FEED MY PEOPLE LIBERIA'S HIV / AIDS PROGRAMME:
Point 4 Medical Clinic, Point 4, Monrovia, Liberia
HIV / AIDS awareness Workshop at FMPL Clinic, Point 4, Monrovia
NAME OF PROJECT: HAPI PROJECT (HIV AND AIDS PREVENTIVE INITIATIVE)
DURATION OF PROJECT: July 2006- July 2008
KEY BENEFICIARIES OF PROJECT (WITH NUMBERS): There are 525,000 HIV carriers in Liberia, according to statistics recently released by the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare. This number represents 15% of the nations population. The Liberian youth dominate the HIV carriers. Target beneficiaries are the teenagers and adolescent with the community of Point four.
GOAL OF PROJECT: The HIV problem, if it remains uncontrolled, will have a devastating effect on the current high burden of poverty in the nation of Liberia. Above all, stigma is very high at all levels of the community and AIDS patients are mostly abandoned by their families. People don’t want to know if they are HIV positive, because they are afraid they will die. The increase in HIV morbidity is worsening the health situation and adding more pressure on the limited resources provided by the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare (MOHSW) (i.e. Government of Liberia). The goals of the project are : To reduce the growing rate of this human killer disease that is claiming the lives of many young people in Liberia. To create awareness in communities of Point Four about the dangers of HIV and Aids. To educate mainly teens and adolescents, between the ages of 13 – 25 about preventive methods of HIV/AIDS.
KEY ACTIVITIES OF THIS PROJECT: To create awareness of HIV/AIDS in a community that denies the reality of AIDS through monthly Community awareness meetings and house to house visitations of community workers.
IMPACT OF PROJECT TO DATE:
• HIV/AIDS is a global problem. The HAPI project has just completed the first year of the program. The first year activities were house to house awareness campaign by 9 community health workers and various 1 day workshops for different communities.
FUTURE PLANS FOR THIS PROJECT:
• The second year will be more group-focused as different target groups have been identified to work with.
• 3 year HIV/Aids strategy includes the following objectives:
• Introduce partnership with FBOs on HIV and AIDS prevention
• Improve care and support to OVC and PLHIV
• Improve the capacity of staff to effectively engage and mobilize communities to support OVCs
QUOTES FROM PEOPLE ON THE PROJECT: Since I have been working as a Community Health Worker on THE HAPI project, I have learnt a lot and also been able to disseminate information to my school mates on the dangers of unprotected sex and need to go for testing ……Abigail (Community Health Worker)
Are photos of this project available? If so, where? In our gallery page under 'Health Programme'