AEGiS-15IAC: Community based initiative to mutualize efforts for economic and social reintegration of PLWHA and access to care.

15th International AIDS Conference

Bangkok, Thailand - July 11-16, 2004

Community based initiative to mutualize efforts for economic and social reintegration of PLWHA and access to care.

Int Conf AIDS 2004 Jul 11-16; 15:(abstract no. MoOrD1026)

Amri O, Sylla Y, Boureima K, Akossi A, Pouchain K, Maville E
AIDES, Paris, France

ISSUES: So far, Income Generating Activities (IGA) have mainly focused on economic and social reintegration but not on access to care. A new component of IGA such health savings fund could improve the health status of PLWHA.

DESCRIPTION: AIDES, a French NGO and six African NGOs have implemented a pilot program carried out in three sites: Mali (ARCAD-Sida), Burkina Faso (ALAVI, AAS), Cote d'Ivoire (Ruban Rouge CI, Amepouh and Lumiere Action). The program consists in a mechanism of loans that are allocated to project holders (collective or individual projects designed by PLWAs). Project holders attend accountancy and health education-training sessions. At the same time a mutual health saving fund is opened at the local Credit Fund and is operated by the local NGO. The mutual health saving fund allows its beneficiaries to deal with the family's health expenses (essential drugs, medical care and HAART for the countries with a national access initiative). Each beneficiary contributes to the mutual fund for a compulsory minimum amount. To date, more than 150 PLWHA benefit from this program, 111 projects have been initiated. The reimbursement rate is up to 80%. In Mali, all the beneficiaries of the program have been able to access HAART with the money earned through IGA.

LESSONS LEARNED: The IGA program enables the poorest to escape the logic of assistance. Also, this program has proven that locally managed program contributes to the improvement of local NGO skills.

RECOMMENDATIONS: At the end of the pilot phase of the program, our priority is to guarantee the on-going projects'perennity and especially to assess and capitalize this experience in order to consider its extension to other sites.

Keywords: AEGIS, Income, Financial Management, Health, Health Planning Guidelines, Health Planning, Poverty, Delivery of Health Care, Community Health Aides, Mali, Cote d'Ivoire, Burkina Faso, United States, economics, education

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MoOrD1026