FHI - Catalyzing Change in Communities to Respond to HIV/AIDS

AUGUST 2007 — Before she became an AIDS activist in Kpaduma Village within the Federal Capital Territory (FCT)/Abuja, Kyauta Micah did not know much about the pandemic. "I thought of HIV and AIDS just as a disease that was around. Members of my community and I did not know how people contracted it and did not believe that AIDS was real. Nobody would even say the word HIV, due to fear of infection or stigma. Ignorance was very high."

Now Kyauta has been identified as a driver of change, along with about 30 people who live in her poor community, which has limited access to water, schools, and health facilities. Kyauta became an activist after she was exposed to the local activities of NGOs, especially through the Strengthening Nigeria's Response to HIV/AIDS (SNR) Project and its Drivers of Change (DoC) Program.

"Having volunteered to be trained in the DoC program, I became aware of the issues around stigma and discrimination and their effects on the community. I received new knowledge and learned how to tackle such issues in my community," she says.

As a driver of change, Kyatau convinced members of her community—especially its traditional rulers—to support local HIV prevention, care, and support activities. In Kpaduma Village, people are no longer in denial or afraid to talk about HIV and AIDS, and many people request HIV tests, something no one did previously. The traditional chief encouraged community members to be tested. Young people were asking for more knowledge about preventing HIV infection, so 20 peer educators were trained, with support from SNR and the FCT Action Committee on AIDS.

Kyauta learned other skills during her DoC leadership training, including how to explore other opportunities for mobilizing resources. "I have been reaching out to other organizations—like VIDA, SFH, CLAP, and RENEGAID—to assist us with materials and the counselors who will provide the services."

Another driver of change in Cross River State

In the Yakurr Local Government Area (LGA) in Cross River State, Dr. Dan Abubakar was identified as a driver of change. Yakurr comprises several communities and boasts many schools and health facilities, along with a popular annual festival—Leboku—that attracts visitors from far and wide. Nevertheless, many residents are ignorant about HIV and AIDS, and they tend to rely on traditional health practitioners to treat of all kinds of health problems, including HIV and AIDS.

Dan attended various DoC skills-building workshops organized by SNR. From them, he said he learned the value of working with several groups and the need to harness the potential within communities to carry out HIV and AIDS interventions. "The SNR skills building session was an eye opener for me," he said. He had been prompted "to rise up and do something for my community and harness the little resources I have in mobilizing others to join hands in the fight against AIDS."

Dan mobilized other community-based organizations (CBOs), local leaders, and social groups within the community to join in efforts to promote best practices and to sensitize community members to the basic facts about HIV and AIDS and myths and misconceptions about the disease.

The CBOs and social groups soon became known as the Coalition of NGOs in Yakurr Local Government Area. Charged with disseminating HIV/AIDS messages in the community, the coalition carried out a five-day sensitization campaign, Alive and Safe 4 Leboku, in Nko, Ekori, and Ugep, the three largest communities in the region. The campaign provided about 50,000 people with HIV and AIDS messages.

Other community members consider the sensitization campaign to have been a turning point in their lives. "This year's Leboku really brought home to us the real issues of AIDS," said one participant. Even youths who see the festival as a time of fun agreed that the AIDS message made an impact on them. As a result of this success, AIDS messages have been institutionally integrated into the Leboku festival.

PHOTOS: (Top) Kyauta Micah, driver of change in Kpaduma Village, Federal Capital Territory/Abuja. (Bottom) Dan Abubakar, driver of change in Yakurr Local Government Area, Cross River State. (FHI/Nigeria)