The Church’s Response to the
Scaling up of HIV Prevention and
Care in Liberia
Experience of The Lutheran Church in Liberia
HIV AND AIDS PROGRAMME
PRESENTED BY
STEVEN Z. KORVAH, JR.
PROGRAMME OFFICER
MAP OF LIBERIA
PURPOSE

Provide a thorough information on
the intervention of the an HIV and
AIDS Programme in the Church;

Share experiences and lessons
learnt from the intervention of the
Lutheran Church in Liberia;
PREVALENCE
 In
2003: 8.2% (NACP, 2003)
 In
2007: 5.7% (2006 ANC Sentinel
surveillance Report, NACP, 2007)
 In
2007: 1.5% - 2.5%(Urban) and
0.8%(Rural): LISGIS,2007
PREVALENCE
cont’d

Population of 3.4m; LISGIS 2008
Census Report

About 64% poverty rate (live on
less than 1USD/day; LISGIS, 2009;
Census Report)
Goal

To contribute to the National
AIDS Control Program's goal,
which aims to promote a positive
change of behaviour and reduce
the psychosocial impact of HIV
and AIDS on the individual and
the society.
Sub-goals

To mobilize grassroots communities
for a holistic community–based
response to HIV and AIDS

To prevent the spread of HIV and
AIDS through behaviour change
especially among young people
Sub-goals cont’d

To improve the quality of life of people
living with HIV through empowerment
and creating an environment of care
and support

To improve the institutional capacity of
the LCL AIDS Programme to deliver
on the above objectives
Beneficiaries





People living with HIV (PLHIV) and their
families
Orphans
Traditional Birth Attendants (TBAs)
Trained Traditional Midwives (TTMs)
Zoes (Hard-to-reach grassroots
population)
Beneficiaries cont’d





Health workers
Religious leaders (pastors,
evangelists, deacons, imams, etc.)
Military and Para-military personnel
Teachers and students
Out-of-school youths
Beneficiaries cont’d



Mobile population (Internally
Displaced Persons and
Refugees),
Faith Based Organizations
(FBOs),
Community Based Organizations
(CBOs) and networks, etc.
Activities/Interventions
Counselors’
Training
Activities/Interventions cont’d

Establishment of Voluntary Counseling
and Testing Centers
Meeting of Counselors
Activities/Interventions cont’d
Community based
Support Group
Family Support Group
Support Group training
Community Outreach
Activities/Interventions cont’d

Orphan Support
Activities/Interventions cont’d

Training and Community Involvement
Trained Traditional Midwives, Traditional Birth Attendants and Zoes
Students
Male Zoes
Health & Social Workers
PLHIV Empowerment
Skill Training Graduate –
Computer operation
Income Generation Activity
Activities/Interventions cont’d

Partnership (WFP, UNHCR, LISGIS
Challenges

Bad roads condition for travels
Relationship between Awareness
and Behaviour Change in the Past
Behaviour
change
Knowledge/
Information
Attitudes
 “The
difficulty lies not
in new ideas, but in
escaping the old.”
John M. Keynes
Experiences and Lessons
Learnt

Mobile clinic gives access to HIV
counseling and testing to hard to
reach
or
inaccessible
communities (i.e. communities
lack access to health care
services);
Experiences and Lessons Learnt
cont’d

Condom distribution with proper
and adequate information promote
behavior
change
especially
amongst young people; thus
reducing the occurrence of
sexually transmitted infections;
Experiences and Lessons Learnt cont’d

Involvement of community residents in
HIV & AIDS related activities facilitate
universal access for all and ownership.

Involvement of PLHIV in all aspects
means there is less distinction between
those providing the services and the
beneficiaries irrespective of their HIV
status. This is a gateway to inclusion in
the workforce;
Experiences and Lessons Learnt cont’d

Empowerment of people living with
HIV (PLHIV) with knowledge and skills
in financial management and planning
before engaging in income generating
activities enhances productivity and
thus leads to self-reliance and good
decision
making
in
emergency
situation;
THANK YOU AND
GOD BLESS YOU ALL
Steven Z. Korvah, Jr.
LCL HIV & AIDS PROGRAMME-Liberia