1. A PRESENTATION OF AN OVERVIEW OF LIFE LINK ORGANISATION PROJECT ACTIVITIES

2. Background
Life Link Organisation (LLO) is a non-governmental and non-profit organisation founded in May 1994.
LLO is working on reproductive health issues as it relates to HIV/AIDS/STIs Intervention programme. Our major targets are the Female Sex workers, Prison Community consisting of the Prison inmates, Prison personnel, Prison Officers wives Association (PROWA), Immigration, Police, Customs, Civil defence, Youths and the general population. The organisation has worked in eleven states; these are Akwa-Ibom, Lagos, Kano, Abuja, Ogun, Kaduna, Enugu, Edo, Oyo, Jos and Delta States.

3. LLO has its corporate head office on Plot 3159 Olympic Street, off Alakoso Avenue, Along Interland Police post , Amuwo-Odofin Industrial Area, Festac Town, Lagos. It has branch offices at two locations – Ikot Ekpene in Akwa Ibom State, No. 7 Ibo Hall Road, Ikot Ekpene and No. 41 Enerhen Road, Warri in Delta State.

4. LLO is currently carrying out a five year APIN funded project on Prevention Plus Intervention to provide prevention services among Paramilitary and General population in three states (Lagos, Oyo and Plateau) in Nigeria.
Presently LLO is working in only one state which is Lagos.
LLO is working with the following target group in Lagos State
General population
Uniformed men
Para Military
Prisons
Female sex workers
Youth
National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW)
Traditional Birth Attendants

5. Under the current grant, LLO is working in three priority Local governments areas namely:
Alimosho LGA
Ifako-Ijaiye
Ikeja
Activities under the grant is basically on HIV testing services (HTS) which include HIV counselling and testing, referrals and linkages.

6. ACTIVITIES CARRIED OUT OVER THE YEARS
Planning Meetings
Advocacy visits
Mapping and identification of the sites
Seminar
Community Mobilisation
Dialogue for action
Peer Education
Interpersonal communication
Small group discussion
HIV counseling and testing
Referral and Linkages
Condom education and messaging
Capacity building workshops
Mentoring
Monitoring visits
Supervisory Visits
Networking and linkages
Home base care

11. PICTURE GALLERY OF ACTIVITIES

18. Lessons Learnt:
The involvement of the AIDS Action Managers in the Community Outreach program has been helpful they have strong positive influence on Community heads, stakeholders and members of the community.
Para - Military groups in the different sectors embraced and took advantage of the Free HTC to know their HIV status.
Partnering with the Matrons and Nurses aided in facilitating the HIV test in the facilities as they encouraged their patients to perform their tests.
LLO to have worked in the Health facility make it possible for easy Linking of positive clients, enrolment and treatment.

19. Lessons Learnt cont’d:
Working in the community has helped LLO to Scale up HIV Care and Treatment program as most of the clients that tested positive happen to be within the testing commu
LLO’s findings and observation from community work project have shown that some locations have been identified as hotspots where numbers of tested clients are HIV positive. This has enabled LLO to focus more on the next identified testing points to harvest positive yields.
LLO discovered that most clients who tested positive were not patients in the facility but individuals who escorted the patients.

20. Challenges Encountered:
Delayed response in the allocation of enrolment numbers to positive clients.
Clients find it difficult to complete referral process due to the Distance from the treatment site
Request for fees to carry out chemistry tests (Liver function tests, Kidney function tests and the heart) hinders some clients to continue their treatment due to lack of funds.
Some clients tested are not based in the state as a result they request to access their treatment in their state of residence thereby leading to loss to follow up.
Request by some clients to see a private doctor for treatment.
Some clients are still in their denial stage and are not willing to accept the outcome of their positive result because of their religious beliefs.

21. RECOMMENDATION:
APIN should extend the number of LGAs allocated to LLO so other people can benefit from the HTS.
APIN should extend our target population to Most at Risk population (female sex workers, injecting drug users, NURTW).

22. Success stories:
LLO in conjunction with APIN was able to successfully trained Ten (10) members of the paramilitary (Police, Civil defence, Customs and Immigration) on HIV counselling and Testing.
One of the positive clients tested by LLO had the opportunity of becoming a trained counsellor tester. He now volunteers for the organisation and assists in counselling positive clients and making sure they complete their referral process.
LLO was able to meet with the Deputy Controller of Police (Mrs Regina Iyoha) who assisted us in co-ordinating community outreach programs in various police barracks within Ikeja LGA. Through her we were given the permission to carry out a one day orientation program on HIV/AIDS with officers of the Area F police headquarters Ikeja.

23. Thank you