Introduction

Introduction

Action

Action

Impact

Impact

 

Action

© UNICEF Nigeria/2007

School girls at Children’s Day celebrations participate in the HIV/AIDS campaign

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Activities dealing with HIV-AIDS are included in most of UNICEF Nigeria programmes: education, protection, health and nutrition, communication. UNICEF interventions take place both at policy level, in health institutions and at community level. They focus on what have been called the four ‘Ps’ in the campaign strategy:

• Primary prevention among young people
• Prevention of Mother-to-child Transmission
• Paediatric AIDS
• Protection of orphans and vulnerable children

Primary Prevention: promoting behaviour change in youth for HIV prevention
One of the most effective ways to reach young people is to enable them play an active role in prevention campaigns. Since 2002, UNICEF and partners have been collaborating with the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme, which enrols 90,000 young graduates annually for one year of social development work. All corps members benefit from an orientation on reproductive health and HIV prevention during their orientation camps. Volunteer corps members who will be deployed as teachers in various schools throughout Nigeria are also trained as peer education trainers. They in turn train peer educators among the students of their school who undertake various sensitisation activities among their friends and classmates to increase their knowledge on HIV and motivate them to adopt preventive behaviour. This snow-ball effect has proven very effective, not only in terms of number of people reached but also in terms of quality of knowledge. With the rights skills and knowledge, young people have a positive influence on their peers.

The establishment of the National Youth Network on HIV/AIDS (NYNETHA) was also supported by UNICEF. The network provides youth-led non-governmental organisations a platform to share experience and an opportunity to collaborate and advocate at State and National level for youth participation in the HIV/AIDS response. Over 200 non-governmental organisations are members of the network, many of them involving young people living with HIV-AIDS.

In addition, UNICEF helped with the finalisation of the National Education Sector HIV/AIDS strategic plan which is an integral part of the School Health Policy. The Plan seeks to increase the proportion of teachers and pupils who have correct knowledge of HIV and AIDS, as well as appropriate attitude, behaviour and life skills to protect themselves from HIV. UNICEF assists with the development and printing of tools for teaching health and HIV/AIDS in schools such as training manuals and teaching guides. UNICEF also provides health education training for teachers in UNICEF focus schools. UNICEF advocacy also led to the inclusion of HIV/AIDS, life skills and family life education in pre-service training, thereby mainstreaming HIV/AIDS as a core element of teacher training.

Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission (PMTCT) of HIV
Mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) of HIV accounts for 90 per cent of the paediatric infections. Without prevention of mother-to-child-transmission interventions, it is estimated that about 35 per cent of the children born to HIV-positive mothers will become infected with HIV. At least one quarter of these infected children will fall ill and die by their first birthday. This is why UNICEF considers it critical that all pregnant women can access prevention services.

UNICEF assisted the Health authorities in developing guidelines and training manuals for prevention of mother-to-child transmission for health personnel and in training health workers in voluntary counselling and testing, interpersonal communication, HIV and infant feeding options, data management and laboratory techniques.

Equipment and supplies including HIV test kits, computers and data management equipment, TV sets and Video players have been provided to health facilities in order to implement prevention of mother-to-child transmission activities. In addition, UNICEF has been promoting HIV testing among pregnant women and raising awareness about mother-to-child transmission by working with community leaders and training non-governmental organisations on advocacy and community mobilisation.

Paediatric AIDS: access to anti-retroviral therapy for HIV infected children
UNICEF supports capacity building for paediatric AIDS, still a novel area for many health staff. In 2006, UNICEF helped in the updating of the Paediatric Treatment Guidelines as well as the development of training Modules for all cadres of health workers.

Cotrimoxazole suspension – an antibiotic which is critical for combating opportunistic infections in children- was supplied to UNICEF supported PMTCT sites for care of exposed infants. Motor cycles and boat engines were also supplied to facilitate follow up of babies delivered to positive mothers.

Protection of orphans and vulnerable children
Until recently, the response to the crisis of Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC) in Nigeria has been mostly confined to communities and families. However a rapid assessment conducted in 2004 with the support of UNICEF and other partners clearly indicates that the magnitude of the crisis requires a scaled-up national response led by Government at all levels. To this end, UNICEF, in collaboration with other partners, assisted the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs in developing a comprehensive five-year National Action Plan for Orphans and Vulnerable Children, with clear budget lines.

Launched in 2007, the document provides key actions for accelerating support to orphans and vulnerable children and includes six technical components: service delivery environment, education, health, household level care and economic strengthening, psychosocial needs and social protection and monitoring and evaluation. UNICEF continues to support the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs who is coordinating the implementation of the Plan. One of the first activities which will be carried out is a comprehensive survey to assess the exact number of OVC and their situation.

At Field Office level, UNICEF is also supporting the work of local non-governmental organisations in different States to enhance communities’ coping strategies and to give direct support to orphans and vulnerable children and their families.