LMS/Nigeria Commemorates World AIDS Day
In Abuja, Nigeria, on World AIDS Day (December 1, 2008) MSH had the honor of giving a project presentation to the Vice President of Nigeria. The event was organized by the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA), in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health. The World AIDS Day booth set up by the AIDS Care & Treatment (ACT) Project included posters detailing Capacity Building, Advocacy, and Service Delivery accomplishments, various informational materials, and condoms for distribution. LMS-ACT staff were also present to answer questions about MSH and its work in HIV/AIDS and TB.
In the six project states where LMS-ACT works, Kogi, Niger, Kebbi, Kwara, Adamawa, and Taraba, the World AIDS Day activities focused not only on project visibility, but also on HIV/AIDS and TB education, community outreach, and counseling and testing. Community sensitization began days before the event and activities continued into the week. The LMS-ACT state teams participated in parades, rallies, and marches that included State Ministries of Health, State Agencies for the Control of AIDS, other Implementing Partners, People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) groups, and Local Government Authorities. In all states MSH presented goodwill speeches and in attendance were many dignitaries and top government officials. The events finished with voluntary HIV/AIDS counseling and testing offered to anyone in attendance, as well as the distribution of leaflets containing state referral directories of Comprehensive Care and Treatment sites to guide all community members, regardless of their HIV/AIDS status, in choosing sites where they wish to be treated.
In addition to AIDS Care and Treatment project is the LMS Capacity Building Project in Nigeria, which provides ongoing technical support to Nigerian civil society organizations (CSOs) offering community-based HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment, and care activities, including support for orphans and vulnerable children. LMS is also currently implementing HIV/AIDS projects in Haiti, Tanzania, Kenya, and Uganda. As a supporting partner for the Global Fund, LMS has supported HIV/AIDS organizations in Pakistan, Guinea, Nicaragua, Honduras, Tanzania, Cote d’Ivoire, and Nigeria. Additionally, through its virtual programs, LMS has reached hundreds of health workers working in HIV/AIDS in dozens of countries.
|
