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Country Profiles |
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FHI's Counseling and Testing Program Hits the Million Mark |
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Of the 1 million, 47,755 adults were HIV-positive. Of these, almost two-thirds—30, 296 or 63.5 percent—were females and 17,459 (36.5 percent) were males. In addition, 3,422 children under 14 tested positive—1,900 males and 1,522 females. Counseling and testing are critical weapons in the fight against HIV and AIDS. Through these services, people who are HIV-positive are identified, counseled on staying healthy and avoiding transmission to others, and referred to antiretroviral treatment (ART) and other crucial services, including those that effectively prevent mother-to-child transmission of the virus. Currently, FHI/Nigeria has put 23,125 persons on ART in 52 facilities in 22 states. More about FHI/Nigeria's CT Programs GHAIN operates in support of the Government of Nigeria, and is funded by the US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief through USAID. FHI leads two other, smaller CT programs, one funded by the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria, and one in the Niger Delta that is funded by the Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria. Donor support made the achievements and scale-up of the CT program possible, but credit for its success is also due to strong, collaborative partnerships with more than 180 organizations—public, private, and faith-based, and at community, state, and national levels. Scaling up from 7,000 to 1,000,000
A range of activities contributed to these impressive increases and strengthened services. FHI/Nigeria used realistic and simple strategies to implement counseling and testing programs—for example, non-laboratory personnel are trained to perform the tests and use rapid test kits that are not cold-chain dependent. The use of mobile units has also contributed significantly to increasing uptake and reducing AIDS-related stigma. Though mobile services started barely two years ago, they now enlist about 20 percent of all CT clients. The attractive tents that the units use attract large crowds, as does the convenience of cost- and travel-free access to test results. How a logo and a former president increased uptake To foster ownership, coordination, and standardization, FHI handed this logo over to the government, which encourages its use by all partners and organizations providing CT services. The distinctive and instantly recognizable logo not only signals the availability, quality, and uniformity of services that the centers offer, but the accompanying slogan, "we listen, we care," promises that clients will meet discreet, friendly providers in stigma-free settings.
Cartier attests that this singular act increased uptake of counseling and testing services. Policymakers and opinion leaders took note, and governors in different parts of the country took turns being publicly tested. Working with the Government of Nigeria Through its work with these bodies, FHI supported Nigeria's efforts to create national VCT guidelines and a training curriculum, as well as to establish four VCT training centers. FHI/Nigeria later helped the government formulate its scale-up plan, provided technical assistance to provide VCT services at primary health centers, and helped the government develop VCT monitoring and evaluation tools that are now used nationally. Cartier says that the "good working environment and good support from the government" should be credited for the dramatic increase in the number of VCT clients over the past three years. He added, "FHI/Nigeria has enjoyed an excellent relationship with Nigerian government, thereby providing better opportunities for the program to succeed." In turn, this relationship and the arrival of the millionth CT client in Nigeria would not have occurred without the commitment, unstinting effort, teamwork, resilience, and creativity of FHI/Nigeria's staff. PHOTOS (bottom) President Olusegun Obasanjo is publicly tested by FHI/Nigeria's Associate Director of HIV Counseling and Testing Simon Cartier. — Hilary Russell |
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DECEMBER 2007 — FHI is celebrating a great achievement: more than 1 million clients have been counseled, tested, and received results from its HIV counseling and testing (CT) programs in Nigeria. FHI thus achieved one-quarter of the Nigerian government's target of reaching 4 million people with CT services by 2009. 
In collaboration with the national government and other stakeholders, FHI/Nigeria developed the heart-to-heart logo that now marks each CT site in the country with a "seal of approval." The logo also appears on national media messages that encourage people to go for counseling and testing. 
President Olusegun Obasanjo launched the logo at the 2005 World AIDS Day commemoration. The following year, he marked the day by being publicly tested for HIV. That the test was administered by FHI/Nigeria's Associate Director of HIV Counseling and Testing Simon Cartier testifies to the program's national contributions and technical excellence.