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The Society for Family Health (SFH) in collaboration with the Taraba State AIDS Control Agency (TACA) and Taraba State AIDS and STI Control Programme (SASCP) through the Aidsfonds funded Lafiyan Yara project has commenced a two day training for 50 Community Mobilizers in Taraba state.
Our Correspondent reports that the community mobilizers were drawn from eight Local Government Areas of the state that includes Jalingo, Zing, Karim-Lamido, Bali, Gashaka, Sardauna, Gassol and Wukari.
Aisha Dadi, the Programme Manager of SFH in the state, said at the occasion that the training was aimed at building the capacity of these community mobilizers to improve HIV case-identification, referral, and retention in care of Children, adolescents, and pregnant women.
“We must end HIV transmission from Mother to Child in Taraba State. The community mobilizers identified from the community includes Traditional Birth Attendants, Village Health Worker, Proprietary and patent medicine vendors, as well as mentor mother,” she said.
According to her, the training was also aimed at impacting the trainees with the needed knowledge and skills to enable them to perform optimally.
“If we must achieve HIV epidemic control, the communities must be carried along in the fight against the spread of the virus, as well as ending stigma and discrimination in the communities.
“No child and adolescents should be left behind and no child should be born with HIV in Taraba State.
You are the ones with the people at the grassroots. You are the ones who interact with them the more and who they can confide in.
“It is therefore imperative that you take your work very seriously, starting with this training by paying attention and asking all the necessary questions where you need clarifications” she stressed.
Doctor Daudu Nyubanga Baade, SAPC of the State Aids and STI control program in his remarks said that the agency was “happy to see partners coming into the state to assist in this fight to combat the menace of HIV and AIDS.
“We want to expand case identification to ensure quick assistance. This is a collective fight that must be fought from all fronts. We are proud to identify with SFH as they started case-identification of HIV among children and pregnant women before other Implementing partners came in”, he noted.
Similarly, Mr. Ronald Cletus, Director, Treatment Care, and support at Taraba AIDS Control Agency (TACA), noted that the training is a pool of various sensitive groups in this effort as the rate of testing for children in the state is low for comfort.
“Last week, only 85 children were tested for HIV and AIDS in the state, and this is worrisome. So the essence is to get more pregnant women and children to be tested and that is why we are having this refresher training.
“We hope your efforts and impact will be stepped up after the training,” Dr. Cletus added.
Sani Sulaiman
