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HIV/AIDS is everybody’s business

HIV/AIDS is a global problem affecting millions of people around the world. HIV/AIDS has also been a real challenge for DLH and some of its former employees.

In 2009, DLH and its former subsdiary in Congo-Brazzaville -CIB- launched a programme under the slogan:

‘Know your status – together we fight HIV/AIDS’

The overall aim of the project has been to keep the negative ‘negative’ – and the HIV-positive people ´alive and able to work´ by ensuring access to information, prevention, voluntary counseling, testing, as well as care and treatment. The target group included DLH/CIB employees, their families and the community in general. To ensure the quality of the programme, DLH hired the Dutch HIV/AIDS not-for-profit organization PharmAccess Foundation as programme manager.

2009 Activities

  • Distribution of more than 116.000 free condoms to employees and local hotels/motels. 
  • Distribution of 500 free t-shirts with HIV/AIDS slogan to raise awareness. 
  • Community activities, incl. a carnival, sport events, women and family days. 
  • Workplace Peer Educator Programme: 50 peer educators trained. 
  • TV and radio shows about HIV/AIDS broadcasted on the local Canal Pokola.
  • Training of the medical staff on counseling, testing, care and treatment practices.

2009 Results

  • The number of people seeking voluntary counseling and testing increased by 75% thanks to awareness activities.
  • The number of HIV positive people enrolled in treatment program has tripled. 
  • The number of people who know their HIV status has doubled.

2010 Activities

  • Survey and group discussion sessions were conducted with the aim of gaining knowledge on people’s attitudes and practices about AIDS.
  • Formalization of CIB's new Workplace HIV /AIDS Policy.
  • Several prevention and awareness activities were conducted in community celebrations such as the Family Day, the World AIDS day, and the 50th Anniversary of Congo-Brazzaville Independence.
  • Training of new peer educators.

2010 Results

  • The number of patients lost for follow-up has been reduced significantly due to the implementation of a patient-centered approach.
  • The capacity and skills of the local coordination team have been enhanced thanks to continuous training and support from experts.

 
The project was a multi-partner project, including local, national and international partners:

  • DLH/CIB HIV/AIDS project management team 
  • PharmAccess Foundation 
  • Local prevention partner SAM (Sangha Assistance Medicale) 
  • Congolese health authorities 
  • DANIDA (Danish International Development Agency)

The project was financially supported by DANIDA as part of their Public Private Partnership Programme.

Read more about PharmAccess and the project.