Welcome to Education as a Vaccine against AIDS

Scaling Up National Toll-Free HIV/AIDS and SRH Hotlines
Duration:        June 2005 – Ongoing
Funder:          National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA)

The first HIV/AIDS hotline began on the 14th February 2000 with a private line managed by Youth Empowerment Foundation. Based on the best practices documented from this service, NACA and Celtel (formally V-Mobile) expanded the services to a toll-free HIV/AIDS and SRH hotline in 2005. Four toll-free lines were provided by the telecommunication company to serve each region in the country. Youth Empowerment Foundation (Lagos); Education as a Vaccine against AIDS (Abuja); Society for Women and AIDS in Nigeria (Kano) and ASCOPANY (Cross River) were selected to managed the hotlines.

The goal of the hotline service is to increase access to accurate and reliable HIV/AIDS and SRH information and counseling for the general public. The lines and equipments were installed and full operation of the services began in June 2005. The line, housed in EVA’s office, primarily serves callers located within the north-central region of the country. Counselors, who are mainly young people, were trained by NACA and speak majority of languages found within the region. Since the commencement of the services by EVA, over 6000 persons have been provided with information and counseling. The age ranges of the callers are between 15- 45 years, with majority of the clients being young people aged 20-35 years. The issues raised by callers are very diverse. Majority of the callers seek to obtain information on basic facts on HIV/AIDS such as modes of transmission, prevention methods and treatment. A large number of recently diagnosed persons living with HIV have called to obtain general information about social and medical issues relating to their status, while most young callers seek information on contraception and general relationship issues. In addition to provision of services, EVA also develops communication materials and works with other partners to market the services. The hotline services have been very successful and strategic in increasing the uptake of HIV/AIDS and reproductive health services across the country.

If you have any HIV/AIDS, reproductive or sexual health concerns, please feel free to call 08027192781. All calls are free from CELTEL lines only.

My Question and Answer (Q&A)
Duration:        November 2007 – Present
Funder:           One World, UK

My Question and Answer are part of the larger Learning about Living program that includes the development and implementation of an e-learning tool based on the Nigerian Family Life and HIV/AIDS Education (FLHE) school curriculum. The project entails the use of mobile phones to access vital information on reproductive health and HIV/AIDS issues.
MyQ is a 3-in-1 service for young people which includes texting a question to 38120 (available from MTN lines); calling-in a question through the national hotlines, e-mailing a question to MyQ@learningaboutliving.com or going online by logging onto www.learningaboutliving.com/MyQ. This component aims to increase young people’s access to sexual health information in an anonymous and confidential manner. This new approach has been widely accepted by young people and over 4000 young people have accessed the service since its launch on November 20th 2007.
MyA is the second service where young people have the opportunity of winning prizes by answering a monthly question on sexual health issues. The aim of this component is to stimulate young people to search for and acquire information in sexual health issues. Each month ten winners will be picked from the qualified entries and given airtime sponsored by MTN (telecommunication firms) and NACA. The 1st competition commenced on December 1st 2007 to mark the World AIDS Day commemoration event.

Are you a young person living in Nigeria that is interested in participating in the MyA competitions, for more info, contact our office

Mobile HIV Counseling and Testing (HCT) Outreaches
Duration:        April 2004 - Ongoing
Funder:           UNFPA, Bio-Tech Laboratories, Catholic Relief Services

HIV Counseling and Testing (HCT) has been identified as a critical intervention tool in HIV prevention and care strategies. HCT provides an opportunity for one to know his/her HIV status after receiving enough information to make the decision. A number of studies have shown that HCT has been useful in facilitating and sustaining behavior change. However, it has been observed that the utilization of HCT services in conventional health care setting has been limited. This is especially the case for hard to reach targets such as young people (especially out-of-school youth), migrant fisher men and farmers, nomadic, long distant truck drivers, and street based commercial sex workers. The use of HCT services by young people has also been limited, primarily due to the issues around lack of confidentiality, cost of services and unfriendly attitudes of clinical staff.
To address these challenges, EVA routinely organizes mobile HCT services outreaches to meet the special needs of various hard to reach groups, especially young people. This approach brings HIV testing to client, instead of relying on the client to access to services. The services also take in consideration the limitations of conventional HCT services provided within a clinical setting by incorporating youth-friendly approaches. A key component of this approach is the use of edutainment events to market the services and provision of counseling and testing services by young people.
Twelve mobile HCT outreaches have been conducted since EVA began using this approach in 2004 reaching 2500 people, with 75% of the clients being young people.
The outreaches have been conducted during national and international conferences (4th National HIV/AIDS conference, Abuja and 2005 International Conference on AIDS and STI in Africa, Abuja), within tertiary institutions and in rural communities located within Nassarawa state and the FCT. The mobile HCT outreaches are conducted in collaboration with strategic partners, who also have significant experiences in provision of HCT services. EVA main mobile HCT partners are Youth Empowerment Foundation (Lagos), Center for Right to Health (Abuja) and Society for Women and AIDS in Africa (Makurdi/Benue). The mobile approach has been very successful and is also being used as a demand generation strategy in the Expanding Access to HCT Services for Most-at-Risk Youth project being implemented in Benue state.

Expanding Access to HCT Services for Most-at-Risk Youth in Benue State (EATSMY)
Duration:        March 2007-Ongoing
Funder:          Family Health International – Strengthening Nigeria’s AIDS Response Project (SNR)

The rapid growth of the epidemic possesses a significant threat to educational institutions. The age stratification of the population, the confinement of a large pool of people in a small locality and the relationship of these institutions to the economic development of a nation, places the epidemic in the forefront of issues that should be addressed within these educational communities. Makurdi local government of Benue state is home to five tertiary institutions. The recent 2005 sentinel survey indicates that the Benue state HIV prevalence rate has risen from of 9.3% to 10% within the past 2 years, with Makurdi having a higher rate than the state and national average. While the number of youth living with HIV/AIDS has not been quantified, that number is increasing quickly as 60% of new HIV infections occur in people under the age of 24.
HIV Counseling and Testing is crucial in reducing HIV transmission in those who test negative and in those who test positive by promoting the appropriate contraception and the practice of safer sex, early management of opportunistic infections and STI, referral to support groups and acceptance of status. In Makurdi, there are currently three main sites providing HCT services, however these services are typically not used by young people. The barrier to use of these facilities includes perceived lack of confidentially and high prevalence of stigma/discrimination.
The Expanding Access to HCT Services for Most-at-Risk Youth in Benue State project is a youth-focused intervention that integrates strategic behavior change communication approaches with HCT services by utilizing youth friendly approaches to increase young people’s use of testing and counseling services. The project has step up a stand-alone youth friendly HCT center in a strategic location in Makurdi, where young people from at least four tertiary institutions can have easy access. Services at the center include recreational activities, HIV and reproductive health informational sessions and HIV testing. The center is managed by youth counselors/staff and a youth advisory committee, composed of representatives from most of the educational institutions. Using interpersonal communication, edutainment activities and mobile HCT outreach approaches as demand creation strategies, the center has provided counseling and testing services to 1000 youth clients in a period of five months. This center is one of the few youth-friendly HCT centers in the country and the first in Benue state.

Creating Demand for Adolescent Reproductive Health Services (CDARSH)
Duration:        May 2006 - Present
Funder:          Pathfinder International- Community Participation for Action in the Social Sector (COMPASS)

Research shows that a large proportion Nigeria’s young population at risk of reproductive health complications. The median age of 1st birth for women age 20 -49 is 19.6 years. The 2003 NDHS shows that unplanned teenage pregnancies are very common and teenagers account for over 60% of annual unsafe induced abortions in the country. To adequately improve the health and development of young people, it is necessary to develop interventions that will increase young people’s access to safe reproductive health services.
Creating Demand for Adolescent Reproductive Health Services (CDARSH) project was developed to increase the use of reproductive health services by young people within the FCT and Nassarawa states. The project targets in-school youth (tertiary institutions), out-of-school youth, young married girls and their husbands. Using peer education approach these young people provide their peers with vital reproductive health information, life skills and referrals for services in both regions. The project also targets youth gatekeepers such as mother/in-laws of married adolescent girls, artisan employers, religious leaders and community leaders by increasing their awareness on adolescent reproductive health issues thus creating an environment where young people can comfortably use the services without fear of judgment. With the COMPASS team, the project also trains health providers in selected public health facilities on youth-friendly approaches and monitors the delivery of their services.

Youth Health Initiative (YHI)
Duration:        January 2001 – August 2003
Funder:           Echoing Green Foundation

In response to young people’s demand for reproductive health services, the Youth Health Initiative was developed. The project provided sexual health counseling and referrals for clinical services to young people participating in the Youth Health and AIDS Curriculum and Youth AIDS Service Project.
Prior to the development of the project a formative research was conducted to identify barriers to young people’s use of reproductive health services in the FCT. The study documented that cost, negative health provider attitudes and lack of knowledge on the location of health services were major barriers. The project identified and signed partnership agreements with a network of 10 private health facilities that were willing to provide young people with reproductive health services. As part of the partnership agreement, health facilities would provide their services as a 50% subsidy to any young person referred, in exchange for marketing of their services through informational materials developed by the organization. In cases where young people could not afford to pay the 50% subsidy, the organization would pay for all cost relating to the reproductive health service, which typically was testing and treatments for STI/RTI. In addition to the referrals, EVA counselors would also make monthly visit to schools to make health talks about reproductive health services and provide sexual health counseling to students in senior secondary schools. Five hundred young people used the health facilities for reproductive health services, while over 2000 young people were reached by the counselors.

Positive Living
Duration:        February 2001 – August 2003
Funder:          Echoing Green Foundation and Wesleyan University Brodigan Fund

People living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) have multiple needs that fit broadly into four categories: medical, psychological, socioeconomic, and human rights/legal needs. The medical needs of PLWHA include access to appropriate diagnosis (Voluntary Counseling and Testing – or VCT), treatment of opportunistic infections including TB, access to ARV treatment, access to medical check up, and other services including safe blood supply. Psychologically, PLWHA need emotional support to address problems of negative self-images, self-stigmatization and depression that can lead to suicide. Family, friends, and community often abandon PLWHA; and this desertion can lead to crushing emotional problems. Also, the emotional and physical challenges experienced by those who care for PLWHA can be overwhelming and often leads to “burnout.” PLWHA continue to face stigma, discrimination, and other violations of their human rights.
Between 2001 and 2003, an Abuja based HIV/AIDS clinic collaborated with EVA to train and support its staff in providing counseling to persons infected and affected by HIV/AIDS. This gave birth to the positive living program, which provided psychosocial support to over 2000 people. The program provided disclosure and nutritional counseling to families and individuals living with HIV/AIDS, made referral for ART and treatment for opportunistic infections as well as implementing stigma reduction campaigns.
The annual Abuja Candlelight Memorial event was an outshoot of this program and was conducted every year between 2001-2005. The Candlelight Memorial aimed to reduce stigma amongst the general public living in the FCT by bringing HIV/AIDS stakeholders and individuals together annually to remember the lives of persons lost to the AIDS epidemic. This event, which was highly publicized and supported by individuals and corporate sectors organization, reached over 1000 people each year. Another notable success from this program was the linkage made with the national ART program, where 75 clients were referred to gain access to life saving drugs.
By 2003, the project evolved, in a bit to be more sustainable, by working with a local support group, Organization of Positive Productivity. The team worked to strengthen OPP’s capacity to provide psychosocial support for young people living with HIV/AIDS and also on organizational development issues through the secondment of an international intern.
Although the project was completed, EVA is exploring the possibility of developing a similar project to target recently diagnosed young person’s living with HIV/AIDS from the Youth friendly HIV counseling and testing center in Benue state.