Uganda is often hailed as the most successful African country in the fight against HIV/AIDS.
The proportion of adults living with the virus fell from around 15% in the early 1990s to about 5% in 2001 and this was widely attributed to intensive efforts to encourage safer sexual behaviour.
However, in recent years the prevalence of HIV has levelled off and possibly even increased, and there is still a lot of work to do.
HCFA offers several programs aimed at preventing HIV/AIDS including:
- Behavioural Change Clubs
Operating in 3 local schools, these clubs are run by teachers chosen and trained by HCFA. Rather than listening to lectures about HIV prevention, the students participate in a variety of activities aimed at helping them change their behaviour and make safer choices. The students are then able to model those behaviours around their friends and family, which helps to encourage safer lifestyles throughout the community.
Community Seminars
To increase awareness of HIV/AIDS prevention issues and methods throughout the area, HCFA regularly offers community seminars to the public.
The seminars cover a variety of topics and are active discussions that encourage open communication and frank conversation about protecting oneself from HIV.
- Post Test Clubs
An innovative approach to HIV prevention, Post Test Clubs are made up of volunteers who have had an HIV test. There is a lot of fear associated with being tested and these volunteers can encourage others to overcome that fear and seek voluntary testing and counselling services.
- Information Education Communication (IEC) Materials
HCFA develops and distributes a variety of IEC materials throughout the community to ensure that current information is available regarding HIV/AIDS prevention.
Although we also make use of IEC material from several reputable health related NGOs, we find that by developing our own materials we are able to speak more directly to our community in terms that are more relevant.