CONTENTS | ANB-BIA HOMEPAGE | WEEKLY NEWS
by Valentin Siméon Zinga, Cameroon, October 1998
THEME = AIDS
Both government and NGOs
are confronted with a chronic problem
of insufficient financial means to enable them combat the
pandemic
Out of a population of some 14 million (1998), Cameroon has 13,576 AIDS cases officially registered during the period 1985- 1997. Something specific to Cameroon: the HIV virus is proving resistant. The public authorities and various non- governmental organisations are all involved in making people aware of HIV/AIDS and in preventing the situation from worsening. Both government and NGOs are confronted with a chronic problem of insufficient financial means to enable them combat the pandemic
Adèle Voundi is seated in her tiny office in Yaoundé. She's got her hand on an open New Testament as if seeking some kind of help from Holy Scripture. She's in her forties and a junior staff-member in the Health Ministry, Since 1993, she's been fighting to make her voice heard in a country, peopled by sceptics still looking for definite proof that AIDS exists in Cameroon. She's president of an association called: "The Friends of Prudence". Three-quarters of the members are street women (i.e. prostitutes), the men having, with the passing years, caused the ranks of prostitutes to swell.
"Awareness": That's the key word for the Association's aims, and it's carried out by visiting drinking dens and other cheap restaurants in town. The work is no sinecure. Adèle explains: "People are always reticent. Perhaps, because they're in a group they're reluctant to speak out. They're ashamed to talk about AIDS straight away. But we've managed to meet with many people in the drinking dens, and they've come to see us privately in our offices afterwards".
Organising informal talks is a priority for the Association, and these take place either in a neighbourhood of a town or in a village. In either case, prostitutes themselves do the donkey work in the awareness campaigns. They scour villages and neighbourhoods, getting the go-ahead from local chiefs and civil administrators. If possible, dates and times are arranged for the various activities. On the agreed date, they arrive at the rendezvous. Referring to how they get their message across, Adèle says: "Generally, one can start off by using some kind of visual aid, or a short film or a short play. Afterwards, the audience is invited to ask questions or we ask them what they've got out of the presentation".
Whatever the case, the whole idea is to get the message across (urging "prudence" as the Association's name suggests). At the end of the day, the symptoms of AIDS and the way in which it is transmitted are explained. Regarding the prevention of AIDS, Adèle says: "With adults, we advise staying with the same partner. With young people, we suggest they should steer clear of sex. And to all those who can't follow these first rules, we strongly advise they use condoms". Target groups have got to be shown the importance of using condoms. They've even got to be distributed. All this means a great deal of running around and getting things organised. Use is made of both radio and television (quiz shows are a "plus" in this area) and films produced by the Association are shown on TV. A lot of this kind of "awareness" can be tied in with specific occasions such as International AIDS Days.
The awareness campaign doesn't end with one activity completed. The Association must have some idea of the impact made on those who came along to the "show". Adèle explains: "After some time, frequently six months after our visit, we invite the leaders of the groups we've visited, to come along for a debriefing. By means of a question-and-answer technique we can know what they've managed to retain about what we've told them. This stage in the awareness campaign is extremely important, because they're the ones who are going to pass on to others - friends, neighbours and families, what they've heard from us".
Some will say it's a foolhardy venture. The Association doesn't have any funds. "From time to time a sponsor undertakes to back a particular project we've submitted to him", says the president, who can be proud of the fact that her Association manages to organise a "Cultural Week" each year, during which the Association' activities experience a veritable "boom". Some examples of donors' generosity: Financial help from the local representative of a cigarette manufacturing firm, enabled the Association's activities to be extended to a large part of the country; the Association of Women Diplomats made possible, improvements to the hall used for rehearsing sketches and plays to be filmed for TV; Belgium's Embassy provided educational material plus T-shirts carrying the anti-AIDS logo; help has also been provided by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
But if the Association is to have any future, it must find other means to support itself. It can't depend for ever on outside help. With this in view, small fund-raising activities have been organised. Adèle describes some of these activities: "We organise speciality food days; cotton or synthetic tissues are dyed with different designs; we produce comics on AIDS-related themes".
In spite of shortage of cash, Adèle is determined to continue her work with the Association. She's greatly assisted by her "lady-helpers" who are to the forefront in the fight against AIDS. Twice a year they're given an up-dating course on awareness methods, so that they can really do a good job when they go up and down the country.
Associations very similar to "The Friends of Prudence" have also been founded, such as the AIDS Association of Cameroon (ASAC). ASAC carries the fight against AIDS into the world of politics. Jean-Marie Talom is in charge of ASAC's Information- Education-Communication's Desk. He says: "I belong to a political party and I pass on information concerning AIDS to my young fellow party workers, especially those I can count on to spread the same information elsewhere. We work with the widows of those who have died from AIDS and who are associated with us in the fight against the disease. We organise fund-raising activities so that we can help them. We pay the school fees of a number of AIDS victims' orphans. We visit hospitals warning people not to use second-hand syringes. These tend to remain scattered around hospital premises". ASAC's various activities both in the urban centres and in the rural areas, have gone a long way to improve that associations' image vis à vis other organisations. By invitation, the ASAC has worked in a specific way with a number of religious denominations. Perhaps the most memorable, has been its cooperation with the Catholic Health Centre based in Yaoundé which set up an Education for Life and Love Programme (EVA). Every year, primary and secondary school teachers come to Yaoundé from all over the country to follow a special course on AIDS awareness. Once the teachers get back to their schools, they can pass on what they have learnt to staff and pupils. Jean-Marie Talom, as an educator, is concerned that sexual education in schools has to be carefully handled. He's pleased to offer his services in the fight against AIDS. At the same time he's proud that ASAC's contribution has enabled young people to be screened for AIDS at reduced fees. This is mainly thanks to Professor Lazare Kaptue, a well-known doctor and ASAC's president. He's to the forefront in the fight against AIDS.
All these associations are non-governmental organisations (NGO)s. They aim to: Improve young people's knowledge about sexual health matters (e.g. the Young Peoples Association Against AIDS); train future leaders in group therapy work and awareness techniques concerning AIDS/STDs issues. This is in view of the population at large and is done through the intermediary of drama (e.g. The Centre for Social and Health Activities [CASS]) in Yaoundé).
The government has listed these NGOs. There's 67 of them throughout the country, of which 78.8% in Central Province which includes Yaoundé. In the East, North and the far North (the most heavily populated area), there's not a single NGO.
Nevertheless, the government considers the NGOs as partners in its fight against AIDS. In order to develop its strategy, the government organised a series of meetings with NGOs, development agencies, women leaders, and the civil society, in April, May, June and July 1998. The official fight against AIDS was launched in 1985 with the establishment of a National Committee For The Fight Against AIDS. It covers three main areas: HIV as an epidemic; the main principles of primary health care; financial costing vis à vis the public.
Let's take a look at HIV as an epidemic. What is the National Committee For the Fight Against Aids hoping to achieve? Its own official document explains its aims as: Taking a number of measures so that the general public can better understand HIV/AIDS issues; spreading information about preventing HIV/AIDS; spreading systematic information about how many people actually have HIV/AIDS and who are target groups for the same (in view of taking appropriative preventative measures); developing initiatives already taken by health, social services and educational professionals in preventing HIV/AIDS.
The authorities know that "prevention is the only defence mechanism against HIV" and so have decided to accentuate the following aspects: Care, treatment, support, supervision, epidemiology, safety in blood transfusions (15% of HIV cases seem to have been caused by using contaminated blood in blood transfusions), research.
What will such a research programme cost? According to some estimates, about one-and-a-half billion CFA francs annually. The population and others are waiting to see what's the government going to come up with. The government, for its part, is looking to the international community for help. But first of all, the country has got to mobilise its own resources. Cameroon's Health Minister, Professor Monekosso, puts it this way: "In his policy statement, President Paul Biya has stressed the social sector, which includes health and education".
END
CONTENTS | ANB-BIA HOMEPAGE | WEEKLY NEWS
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