Training Workshop on HIV/AIDS

Training Workshop on HIV/AIDS Stigma Reduction at Grassroots Level Through Communication was conducted by Grassroots Female Communicators Association GRAFCA in October, 2011 and inspired the communities in Kilagano Ward to own the project after the training was over. A Task Force was established by the group of 25 participants who attended the workshop. This was done in order to own the project and make sure for its sustainability. As a first step, the Task Force set down with the ward leaders and compromised on the intention. The step was followed by putting down a schedule of activities which speculated visiting schedules. Majority of the communities from the areas of project were inspired with the move and joined the process. From January to December, 2012 FOUR visits were conducted to the areas where the participants came from. During the period of January, 2013 – February, 2014 THREE visits were conducted. To date (Mayl, 2015), 58 women, 39 men, 18 pregnant women and four (4) children (all boys aged three to six years have been diagnosed as HIV/AIDS positive. All of them have been registered at Mgazini Dispensary the only Ward reliable health facility. At the dispensary, they are served with ARVs and special energy powder as well as counselling sessions earmarked to them are carried out. In the past, the communities from Kilagano Ward were examined and treated at the Mission Hospital Peramiho which is about 40 kilometres from Mgazini village. This resulted in some of them not disclosing their health status once tested HIV/AIDS positive. When the Task Force started visits and talked to the communities on the importance of taking HIV/AIDS tests, they agreed and currently, we have 119 people who are HIV/AIDS positive. The coalition has been very effective; as we have witnessed many people dying because nobody dared to counsel them to go for HIV/AIDS tests. Besides deaths, majority remained in beds with no medication. As a result, the ward was faced with shortage of manpower causing majority of the people to starve from hunger due to the fact that, they could not manage to produce enough food to sustain their living.

Download : 20993_sexual-and-reproductive-health-hiv-and-aidssholastika-mbano---presentation---2015.doc