By Nduka Ozor
In many rural communities in Nigeria, the HIV/AIDS pandemic is prevalent and affects all layers of society. Illness and death due to AIDS have far-reaching effects on families and communities, thus prevention of HIV infection requires that joint efforts be made by all sectors, organizations, and even the community coordinating mechanisms.
Although communities still differ in the extent to which they have already been affected by the HIV/AIDS pandemic, current projections indicate that, if comprehensively integrated control measures are not put in place, our rural areas may witness an explosion in HIV infection similar to that of South Africa where the prevalence rate surpassed manageable proportions.
In the South East zone, particularly in Imo where the pandemic has existed for many years without adequate prevention measures, families and community members find themselves confronted with increased expenditure for medicines and materials needed for home-based care and costly funerals. Accounts even illustrate how some families have resorted to burying their wards alive to avert the cost of caring for their AIDS-infected relations as in one case in Obudi–Agwa, Oguta Local government Area of Imo State. An account has it that a man had the temerity to bury his AIDS-infected daughter alive with the assistance of some able-bodied youths who later leaked the information. The man in question simply did away with his AIDS-suffering daughter to avoid the cost of treatment and stigma associated with the AIDS pandemic.
Many of the indigenous attribute AIDS-related deaths to the anger of the gods and therefore concentrate communal efforts on the superstitious cleansing rituals and placation of the local deity instead of HIV prevention programs. As more and more youths and adults die, communities face the task of helping care for an increasing number of orphaned children and even incapacitated adults alike, therefore the need to carry out an integrated HIV/AIDS prevention programme in the rural community that targets children becomes imperative in other to redress the misunderstandings and the underlying factors that increase the vulnerability of people in the rural communities especially among children between the ages of 5-18 years since many of them have not been contaminated with sexual lust.
It is on this premise, that the Centre for HIV/AIDS and STD Research (CHISTRE) with funding support from Irish Aid implemented a pilot HIV/AIDS educational program in 13 primary schools 6 secondary schools in Mgbala Agwa, in Oguta local Government Area of Imo State, the aim is to Catch the Children Young towards making a generation without AIDS in the sleepy town of Mgbala Agwa.
However, educating children about healthy behaviour can be a daunting task, especially in a developing country like Nigeria where expertise and facilities are lacking. Children look up to their parents, teachers, and in some cases, their peers as the most useful and helpful sources of information on sexual health issues, including HIV and AIDS. This makes it imperative for comprehensive preventive measures to be implemented if the future of our children is to be protected. CATCH THEM YOUNG PROGRAM (CTY) therefore presents a good HIV/AIDS prevention strategy that targets children, the youths and their parents to change their attitude and perception towards sex education that promotes abstinence and create fear in the consequences of the HIV virus.
The AIDS project aimed at educating young people about sexual health issues before they attain sexual maturity. It also sought to demystify the age-long tradition of not discussing sex with children. CHISTRE further aimed that the project would elicit active discussions amongst people in the community on other health challenges through the various education-entertainment programs.
The program prepared teachers, the youths, pupils, students, parents and peers on how to raise awareness of healthy sexual behaviour for children in primary and secondary schools as well as the entire community through a well-structured educational-entertainment program.
The project was implemented in 13 primary and six post primary schools in Mgbala Agwa Community. Mgbala Agwa is a mid-sized community of Igbo people, located in Oguta local government area of Imo State, Niger Delta region, approximately 25 kilometers from the Owerri capital city of Imo state, Nigeria.
Largely spared by the devastation of the 3-year Nigerian civil War from 1967-1970, the town is situated on a tableland in a green belt including mostly palm and gmelina trees. It is reached via a 6 kilometers dirt road off the highway to Onitsha, a major south-eastern market.
The principle form of industry is agriculture with farming carried out using traditional methodologies.
The town has a rich heritage of culture that is distinctly different from other social groups in Oguta Local government Areas. They lack social amenities, like paved roads, electricity, hospitals, pipe borne waters and good schools making the community remote in terms of social and economic activities.
Because of their relative isolation from the mainstream, the lifestyle of Agwa has retained a much more traditional characteristic. While retention of identity and other traditional ways of life is highly valued and is an obvious strength, superstition and ignorance are significant constraints to the development of the people, and its people are not as well developed economically and socially as other comparable communities elsewhere in Imo state. Poverty, isolation and the crude traditional practices within the community are significant issues for the risky behavioral tendencies to HIV/AIDS and other sexual health.
At the end of the pilot project, various milestones that could be replicated were recorded. In one of the training sessions, 31 young girls between the ages of 13-17 years in the presence of their parents declared that, they would keep their virginity until they get married. Other female students between 20 years and above that also participated in the program vowed not to have sex again no matter the pressure. The six post primary schools that participated in the project have since formed Anti-Aids clubs that now has more than 200 hundred members, 70 percent of them being young girls. The memberships to the Anti-Aids clubs are increasing and HIV/AIDS issue dominates the group discussions in the schools as well as in the community; that is what CTY aims to achieve. CHISTRE has also developed a monitoring mechanism to ensure that these declarations made by the young girls are maintained.
To realize the vision of making a generation without AIDS in the rural communities, approaches as was developed by CHISTRE need to be supported and sustained. I have my doubts if the program will have same impact in the urban areas due to contending variables.
For more information on how you can collaborate with Mgbala Agwa Youth Forum, please contact us.
