Improving HIV/AIDS Care in Nigeria

Jan. 29, 2007—Esse Nsed will not let obstacles get in the way of improving care and support for people living with HIV in Nigeria.

When she discovered she had HIV several years ago, Esse turned to “faith and hope” to rise above stigma and get the support that she needed. And, she founded the Positive Development Foundation in Nigeria’s southeastern state of Cross River to reach others living with HIV.

She faces tremendous odds in her quest. Because of Nigeria’s poor health infrastructure and limited capacity, there is an enormous unmet need for services among the roughly four million men, women and children living with HIV and AIDS in the country.

But now Esse is gaining new skills to reach even more Nigerian families affected by HIV/AIDS.

Esse Nsed is a partner in the Positive Living program led by the Centre for Development and Population Activities (CEDPA) with funding from the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief and the U.S. Agency for International Development. The program expands community-based HIV/AIDS services in Nigeria and builds the capacity of local organizations to improve the quality of life of people living with HIV/AIDS, their families and communities.

During the next two weeks, Esse will join Nigerian leaders from faith-based and community organizations for a Positive Living training in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital.

The training provides knowledge, tools and skills that Esse will pass on to her many community volunteers. These volunteers will be deployed to provide home-based care, counseling and medical referrals to people living with HIV in her region—giving much needed support to many families who do not have access to services today.

CEDPA’s training curriculum includes critical technical and skills-building sessions for partners in the Positive Living project. Topics include:

• how to strengthen home-based care of people living with HIV, establish protocols for referrals to formal health interventions, and develop community support for home-based care;
  
• an overview of anti-retroviral therapy, the importance of drug adherence and how to control side effects of the drugs to improve the health and well-being of people living with HIV;
  
• peer education strategies to improve youth programs, including effective prevention messages; and
  
• skills in monitoring and evaluation, including how to assess the impact of community-based interventions.

The Jan. 22 to Feb. 3 training involves 13 organizations with broad reach throughout Nigeria, including the Anglican Communion, National Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs and the Positive Development Foundation.

With added skills, ongoing technical assistance and additional funding under the Positive Living program, these organizations and others involved in future trainings will expand their community services to improve home-based care for many tens of thousands of Nigerians living with HIV.

Read more information about the Positive Living program.

Learn about the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief and the U.S. Agency for International Development.

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