Summary of Global Fund Projects (II)
Over 33 million people in the world today have HIV. Africa accounts for 10% of the world’s population yet contributes 67% of all HIV/AIDS cases worldwide. The disease is the leading cause of death in sub-Saharan Africa with approximately 3,800 people dying every day from AIDS. In order to halt the rippling impact of HIV/AIDS in developing countries, the Global Fund was established in January 2002 to dramatically increase global financing for interventions against the two pandemics (malaria and HIV/AIDS epidemic). It is the largest international funder of programs to combat malaria and tuberculosis, providing two-thirds of all financing, and provides 20% of all international funding to combat HIV/AIDS Ghana is one of the seven countries with the highest HIV prevalence in West Africa. With a population of about 22million, Ghana has a national average prevalence of 3.1% among 15 to 49 years old. This prevalence rate is not uniform across the country. There are some areas in the country such as Agomanya and koforidua where the prevalence rate is greater than 5% among 15 to 49 years old.
This report presents the results of outreach Counseling and Testing programmes on HIV /STD’S actives undertaken by KEBA Africa under the Global Fund Project Round 8.
THE PROJECT.
The Global Fund was set up as independent financial instrument to augment funding of country programmes for HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria in developing countries. Since 2002, Ghana has successfully accessed funding from the Global Fund for seven grants totaling $ 300 million for the three diseases. These grants are coordinated through the Ghana Country Coordinating Mechanism (CCM), an independent national coordinating body broadly representative of national stakeholders, including Government, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), Faith-Based Organizations (FBOs), Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), People Living with HIV (PLHIV), Academia, Private sector, and Multi and Bilateral Agencies, joined in the fight against the three diseases.
Since 2009, the Ghana Social Marketing Foundation and the International Labour Organization have been recipients of funds to conduct counseling and testing for the informal sector on HIV/AIDS and STDs management across the 10 regions of Ghana.
KEBA Africa was subcontracted to undertake the HIV /AIDS education and Counseling and Testing component of the project. So far KEBA Africa have started work in five out of the ten regions namely: Greater Accra, Eastern Region, Ashanti Region, and Brong Ahafo region and the western Region.
The project has undergone 2 major phases.
1. Organizing workplace policy programmes to train and educate members both in informal and formal sectors to reduce HIV risk behaviors, to avoid Stigma and discrimination and to promote the use of condoms in these five regions.
2. Embarking on mobile confidential voluntary Counseling and testing for members in both formal and informal sectors and also promoting culture of HIV testing among members in both formal and informal sectors.
So far, over 7000 people within both formal and informal sectors have been educated on the following.
1. HIV/AIDS, STDS/STI
2. The need for condom use .i.e. correct and consistent condom use.
3. Role of peer educators
4. Behavior change
5. Need to avoid discrimination and stigmatization.
6. Window period, with the same number of people undergoing counseling and testing in order to knowing their HIV/AIDS sero status.
Challenges
Our major challenge has to do with mobilizing people in the informal sector for workplace and Voluntary Counseling and Testing programmes. Since the sector is not well structured, it is difficult mobilizing people to undergo counseling and testing. The informal sector is also faced with some level of illiteracy as compared to the formal sector. Only few have attained basic education and organizing them for workplace programmes becomes difficult and materials provided in english language has to be translated into the local dilate for easy understanding.
LESSONS LEARNED DURING THE 2 PHASES OF THE PROJECT
More members within both formal and informal sectors need to be trained as peer counselors to make the programme more successful. Again, there is the need to look at the size of each trade association and decide on the number of members to train. Also it was observed that those who are moderately educated or not at all educated easily embrace counseling and testing as compared to the elite in societies. However, education on the need to undergo counseling and testing has to be increased.
ILO/KEBA Africa Peer Counsellors Workshop
The International Labour Organisation (ILO) is implementing a project entitled International Education For Workplace Programme, as part of the Global Fund for HIV/AIDS Round 8 Ghana Programme.
As part of the programme ILO in collaboration with KEBA Africa is organising mobile outreach Counselling and Testing (CT) excersies aimed at reducing new HIV infections and ensuring healthy sexual lifestyles among the informal sector trade associations in Greater Accra Region.
Among others, the project seeks to counsel and test 600 people in the informal sector by the end of June 2010. To meet this target and also help promote counselling and testing patronage among workers in the informal sector, a workshop has been scheduled to train 25 people from to trade associations in Greater Accra Region who would be HIV/AIDS peer Counsellors.
