Community liaison workers in Senegal set ambitious targets for the prevention of mother-to-child transmission
29 May 2007
A capacity-building workshop organised by Alliance partner the Society for Women and AIDS in Africa (SWAA) Senegal, should lead to 19,200 pregnant women becoming aware of prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) issues, 16 social mobilisation activities being organised, 336 medical and psychosocial care workers becoming aware of stigma at PMTCT sites, and 15 local leaders in each of eight health districts getting involved in PMTCT promotion. These ambitious PMTCT targets were set out by community liaison workers themselves at the workshop in April.
SWAA is a non-governmental organisation that is tackling the vulnerability of women and girls to HIV. It provides leadership to women’s networks, associations and movements looking for best practice in HIV work.
SWAA runs part of Alliance linking organisation Alliance Nationale Contre le SIDA’s Global Fund-supported PMTCT Programmes in the Dakar and Thiès Regions. This is targeted at women of child-bearing age (particularly pregnant women), women living with HIV and those involved in implementing PMTCT-related strategies.
SWAA wanted to strengthen the capacity of community liaison workers so they are better equipped to handle PMTCT issues. In particular, they wanted to focus on the implementation of PMTCT promotion activities and how to reduce the stigma encountered by HIV-positive women at PMTCT sites.
The workshop defined strategies aimed at involving the health authorities, religious leaders, local authorities and opinion leaders in PMTCT promotion; undertaking social marketing among pregnant women; and conducting awareness-raising about stigma among non-governmental organisation representatives, associations of people living with HIV and health staff.
It also planned community activities, including discussion groups with pregnant women at antenatal clinics, social mobilisation activities around PMTCT promotion, opportunities for dialogue with medical and psychosocial care staff on stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV at PMTCT sites, and visits involving and sharing results with local leaders.
The workshop included 32 participants from eight different health districts plus health posts.
