HIV/AIDS Prevention & Reproductive Health Project

PEs disseminate messages related to HIV
and Reproductive Health to the wider
communities mainly through public IEC
events - street drama or folk song
competitions. Some interventions specifically
target vulnerable population groups
including dissemination of IEC materials to
transport workers and sending letters on
HIV and AIDS to migrant workers. Youth
perform interactive street drama sessions
not only in the community but also on the
roadside, truck and bus halting places.
To gain parental support the project informs
and involves parents through information
sessions and distribution of IEC materials,
for example, at parents' days. Parents are
invited to public activities of PEs. There
appears to be little resistance of parents
regarding SRH education at schools.
Opposing views are often related to the fear
that teaching of SRH may increase
promiscuity among the youth. Support
teachers play a role to counter these fears.
The project has increasingly made an effort to
involve the People Living with HIV and AIDS
(PLWHA). While in general PLWHA are
increasingly coming out, in many communities
they are still invisible and the majority of youth
and community members involved in the
project have not met anybody living with HIV
and AIDS. Within the project, PLWHA are
increasingly being referred to the NRCS for
support. Three PLWHA were supported by the
project when they publicly spoke out on the
occasion of the condoms' day.
In one district the project is supporting a self
help group of 12 PLWHA. Members of the
support group are in regular contact with the
NRCS district office, they are invited to join
the DACC meetings and receive small
financial support mainly in terms of travel
expenses to reach the treatment facilities in
the next district, Kaski (Pokhara city). It is yet
not widely known that treatment is available
in Pokhara, even health facilities may not be
aware of this. Dolakha, Ramechhap, Baglung,
Parbat and Sindhuli districts until now do not
have VCT facilities and people would need to
travel to Kathmandu Valley for testing. The
lack of close voluntary testing facilities
appears to be a major deterrent to a
comprehensive HIV response in the project
districts. In one project district 7 people
currently receive ART, 3 of them were
referred by the project. They also receive
support for travel expenses.
Each district has constituted 10 women
groups, each comprising 20 or more
members. For each group 20 members are
selected based on criteria including social
status and vulnerability (e.g. wives of
migrants working mainly in India). The
women receive a 3-day training on HIV and
AIDS, RH, and hygiene and sanitation. They
meet once a month with a community-based
facilitator to learn and discuss these issues.
Occasionally, non-members also take part in
these meetings as observers. Encouraged by
the discussion and appreciative of the events
organized by the women's groups, nonmembers
have also expressed interest to join
in as members. Many feel 'excluded' as their
calls go unheeded. According to group
members, however, larger groups are
difficult to manage in the long run. Having to
stay out of the group makes non-group
members feel like 'lesser child of God,'
particularly if they are Dalits. The project
provides a small seed amount to set up a
fund for social protection/IGA/emergency
depending upon the modalities that are
determined by the members. Though the
funds are small and thus of limited scope,
they contribute to a sense of membership
and provide an incentive to meet regularly. In
most cases members have used the funds to
take loans. The number of women
participating in the groups has increased
steadily and some of the groups almost
doubled in size. Demands are further issued
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CAPITALIZATION STUDY
HIV/AIDS Prevention and Reproductive Health Project
NRCS/SDC 2000-2007