Dear GYCA Friends,

Hope this finds you well.

Just a quick blog to update you on what was going on on the WAD.

This few weeks past we were very busy with the preparation and commemoration of the WAD, I think it was the same for you.

For us, we have been doing different activities including peer education sessions, Home-Based Campaign, posting posters, announcements and providing transport for young people to VCT locations.

Indeed, the sessions were about awareness rising of the WAD and meeting with the anti-AIDS Clubs Leaders were done in order to prepare the WAD.

Posters and public announcements with a message calling for people to commemorate the WAD through getting an HIV test were posted in public places.
Three days; Friday, Sunday and Monday; of the Home-based campaign were held. Volunteers provided comprehensive information about HIV prevention, transmission, and AIDS treatment and distribute leaflets containing additional information. Other three days of the home-based campaign will be held later in very little week time.

Transportation to VCT locations was provided for 51 young people.

The next blog will be about the outcome of our activities carried out.

Thanks.

Acting together ... Together we can

The HIV/AIDS situation in Egypt is no different from that in other developing countries with regards the accuracy of data concerning the exact number of PLHIV as regard to Ministry of Health and population By December 2005, according to the MOHP, 2330 cases have been detected; of these 1680 were Egyptians and 650 were foreigners. However international organizations and estimating larger number may exceed 50.000 persons.
So we feel responsibility towards this critical situation at our country especially when we knew that the highest rates of new cases had been recorded at MENA region with percentage of 300%. (World Health Statistics, 2007).

And to focus more , we will not target the wide circle this time neither the vulnerable groups but this time we will target people living with HIV.
We know that PLHIV in Egypt, require basic, specific information about support, treatment, care, nutrition and positive living in a simple and effective Arabic words stating basic facts. Further, advocacy skills are needed to address issues related to treatment, human rights, stigma and discrimination, and gender.
It will be through two workshop plus a booklet for people living with HIV to have a far-reaching communication, information and support PLHIV network in Egypt including urban but also hard to reach rural areas where there is less information, education and communication about HIV.
we as GYCA team at Egypt think deeper to interact with PLHIV themselves not just talking about them so we will do this project during the coming 4 months we now at the preparation stage and soon we will start.

May be if we get through to the people we could save even if only one life, it would be a major breakthrough for us.

A country that has only 30% of her population living in urban areas and the other 70% in rural areas; Nigeria needs a program that will close the gap between urban and rural residents. In Nigeria, HIV prevalence is categorized as generalized with a 3.9% prevalence rate among adults (15-49.) With a population of 144.4 million comprised of over 373 ethnic groups (50% Muslim, 40% Christian and 10% Indigenous beliefs), the response to HIV has varied throughout the 36 federal states and capital territory.
Lack of sexual health information and services places these young people at risk for pregnancy, abortion, sexually transmitted, infections (STI), and HIV. According to UNAIDS (2006), 2,900,000 youth ages 10-24 are living with HIV in Nigeria (2008 National Youth Shadow report, Nigeria).
Major programmes and basic information on health related issues are published in the big cities, forgetting the rural people. This has resulted in the under-development, exploitation, poverty and ignorance that characterize rural dwellers in Nigeria. In the 15 states where this project will be implemented, one rural community has been selected. These communities do not have the presence of any NGO implementing such programs so can be described as marginalized or developmental program-deficient and malnourished.

The aim of this project is to bridge the communication gap between the urban and rural dwellers focusing on young people; to enable them have equal access to basic information on HIV/AIDS, STIs and Reproductive Health. It has been designed as GYCA Nigeria’s change project for 2008.
As the project name implies (Close the Gap Nigeria), there is a wide gap in the accessibility of information between urban and rural areas in Nigeria. Most NGOs, CBOs and even government agencies concentrate on urban areas when carrying out development programs. This has resulted in a break in communication. Young people in rural areas know little or nothing about HIV/AIDS, malaria, STIs and other illnesses; their primary causes, preventive measures and information on treatment. Young people between 10-25years in rural areas are involved in risky sexual and social behaviours which endanger or expose them to these infections. This project is designed to provide adequate and understandable information on these diseases by organizing group discussion sessions amongst young people and community drama in the community. They will be sensitized on developmental issues that will result in a change in behaviour and attitude. These group sessions will take the form of an open community forum in one community in 15 states (Sokoto, Lagos, Imo, Kwara, Abuja, Ogun, Cross River, Delta, Akwa Ibom, Kaduna, Kano, Ekiti, Ondo, Nassarawa and Plateau) of Nigeria.
Each state already has a coordinator, who will take charge of the implementation of the projects in their respective locations.

Objectives
- To provide accurate and important information on HIV/AIDS, STIs, Malaria and other health issues on a weekly basis.
- To start a club for peer education and group discussion.
- To get 375 young persons between 10-25years actively involved in the club’s activities; 25 in each of the communities.
- To create attitudinal and behaviour change amongst club members which will be monitored using parent/guardian interviews, individual story and reduction in participation of club members in risky sexual behaviour.

Hi everybody!

As you know it already, the World AIDS Day is approaching. Only fifteen days left. The theme of the year is ‘LEADERSHIP’. Take the lead and keep promise!

It is the reason why we decided to start the WAD preparations early this month.
Indeed, during this past two weeks we held teaching sessions first and Segundo we shifted to different meetings with youth anti-AIDS Club leaders to think and discuss about events that would be held on the WAD.

We decided to start commemorating the WAD since the beginning of the last week of this month.
Different activities will be done including the Home-Based Campaign,peer education sessions and a protest.

I take this opportunity to invite all of you, to our next blog which will be totally about the WAD commemoration activities and their outcomes.

Kindly regards,
Jean Luc

Greetings to All

I would like to take this time to thank the GYCA Small Grant for making it possible for the “Youth Leadership Project: Involving youth in HIV/AIDS Education and Leadership Programming” to be implemented.

The aim of the Project:

Is to challenge the socialized youth environment and gender roles that increase women’s and youth’s vulnerability to HIV/AIDS while encouraging them to become agents of change in their own lives.
Is to select 4 members from and work in their community as youth leaders by creating small groups that educate youth on their right to be educated in gender and HIV issues

We have already started the project by identifying 4 Communities and submitted an application forms to those interested to join the project. We have received 30 youth application who applied to be youth leaders of the small groups. Others indicated that if they are not chosen as the leaders they will become members of the small groups.

We are currently going through selecting the 12 candidates that will be announced to their community, and their community will vote for the person they think is a right candidate to become their community leader. The project management is preparing a December Sexual Health and facilitation training.


Looking forward in reporting next month same date.

Cheers for now..

Dear All,

First of all many thanks to GYCA to provide a unique opportunity to implement a small grant project title “Access to care, treatment for people living with HIV and AIDS (PLHA) in Nepal “.

The purpose of this project is to remind us our mission, commitment and promises and if successful to influence policy making process and resource allocation decisions for quality care, treatment services in Nepal.

Specific Objective of the project is:
• Develop fact HIV and AIDS treatment IEC materials.
• Provide a unique PHA forum to their share ideas, stories, challenges, gaps and needs of PHA.
• Meaningful involvement of youth PHA in policy/decision level of Health/HIV.

Initially, we are preparing to develop a fact HIV and AIDS treatment IEC material and distribute in INGOs/NGOs, CBOs and government agencies etc. and aware them about the needs of PLHAs minimum standard of quality care, treatment services in Nepal.

Similarly, we are preparing to conduct a PLHAs forum, where they can share their challenges, needs and gaps and also conduct current stakeholders meeting. The agenda of the forum and stakeholders meeting is to survey on the side effects of 1st and 2nd line Anti-retro viral (ARV) treatment and what regimen are provided in 2nd line ART by Nepal Government to PLHA and how many people are receiving 2nd line treatment in a free of cost, because Government of Nepal had announced to provide 1st line ARV regimen for PLHAs in a free of cost.


Cheers,
sujan

Dear GYCA Friends,

Hope this find you well.

These last two week of October, it was a busy time for us.

All activities were about Teaching Sessions for Rural Youth Anti-AIDS Clubs at BUKOMEYE and LIBA, and Specific Sessions for Rural Parents.

Teaching Sessions were held weekly every Sunday and we taught rural youth about Reproductive Health and Family Planning. We decided so because as you now nowadays HIV/AIDS related services are being integrated together with that of Reproductive health and/or Family Planning.
The sessions were successful and interesting on both sides. Trainers and Trainees.

Also specific sessions started for parents, we decided to hold such important sessions during or after national community works, be it is on those days that we can find a high number of parents together. This started at the end of the October. Note that Rwandan National Community Work takes place on the last Saturday of each month.

Thank you.