Burundi: Together for the Prevention of HIV Mother to Child Infection

 

November 2009 was a hive of activities as ACORD in Burundi engaged local partners under the Oxfam umbrella in HIV/AIDS-related awareness. The 2009 World AIDS Day theme, “Universal Access and Human Rights” was hallmarked through joint participation in diverse forms of celebrations.   <Read the full article>

Working with partners, ACORD conducted open forums; a visit to homes for people affected with HIV, and disseminated information materials to members of the public to enhance awareness. Access for all to HIV prevention, treatment care and support is a critical part of human rights. Denied their rights, people living with HIV are vulnerable to stigma and discrimination, illness, economic insecurity, and reduced access to treatment.

Where rates of HIV prevalence are high and treatment is lacking, communities are devastated by the impact of the virus. The 2009 theme encourages communities to deepen their understanding, develop partnerships and challenge discriminatory laws, policies and practices that disrupt access for all to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support.

During a public forum held on 19 November at the Centre Suedois in Bujumbura, ACORD invited guests and experts on issues of mother to child transmission of HIV/AIDS to provide accurate information on PMTCT (Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission) and how those affected can be supported. The forum was attended by 50 participants including champions for the rights of people living with or affected by the prevalence of HIV/AIDS from 11 provinces, representatives from organisations working on HIV-related issues, and the 12 organisations partnering with Oxfam International.

“The four main approaches applied to minimise mother to child infection include primary prevention by way of voluntary testing of young girls capable of child-birth and couples in pre-marital stage, preventing unwanted pregnancies by HIV-Positive women, offering prenatal consultation to HIV-Positive expectant women and those whose HIV status is unknown, and care, treatment and support to HIV-Positive mothers, their children and families”, explained Dr. Celine Kanyonga from the Ministry of Public Health.

However, regular statistics from 2009 show that out of the 80% of expectant women expected to visit voluntary counselling and testing centres in Burundi, only 39% did so, while only 10% followed the PMTCT guidelines to conclusion. It was noted that weak participation by all community members especially men was one of the biggest challenges and efforts to strengthen the programme needs to revolve around community mobilisation.

The Human Rights Dimension

According to Madame Clemence Bununagi, a HIV/AIDS and Gender Consultant, programmes on HIV/AIDS must integrate the gender dimension to enhance their effectiveness. The experts noted that rampant violation of the rights of people living with HIV had been reported across the country. However, due to the lengthy judicial processes involved, more than half of victims whose cases were forwarded to court were said to have abandoned the cases.

From 23 to 25 November, ACORD conducted a field visit to the Ntusigarinyuma Association’s home for the most vulnerable. The aim of the visit was to officially launch the World AIDS Day and HIV week in a ceremony in Kayogoro Province and to promote knowledge sharing and exchange of experiences among partners.

The event was also supported by representatives from the Confederation of Agricultural Producers for Development (CAPAD), Forum for the Strengthening of Civil Society (FORSC), Radio Isaganiro, the Synergy of Partners for the Promotion of Women’s Rights (SPPDF), the Association for the Promotion of the Burundian Girl (APFB), New Family for Development (NFD), the Organisation for Support and Self-Promotion (OAP), the Burundian Network of PLHIV (RBP+), Cooperative Fund for Mutual Savings and Credit (CECM), and Ligue Iteka.

The Ntusigarinyuma Association runs a project that serves to provide socio-economic reintegration for vulnerable populations including returnees, internally displaced persons, orphans and vulnerable persons, families affected with HIV and demobilised groups of young people.

Developing from the pilot community centre project located in Buyenzi, PMTCT services have evolved since the year 2000 spreading out to 10 functional health facilities in 2005 up to 170 sites in 2009. This represents an impressive geographical growth that could imply that as a result of ACORD’s efforts to raise awareness, the services have continued to be in demand by the local communities by virtue of their life-saving value and usefulness to the communities.

The World AIDS Day commemoration activities conducted in Burundi were a good opportunity for mobilisation and to involve all sectors of the community through interventions by health professionals, human rights sensitisation, and working together for and across cultures. The results showed that much still needs to be done including improving access to health services to give infected couples desiring to have children a chance.  Working with partners and more than 15 community based organisations, ACORD in Burundi has been able to reach over 35,000 beneficiaries and influence perceptions on HIV/AIDS and efforts towards HIV-free newborns.