Partnerships
Partners in Training
Society for Family Health
Although the HIV/AIDS epidemic has been reported by the Nigerian Federal Ministry of Health (2006) to have stabilized at 3.1%, the lack of awareness about HIV/AIDS among the population continues to be of great concern to many. In a country of 141 million people, 3.1% translates to 4.37 million people living with HIV/AIDS.
Health professionals who are in different parts of the country are often heard saying that they need more training on the treatment and care of people living with HIV/AIDS, that a number of them lack the basic knowledge to be able to educate people in their communities on how to prevent the spread of HIV, and to treat and care for people living with the disease, particularly those who live in rural areas where they do not have access to health facilities.
In 2006, the Society for Family Health (SFH) was a recipient of the Global Fund for setting up voluntary counseling and testing (VCT) centers, and monitoring and evaluation. SFH awarded a grant to Gede Foundation to partner with them in training health workers in a number of states.The project targeted 360 health workers for the training with the purpose of posting them in VCT sites that would be set up in the Northern States. In 2006, 196 health care workers were trained from 7 states (Benue, Nassarawa, Taraba, Kogi, Niger, Adamawa, and Katsina) while 142 health care workers were trained in 2007 from 6 states (Plateau, Gombe, Kaduna, Sokoto, Borno and the Federal Capital Territory/Abuja). This totals to 338 trained health workers, a number that is 22 participants short of the target number. The 10-day training consisted of counseling, testing, laboratory practices, and record keeping.
Federal Action Committee on AIDS /World Bank
Gede Foundation was awarded a $30,000 grant from the World Bank through the Federal Action Committee on AIDS (FACA) to expand its scholarship program for school year 2005-2006. Forty-five (45) scholars were enrolled in the regular scholarship program and sixty-five (65) were enrolled in the skills acquisition program in rural settlements around the Federal Capital Territory—Kabussa, Karshi, and Jiwa. The grant provided recipients with tuition, lesson fees, books, uniforms, sandals, sneakers, transportation, stipend, and admission fee. The skills acquisition component of the program affords the orphans the opportunity to acquire marketable skills in computer, tailoring, fashion design, hairdressing, knitting and automobile repair.
The students had access to medical care and fitness examination at the Gede clinic. They participated in education and recreational activities organized by the Foundation throughout the year.
On July 13, 2007, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between Gede Foundation and the Kabussa Community on the Operation of Skills Acquisition Center. The center was set up as one of the mechanisms to sustain the impact of the training. The land and building were donated by the community while Gede Foundation equipped the center with 2 sewing machines, 2 knitting machines, and IEC materials. The foundation regularly monitors the center’s projects and activities.
All of the children who were trained in Kabussa in 2007-2008 were reported to have found jobs after the training.
