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| | ACORD
2000 Annual Report
ACORD's HIV/AIDS
work: developing an Africa-wide strategy
Overview
Achievements in our
HIV/AIDS work
Overview
HIV/AIDS took on an increasing importance in almost all of our
programmes in Africa in 2000 as it continued to spread at an alarming
rate and to have a devastating effect on people’s lives. Many of the
countries in which we work recorded dramatic falls in productivity
levels and life expectancy and a growing threat to their food security
and rural development. Governments in Ethiopia, Namibia, Angola,
Mozambique and Botswana declared HIV/AIDS as a national priority and
developed national level policies in response to this human
catastrophe.
Our response was to develop HIV/AIDS initiatives
and to address HIV/AIDS issues in much of our existing work. We
developed new initiatives in Angola, Ethiopia, Sudan, Mozambique,
Botswana, Rwanda, Burkina Faso and Namibia and began to develop new
ones in Eritrea, Chad, Southern Sudan and Burundi. We also initiated
discussions to establish a pan-African response to the pandemic.
Recognising that HIV/AIDS is not simply a health
issue, our approach is to try to integrate an awareness of HIV/AIDS
into all of our development work and to ensure that all our
interventions in both rural and urban settings take account of the
impact of HIV/AIDS. Even in conflict-related and other emergency
situations, we believe this is an immediate and long-term priority.
Another integral part of our strategic approach is
to promote HIV/AIDS services and treatment and to make these more
easily available. Access to drugs and treatment, primary health care
and reproductive health services are vitally important in reducing the
risk of HIV infection and the development of AIDS.
Since 1994, our East Africa Regional AIDS programme
in Kampala has provided technical, methodological support to the
programmes in the region. As our response to HIV/AIDS has spread to
all the other regions where we work, the demand for the programme’s
services have multiplied. With eight years’ experience of
integrating HIV/AIDS work in mainstream development, we believe we
have a strong foundation on which to build an effective and successful
pan-African response to HIV/AIDS.
Achievements
in our HIV/AIDS work
- In the light of Botswana having the highest prevalence of
HIV/AIDS in the world in 2000, we added an HIV/AIDS component to
empower communities to respond effectively to the HIV/AIDS
pandemic.
- We developed a regional programme in West Africa that recognises
the links between HIV/AIDS and poverty, supporting community
initiatives in the fight against the worst effects of the epidemic
in the region.
- Our emergency conflict programme in Juba continued to
successfully raise awareness of HIV/AIDS in the area.
- We provided direct HIV/AIDS support to 3000 patients in Gulu by
providing counselling services and 300 syphilis and HIV test kits
to the hospital.
- We worked closely with five drama and music groups in Tanzania
to disseminate HIV/AIDS and STD information to community through
songs and play. The level of awareness of HIV/AIDS/STDs increased
significantly as directly reflected by an increased demand and use
of condoms among the youth. A decline of out of wedlock
pregnancies and abortions in the programme was also reported.
- Over 3400 HIV/AIDS and STD education materials, including
booklets, leaflets and flipcharts were distributed to community
members in Tanzania through peer educators, local retailers and
government health facilities and dispensaries.
- Fifteen village widow and orphans committees and 309
village/ward/division leaders, local condom retailers and
religious leaders in Tanzania were trained in aspects of legal
rights, inheritance and their roles in prevention and control of
HIV/AIDS/STDs in their villages.
- Activities aimed at raising awareness of HIV/AIDS in Moyo,
Uganda resulted in more women refusing to take part in
unprotected sex.
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Annual Report Index
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