FHI - Niger Delta AIDS Response Project (NiDAR)

In a unique partnership between the Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (SPDC), FHI, and the Government of Nigeria, the Niger Delta AIDS Response Project (NiDAR) delivers comprehensive community-based care and treatment services at cottage hospitals in five states in the Niger Delta.

Launched in June 2007, the project is aligned with the strategic responses to HIV/AIDS at the state and national levels. It engages representatives from the state action committees on AIDS, the National Action Committee on AIDS, and the National AIDS Control Programme.

To ensure sustainability, NGO and community members are actively involved in all five states, Bayelsa, Delta, Edo, Abia, and Rivers. FHI provides technical assistance in the form of training, mentoring, and supportive monitoring to build staff capacity in the areas o:

Care, treatment, and support
Counseling and testing
Prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission
Management of commodities
Integration of TB services
Palliative care

While the project has faced some challenges due to conflict within the region, to date, it has achieved key successes:

In less than a year, healthcare delivery has improved in NiDAR-supported facilities, and 50,000 people gained access to HIV/AIDS treatment, care, and support services.
Facility managers, pharmacy and laboratory staff, and other key personnel have been trained to improve the quality of services provided.
Infrastructure of facilities has been upgraded.
National and international standard operating procedures are being applied at NiDAR supported facilities.

Resources:

Establishing and Sustaining HIV comprehensive care services in Cottage Hospitals in the Niger Delta: Report of the Niger Delta AIDS Response Project (2009)