LUTHERAN CHURCH IN LIBERIA HIV AND AIDS PROGRAMME & CHRISTIAN HIV & AIDS NETWORK OF LIBERIA PRESENTED BY REV. MOSES B. GOBAH PROGRAMME COORDINATOR & BOARD.

LUTHERAN CHURCH IN LIBERIAHIV AND AIDS PROGRAMME

&CHRISTIAN HIV & AIDS NETWORK OF LIBERIA

PRESENTED BYREV. MOSES B. GOBAH

PROGRAMME COORDINATOR & BOARD CHAIRPERSON OF CHANOL

1LUTHERAN CHURCH IN LIBERIA HIV AND AIDS PROGRAMME

LUTHERAN CHURCH IN LIBERIA HIV AND AIDS PROGRAMME3

PURPOSESProvide a thorough background

information on the establishment and development of the Program.

Reflect on the implementation dynamics of the Lutheran Church HIV and AIDS Program and the Christian HIV and AIDS Network of Liberia (CHANOL)

Share lesson learnt, best practices, innovative approaches and challenges.


BACKGROUNDBegin in May 2001 fifteen years after the first

case was discovered at Curran Lutheran hospital at our National Church Convention.

Fifteen years of silence due to stigma and discrimination associated with HIV & AIDS.

5-days AIDS awareness workshop conducted.

Follow by a need assessment to prioritize our response.

A 5 year Voluntary Counseling and Testing project was introduced as the entry point to HIV prevention in February of 2003. 5LUTHERAN CHURCH IN LIBERIA HIV AND AIDS

PROGRAMME

PREVALENCEThe HIV epidemic in Liberia is a major public health threat.

In 1986 first case reported at Current Lutheran Hospital

In 2003: 8.2% (NACP, 2003)In 2007: 5.7% (2006 ANC Sentinel

surveillance Report, NACP, 2007) In 2007: 1.5% - 2.5%(Urban) and 0.8%

(Rural): LISGIS,2007



GOALTo contribute to the National AIDS Control Program´s goal, which aims to promote a positive change of behavior and reduce the psychosocial impact of HIV/AIDS on the individual and the society.


OBJECTIVESTo mobilize and sensitize our local congregations and grass root community for a community-based response to the AIDS crisis.

The establishment of HIV and AIDS voluntary counseling and testing centers as entry point for care and support.

LUTHERAN CHURCH IN LIBERIA HIV AND AIDS PROGRAMME 9

OBJECTIVES CONT`DTo Prevent the spread of HIV and AIDS

especially among the young people.To improve the quality of life of people living

with HIV and AIDS through empowerment and creating an environment of care and support for those infected.

MAIN ACTIVITIESTRAINING AND WORKSHOPSCounselor Training – is one of the

corner of our activities which last between eight to ten months. From 2001-2007 we have trained 227 counselors.

On site Voluntary Counseling and Testing (stand alone and integrated) we have a total of 8 VCT Centers.

We run Mobile Counseling and Testing service in order to reach more people especially the hard to reach group.


MAIN ACTIVITIES CONT`D4,361 females and 4,016 males have been

counseled and tested.13.5% of females tested HIV positive while

8.9% males also tested HIV positive.Clients were categorized as blood donors,

volunteers walk in, out and in patients ranging between the ages 29-39.

A total of 17,778 pre-test counseling was conducted so far.

MAIN ACTIVITIES cont’dCommunity Awareness

Home Visits to PLWHAs and their families

Support to PLWHAs through relief assistance (i.e. food, micro-finance and vocational/skill training, farm supplements, treatment for opportunistic infections

Formation of Support GroupsLUTHERAN CHURCH IN LIBERIA HIV AND AIDS PROGRAMME

13

MAIN ACTIVITIES cont’d (pictorial)


Training of counselors in the HIV testing procedure

MAIN ACTIVITIES cont’d (pictorial)

PUBLIC AWARENESS IN THE IDP CAMPS

LUTHERAN CHURCH IN LIBERIA HIV AND AIDS PROGRAMME

17

A support group member doing giving awareness during an outreach in the IDP Camps

Female Zoes and a Teacher giving awareness in Maimu IDP Camp as Counselor looks on

Attendants at one indoor awareness session

Counselor giving awareness during a public session


18

TRAINING

Youth in Life Skills

Zoe making a presentation at a

workshop

Zoes & TBAs in a group session

Zoes, TTMs, &TBAs

participating in World AIDS

Day


TRAINING/Admin.

Religious Leaders and

Teachers

Islamic Teacher/Translator

making a presentation during

a training session

Health and SociaI workers during one

training session

Office dedication in Lofa


20

Curran Lutheran Hospital, Zorzor in ruin (Home of the IDP Project) Renovated Curran Lutheran Hospital

The Highway between Kolahun and Foya in Lofa

THE FORMATION OF A NETWORK BEGIN IN 2003Founding members were the Catholic and Lutheran

churches and ELWA Hospital.At present the membership stand at 27 comprising of

denominations and para-church organizations.Purpose of the Network called (CHANOL) is to

consolidate a Christian response to HIV and AIDS in Liberia, providing and implementing Christian HIV and AIDS promotion, treating, care-giving, training, advocacy and education as well as partnership.

CHANOL NETWORKMAIN ACTIVITIES IMPLEMENTEDBetween 2003-2005 CHANOL received

grant from UNDP, USAID Catholic Relief Service, ELCA and World Food Program to sent 23 Liberian counselors to Botswana for advance training of trainers in HIV and AIDS counseling.

In 2006 in partnership with the Pan African Christian HIV and AIDS Network conducted a “Call To Action Conference for the Christian community.

NETWORK CONT`DIn 2007 CHANOL hosted the Bishops and Senior

Church Leaders Conference to solicit the support of the national Church leadership in the fight against HV and AIDS.

In 2007 CHNOL conducted two training workshops on Stigma and Discrimination and Change Agents for church leaders and influential leaders.

At the close of 2007 CHANOL hosted a “Consensus Building Conference to widen the scope of the Network and its leadership.

At the close the following persons were elected by the CHANOL membership.

LESSONS LEARNT AND EXPERIENCES

Combining Mobile Voluntary Counseling and Testing with stand alone as well as integrated VCT centers to do counseling and testing;

The program works through the local leaders and healers and religious leaders, Traditional Birth Attendants (TBAs), Trained Traditional Midwives (TTMs), Evangelists; they are respected and are influential;


LESSONS LEARNT AND EXPERIENCES cont’d

Building and supporting the skills for young people through life skills concepts for responsible adulthood and effective decision making;

Involvement and participation of Muslim and Christian clergy people within the church, i.e. utilizing the comparative advantages of the church network which serves to integrate into many communities;


BEST PRACTICES

The process of building awareness in the congregation promotes knowledge and skills in HIV and AIDS prevention, care and support;

After HIV and AIDS interventions in the camps the project followed IDPs out of the camps to their new settlement and continued with project activities;


BEST PRACTICES cont’d

Establishment of AIDS Care Support Groups, as an exit strategy to ensure community driven sustained program in the future in churches and communities;

Voluntary counseling and testing is the best entry point for care and support as well as behavior change;

Deliberate efforts in involving people living with HIV and AIDS in the program;


Best practices cont`dNetworking with other AIDS organizations,

mainly church based where members learn from each others;

Using drama and cultural performances for social mobilization of Voluntary Counseling and Testing and for HIV awareness.

INNOVATIVE APPROACHESUsing the office of the Bishop for advocacy, i.e.

speaking on behalf of people who rights are denied;

Direct involvement and participate of clergy people within the church; i.e. utilizing the comparative advantages of the church network which permeates many communities;

Combining Mobile Voluntary Counseling with stand alone as well as integrated VCT centers to do counseling and testing;

The process of building awareness in the congregations promotes knowledge and skills in prevention, care and support.

CHALLENGESCounselors were overburdened with the possibility of

burning out;Difficulties in letting the client help himself or herself

i.e. cutting the cord between the client and counselor;

Self-stigmatizing by people living with HIV and AIDS;Shortages of Test Kits which gave rise to uncertainty

for the counselors and clients;Clients requiring comprehensive care, which make

them dependant on the Program as the sole provider;Counselors and staff needs short and long term

training.

LUTHERAN CHURCH IN LIBERIA HIV AND AIDS PROGRAMME & CHRISTIAN HIV & AIDS NETWORK OF LIBERIA PRESENTED BY REV. MOSES B. GOBAH PROGRAMME COORDINATOR & BOARD.

Documents

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lutheran church hiv

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aids programmepurposesprovide

aids programmegoalto

aids programmeobjectivesto

aids crisis

aids programmebackgroundbegin