HIV PREVENTION ACTIVITIES AMONG INJECTING AND NON- INJECTING DRUG USERS (LAGOS AND OGUN STATE, NIGERIA
This project is being supported by Population Council, Nigeria. It aimed at providing Comprehensive HIV / STI services to injecting and None Injecting Drug users in Lagos State. Trained counsellors /testers from NYAP go to identified drug communities and provide HIV Education, HIV Counselling and Testing, STI syndromic management and referral services to clients who are mainly drug users.
Positive clients are referred to APIN treatment site in Lagos University Teaching hospital(LUTH) Idiaraba and Lagos State University Teaching Hospital Ikeja where they are given free treatment (ARVs and other care services). During the reviewed period NYAP tested 4120 persons (3119Males and 1001Females) while 27 persons (10Males 17females) tested positive.
Also, with the Global fund HIV Prevention programme among injecting Drug users in Lagos and Ogun State, correct and consistent HIV information messages were provided to injecting and None Injecting Drug users. Trained Peer Educators recruited and trained carried out sessions in small groups of fourteen called Cohorts. Six sessions were held in each cohort utilizing strategies such as Peer Education (PE), Peer Education Plus(PEP) and Specific Population Awareness Activities (SPA). Topics on Life Skills, Harm Reduction and HIV prevention were treated. At the end of each completed programme, role models are invited to encourage the drug users on the possibility to stay out of drugs and live a healthy life and still achieve their desired goals. A total of 934 persons (889 Males and 45 females) were reached in 2012.
NYAP counsellor in a session with an Injecting Drug users (IDU)
Group Educational session with Injecting Drugs Users (IDUs)
in Abeokuta Nigeria.
NYAP staff mobilizing drug community members to access HCTactivities
Condom demonstration session with
None Injecting Drugs Users (NIDUs) and Specific Population Awareness session
Injecting Drugs Users (IDUs) with Injecting Drugs Users (IDUs) in Kara,
Community leader in Ojuwoye Mushin addressing drug community Members on behaviour change about drug use.
Normal day life in a drug abusing community in Lagos
Map of Africa shrine, showing adjourning Traditional ruler in a drug community saying ‘YES’ to
Street around the shrine drug intervention programme in the community
Mobile Counselling and testing sessions in drug abusing community
Peer Education session with Injecting Drugs Users (IDUs) in Lagos
********
-->
Enhancing Nigeria Response to HIV Prevention(ENR) PROJECT
This is one of the projects our organization: Nigeria Youth Aid programme(NYAP) implemented in the year 2012, the project sought to provide HIV/STI information to males and their partners. The project was implemented in Agboyi Local Council Development(LCDA) Area in Ketu. NYAP engaged 20 Peer Educators known as Venue Outreach Staff (VOS) They worked three times a week at night in assigned bars, night clubs and other places where males and females meet and negotiate new sex. The project reached a total of 6310 persons (4210 males and 2100 females).
ENR field activities ended in July 2012 while the aspect of organizational Development is ongoing.
Venue Outreach Staff (VOS) educating Venue Outreach Staff (VOS) engaging
patrons in bar patrons with HIV/AIDS picture code
Venue Outreach Staff sessions in a Night club in Lagos Training sessionsfor Venue Outreach Staff
Venue Outreach Staff role play during training session
******
NYAP Join The Community Partners Meeting
The Ministry of Health in collaboration with PATH 11 and supported by DFID organized a meeting with CSOs focused on health.
The Ministry of Health had developed a strategic plan and established feedback mechanisms and structure through which data can be accessed which would assist the Ministry in improving its service provision. At the apex of the structure is the General Assembly where data is analyzed and decisions taken. Closely following is the technical workgroup, followed by the Community Partners.
To enhance clear and detailed feedback the entire services provided were grouped into 6 core thematic areas. They are:
v Health Care Resources
v Planning Family Health
v Health Information and Research
v Performance Monitoring
v Disease Prevention and Control
v Medical Emergency Response and Safety.
The major action achieved in the meeting was the formation of the Community Partners for Health around each thematic area .NYAP belongs to Disease Control And Prevention.
The follow up Actions after this meeting is that CSOs are required to obtain authorization letters from their organizations for submission to the Lagos State Civil Society Platform (LACSOP) by April 6,While on April 16, 2013, the Community Partners For Health and the technical work Group will be presented to the Commissioner for Health at the General Assembly meeting.
Surulere Local Government welcomes New MOH.
The Surulere Local Government had a meeting today 21st, March 2013 at the Local Government council secretariat. In attendance were CBOs, NGOs, TBAs, CDCs, PHCs to welcome the new MOH. The new MOH Dr. Abidemi Sosanya utilized the opportunity of this forum to seek ways on how to improve on the development of the Local Action Committee on Aids (LACA).
He stated that the functions of the LACA was to co ordinate and supervise Primary Health Centers, NGOs, CBOs, TBAs and Private Health Facilities that desire to operate within LACA.
Major discussions bordered on the challenges being faced by the Local Government PHCs. Specifically ,it was stated that the local government had only two dot centers which were grossly insufficient to carry the burden within the LGA. Dr. Sosanya promised to scale up the number. Another issue was the need to train the traditional Birth Attendants on the rudiments of HIV Counselling and Testing. This was the conclusion arrived at instead of advocating for their ban which was considered unrealistic, considering the magnitude of their patronage.
Nigeria Youth Aid Programme made a presentation on her Work Plan for the year and ongoing activities.T his aroused the interest of the new MOH who expressed satisfaction of the level of activities, particularly at the secondary school level .He was of the opinion that Sexuality and Reproductive Health interventions should begin at the secondary school level, since most of the students were already sexually active. He promised visiting the organization if invited. The CDCs were also interested in NYAP developing their capacity on identified areas as presented in their work plan stating that it had been a long time they had been part of such programmes.
The meeting ended with all everybody present committed to contribute to the development of the Local Government.
No comments:
Post a Comment