1. The Church’s Response to the Scaling up of HIV Prevention and Care in Liberia Experience of The Lutheran Church in Liberia HIV AND AIDS PROGRAMME
PRESENTED BY
STEVEN Z. KORVAH, JR.
PROGRAMME OFFICER 1

2. MAP OF LIBERIA

3. PURPOSE
Provide a thorough information on the intervention of the an HIV and AIDS Programme in the Church;
Share experiences and lessons learnt from the intervention of the Lutheran Church in Liberia;

4. PREVALENCE In 2003: 8.2% (NACP, 2003)
In 2007: 5.7% (2006 ANC Sentinel surveillance Report, NACP, 2007)
In 2007: 1.5% - 2.5%(Urban) and 0.8%(Rural): LISGIS,2007

5. PREVALENCE cont’d Population of 3.4m; LISGIS 2008 Census Report
About 64% poverty rate (live on less than 1USD/day; LISGIS, 2009; Census Report)

6. Goal
To contribute to the National AIDS Control Program's goal, which aims to promote a positive change of behaviour and reduce the psychosocial impact of HIV and AIDS on the individual and the society.

7. Sub-goals
To mobilize grassroots communities for a holistic community–based response to HIV and AIDS
To prevent the spread of HIV and AIDS through behaviour change especially among young people

8. Sub-goals cont’d
To improve the quality of life of people living with HIV through empowerment and creating an environment of care and support
To improve the institutional capacity of the LCL AIDS Programme to deliver on the above objectives

9. Beneficiaries People living with HIV (PLHIV) and their families
Orphans
Traditional Birth Attendants (TBAs)
Trained Traditional Midwives (TTMs)
Zoes (Hard-to-reach grassroots population)

10. Beneficiaries cont’d Health workers
Religious leaders (pastors, evangelists, deacons, imams, etc.)
Military and Para-military personnel
Teachers and students
Out-of-school youths

11. Beneficiaries cont’d
Mobile population (Internally Displaced Persons and Refugees),
Faith Based Organizations (FBOs),
Community Based Organizations (CBOs) and networks, etc.

12. Activities/Interventions
Counselors’
Training

13. Activities/Interventions cont’d
Establishment of Voluntary Counseling and Testing Centers
Meeting of Counselors

14. Activities/Interventions cont’d
Community based Support Group
Family Support Group pp
Support Group training
Community Outreach

15. Activities/Interventions cont’d
Orphan Support

16. Activities/Interventions cont’d
Training and Community Involvement
Trained Traditional Midwives, Traditional Birth Attendants and Zoes
Male Zoes
Students
Health & Social Workers

17. Income Generation Activity
PLHIV Empowerment
Skill Training Graduate – Computer operation
Income Generation Activity

18. Activities/Interventions cont’d
Partnership (WFP, UNHCR, LISGIS

19. Challenges
Bad roads condition for travels

20. Relationship between Awareness and Behaviour Change in the Past
Knowledge/
Information
Attitudes

21. “The difficulty lies not in new ideas, but in escaping the old.”
John M. Keynes

22. Experiences and Lessons Learnt
Mobile clinic gives access to HIV counseling and testing to hard to reach or inaccessible communities (i.e. communities lack access to health care services);

23. Experiences and Lessons Learnt cont’d
Condom distribution with proper and adequate information promote behavior change especially amongst young people; thus reducing the occurrence of sexually transmitted infections;

24. Experiences and Lessons Learnt cont’d
Involvement of community residents in HIV & AIDS related activities facilitate universal access for all and ownership.
Involvement of PLHIV in all aspects means there is less distinction between those providing the services and the beneficiaries irrespective of their HIV status. This is a gateway to inclusion in the workforce;

25. Experiences and Lessons Learnt cont’d
Empowerment of people living with HIV (PLHIV) with knowledge and skills in financial management and planning before engaging in income generating activities enhances productivity and thus leads to self-reliance and good decision making in emergency situation;

26. THANK YOU AND GOD BLESS YOU ALL Steven Z. Korvah, Jr.
LCL HIV & AIDS PROGRAMME-Liberia