1. Integrating HIV AIDS in Community Maternal and
Children Health Outreach and Research Programs
Addise A. Dube MOPE345
Description: The programme incorporates three components: community outreach project on maternal and child health, church and community leaders training and masters program in HIV/AIDS, Gender and Health. The community outreach project is under implementation in two regional states- Oromia and Addis Ababa where 28 trained mentor mothers are educating their peers through door-to-door visits together with the government health extension workers. This approach is effective in mobilizing mothers and communities through community conversation, self help groups and health system support
Lessons learned: While supporting the Health Extension Program, the project simultaneously empowered faith based groups and community leaders to improve their attitudes towards HIV, gender and health issues at family and community levels. This mainly focused both on women with particular focus on mothers, women groups, pastors and young leaders.  To date some 46 research out puts were produced focusing on religious and community issues in relation to HIV, health and theology and helped to shape the HIV programs in the churches and communities. Current students' research projects are also focusing on HIV, gender, health and religious challenges in the communities and churches
Conclusions/Next steps: The conclusion of the pilot program has informed two key directions: · that an interdisciplinary approach to HIV, maternal and child health through converging gender, health and religious studies is a promising method instead of isolated and uncomplimentary professionalism or piecemeal projects.  · that the intervention should address structural issues at all levels- at the grass root level working with mothers, bringing behaviour change at the middle level with the clergy and pastors and dealing with research and policy issues at the top.
Community Outreach Approach to tackling Maternal and Child Health in Ethiopia
Methodologically valued, Socially acceptable and Interdisciplinary
Put a figure here that explores one particular outcome in a complicated table of results.
Copyright Colin Purrington (
Background: In January 2013 a pilot mentor mother model was implemented supported by Church of Sweden and SIDA to address maternal and child health issues in Ethiopia where trained mothers support their peers in daily life encounters. During this period an unexpected number of HIV cases were identified by these mentor mothers and referred to the existing health system. Health extension workers were taken aback to learn about these findings including the identification of a significant number of unimmunized children and mothers who do not access health facilities.
These HIV cases are getting care and support from the Mentor Mothers, volunteers , neighbors and being reintegrated to the social fabrics.. Fear of stigma and discrimination is gradually dealt within the continuous counseling process.
References
Lena Furberg, A Monitoring and Evaluation
Study of the Pilot Programme on Health,
Gender and Theology. Church of Sweden.
Uppsala.
Ethiopian Graduate School of Theology
Descriptive Report on Community Outreach
Practicum Project Mentor Mothers Model.
Addis Ababa
Central Statistical Agency (Ethiopia) and ICF
International Ethiopia Demographic
and Health Survey Addis Ababa.
Acknowledgments:
We thank Church of Sweden for supporting this pilot programme and for monitoring its progress and continuity.