysyndrome,hivinfections,hivseropositivity,poverty,senegal,human,female,education,nursing,organization&administration

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G12504

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