‘Communities make the difference in AIDS fight’

By Evelyn Osagie

In recognition of the invaluable contribution communities play towards curbing the spread of HIV/AIDS, awareness drive on HIV prevention cascaded down to the communities, focusing on adolescents and young adult.

According to the Zonal Coordinator Lagos, the Faith Based Action for Scaling up Testing and Treatment for Epidemic Response (FASTER Project), Dr Adebukola Adegbola, the fight against HIV can be greatly improved through organised partnerships.

She observed that the event provided a significant opportunity to recognize the essential role that communities have played and continue to play in the AIDS response at the international, national and local levels. “Communities are a unique force behind the success of the HIV response recorded so far,” she said.

Themed: “Communities make the Difference”, the awareness creation on HIV prevention took place in different communities in Alausa and Ikeja, Lagos. It featured HIV Testing Services and sensitisation.

The weeklong event was put together by the Lagos State Ministry of Health in collaboration with the CDC funded FASTER project being implemented by Catholic Relief services (CRS) and Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI).

Read Also: NACA lauds Lagos for leading war against HIV/AIDS

Other partners included the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), project and the Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS (NEPHWAN).

The awareness drive, she stated, was part of the project’s mandate of improving HIV case identification and retention, targeted at caring for children and adolescents.

“FASTER Project is designed to significantly advance an enabling environment and foster the development or improvement of operational guidance: tools, training, practical evidence, and proofs of concept, which will allow all facilities and paediatric providers to quickly and strategically expand HIV testing, and paediatric-friendly treatment, care, and support for all children and adolescents.

“Communities make the difference in the fight to curb the spread of HIV/AIDS. We have been collaborating with Lagos state Ministry of Health and other relevant stakeholders and will continue to collaborate in the AIDS response in the state.

The event was an opportunity for us to unite in the fight against HIV. To show support for people living with HIV and to commemorate those who have died from an AIDS-related illness, we joined the world to mark the 2019 World AIDS Day,” Adegbola said.