Engaging the Faith Community to Fight HIV/AIDS in Nigeria

Aug. 31, 2005—Faith communities are critical to influencing behavior change in Nigeria.

The average Nigerian attends a church, mosque or other religious service more often than most other nationalities, according to a 2004 BBC survey. Religious leaders are the gatekeepers of morality, and hold wide influence on the values and behaviors of Nigerians. Faith-based organizations play a leading role in social services and deliver as much as 40 percent of Nigeria’s health services.

Recognizing the prominent role that religion plays in Nigeria, the Centre for Development and Population Activities is mobilizing faith-based organizations in the fight against AIDS as a partner in the five-year Global HIV/AIDS Initiative Nigeria (GHAIN) project.

Led by Family Health International, GHAIN is funded by the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief through the U.S. Agency for International Development.

CEDPA has developed a three-pronged approach to expand demand and use of HIV/AIDS services into local Nigerian communities. We:

• Build awareness among religious and cultural leaders.
• Strengthen faith-based institutions and community organizations to increase community-level prevention, care and support.
• Mobilize communities and advocate to reduce stigma and increase use of voluntary counseling and testing, antiretroviral therapy services and home-based care and support.

  This approach takes into consideration the diversity and dynamics within communities that influence the spread of the disease. At the same time, it ensures community ownership and continued support for HIV/AIDS prevention, care and support services.

  CEDPA, operating in both Cross River and Bauchi states, introduced this approach by holding a series of workshops for religious and community leaders. The workshops helped leaders clarify myths and misconceptions about HIV/AIDS, develop strategies to engage their communities in HIV/AIDS programs, and establish networks to refer community members for voluntary counseling and testing, antiretroviral therapy services, and management of opportunistic infections.

  As a result, the religious leaders developed messages to help reduce stigma against people living with HIV/AIDS and prevent HIV through abstinence and mutual fidelity.

  The response and commitment from religious leaders in both Cross River and Bauchi states have been overwhelming. From April to June 2005, sermons in churches and mosques reached 508,495 people with abstinence, be faithful and stigma reduction messages. Religious leaders have initiated other activities, such as organizing seminars on HIV/AIDS awareness that covered basic facts about HIV transmission and prevention, stages of the disease, and stigma and discrimination issues.

  Since CEDPA’s community mobilization efforts with faith-based organizations began in January 2005, Cross River state has seen an increase in the number of people requesting voluntary counseling and testing and receiving HIV-related referrals to health care facilities.

  “We’ve gone far in Cross River,” remarked Dr. Joyce Mangvwat, CEDPA’s Senior Community Mobilizer/Faith-Based Organization Advisor. “People are very much aware of where services are, and people living with HIV/AIDS are reaching out to other parts of the state to get others to come in for testing.”

  Read more:

  CEDPA Engages the Faith Community as Partners in GHAIN's Comprehensive Community HIV/AIDS Strategy (PDF)

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