Abstract Book Vol. 2 [International Conference on AIDS (14th: 2002: Barcelona, Spain)]

XIV International AIDS Conference

Abstracts ThPeG8319-ThPeG8323 665

Recommendations: These actions show that we want PLHAs to be considered
as everyone else. AIDS is a disease like others, so no one should despise PLHAs
Presenting author: Juliette Aguibahi, BP 1021, Cidex 1, Abidjan 06, Cote
d'lvoire, Tel.: [phone], Fax: [phone], E-mail: [email protected]
ThPeG8319 Quality of care - its effect on the experience and
outcome of HIV positive women during pregnancy.
Postpartum and delivery
L.O.C. OConnor-Iglesias. Phoenix House, 11905 Venice Blvd #4, Los Angeles,
CA, 90066, United States
"Effect of Quality and Care during Pregnancy, Postpartum on Experience of HIV
Positive Women and Infant Status"
Background: At the time of my initial research, the BAY Area Perinatal AIDS
Center in San Francisco (BAPAC) had had no mother to infant transmission in
56 deliveries while many other clinics locally and nationally were seeing a 20 -25% transmission rate, even while following 076 medication guidelines. My study
examined the level in which quality of care factored into experience and outcome.
Methods: I interviewed 30 HIV positive women who gave birth, while knowing their HIVstatus, to 32 infants. The women where from 5 US states, diverse
ethnicity's and ranged ages 24-42. The study examined many areas of each
women's experience including her perception of her physicians level of judgment
and knowledge of HIV. It examined many issues during pregnancy, labor and
postpartum and asked them to rate their prenatal and L/D care. The study documented the infants HIV status by 6 week/6month PCR.
Results: 45% of the women (14) received care at BAPAC. None of these women
felt judged by their providers. 100% of them felt BAPAC was knowledgeable about
HIV positive pregnancy and there was no mother to infant transmission in this
group. Among the "Non-Bapac group," 40% felt judged by their providers and
41% felt that their providers were not knowledgeable about HIV pregnancy. 25%
of women in this group (4) transmitted HIV to their infants even though 3 out of
four of then had taken AZT by 076 guidelines. H
Conclusion: medication alone is not enough in the prevention of mother to infant
transmission. The quality of care that the participants in this study received was
a major contributing factor in the outcome of their infant's health and HIV status,
as well as the mothers experience of pregnancy and childbirth.
Presenting author: Lisa OConnor- Iglesias, 11905 Venice Blvd #4, Los Angeles,
CA, 90066, United States, Tel.: [phone], Fax: [phone], E-mail:
[email protected]
ThPeG8320 Study on Community and NGO Responses in Latin
America and the Caribbean
J. Hourcade1, E. Carrasco2, D. Altman3, E. Massiah4. 1 ICASO, 399 Church
Street, 4th floor, Toronto, Ontario, M5B2J6, Argentina; 2LACCASO / ICASO,
Caracas, Venezuela; 3LaTrobe University Bundoora, Australia; 4Inter American
Development Bank, Washington DC, United States
Issues: Across Latin America and the Caribbean, communities have organized
to respond to HIV/AIDS. This response has come from local and international
NGOs; in addition, a variety of CBOs have emerged to address the needs of
specific populations - i.e. commercial sex workers, gay men, drug users. There
has also been a rapid growth in the number of networks of persons living with
HIV/AIDS (PLWHA). The call for an expanded response to HIV/AIDS has increased the willingness to fund activities executed by NGOs and CBOs.
Description: In many countries, communities were part of the initial response to
the epidemic. Yet, the achievements and challenges facing these varied groups
have not systematically been studied. The current study is the first phase in a
larger review of the experiences and capacity building needs of HIV/AIDS-related
NGOs, CBOs, and the networks of PLWHA in the region. The study seeks to document innovative experiences that can serve as models for the region, capacity
building needs, and comparative strengths of these organizations.
Lessons learnt: In part, the development of the community response reflects the
characteristics of the epidemic. In most countries in the region, the highest rates
of HIV infection are found in sub-populations of people whose behaviors leave
them extremely vulnerable to contracting the virus. In many countries, members
of these populations have formed CBOs and advocacy networks.
Recommendations: There is a need for governments to properly fund and support CBOs and PLWHA organizations, to remove legal restrictions on their organizing (a real issue for MSMs, drug users and sex workers) and include them in
policy making. NGOs should develop policies with the community and not against
their needs. A lot of energy will be saved in the future if we can create spaces
of meaningful collaboration between each sector, particularly if each player can
focus on their own strengths.
Presenting author: Mary Ann Torres, 399 Church Street, 4th floor, Toronto, Ontario, M5B2J6, Canada, Tel.: [phone] ext 221, Fax: [phone],

E-mail: [email protected]

ThPeG8321 Mutual exchange as a factor of subsiding intense
feelings
S. Some1, F Bassolet2, C. Kafando2, A. Coulibaly2. 1, PO. Box 382,
Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso; 2REVS+, Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso
Issue: For a long time since the founding of our community based organisation we
were wondering on how to bring awareness among people living with HIV/AIDS in
Bobo-Dioulasso a town of about 635,000 inhabitants with a seroprevalence rate
of 12,17%. We were eager to subside terror, confusion, fear, shame, loneliness
among people tested positive.
Description: At the beginning in 1998 we reached out 50 people living with
HIV/AIDS. Six teams of VIH affected volunteers weekly gave them home care.
None of the 50 HIV patients attended the meetings scheduled for them. They
were scared to be disclosed and then abandoned by their families and their community We neither had nothing to allure them byr offering a psychological support
as an alternative. Late in 2000-2001 we raised funds and we were also awarded
medicines from out partners such as AIDES and SOILIDARITE SIDA. We started
a mutual exchange activity during which we have debares on specific themes
related to HIV/AIDS at the same time medical subscriptions for opportunistic infections were paid for. Started in August 2000 with only 17 attendants, the number
grew to 108 by December2001.
Lessons Learned: Once isolated, scared and lacking information about HIV infection, the HIV pationts are now connected, informed and eager to share experiences and knowledge with the little financial meansthe association ofers through
the help of our partners.
Recommendations: Through this experience we recommend an empowement
of partnership to bring more facilities to pople living with HIV/AIDS. The trilogy of
psychological support, availability of treatment and financial help fon no-incomes
or low incomes holders is a strong response to the fight against HIV before drugs
may be free and available for all.
Presenting author: Sogbele Some, P.O. Box 382, Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina
Faso, Tel.: [phone], Fax: [phone], E-mail: [email protected]
ThPeG8322 Responses to non attendance and dropping out of
school of the orphans cared by REVS+
J. Sanogo. PO Box 382, Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso
Issue: REVS+, a community based organisation is faced with non attendance or
dropping out of orphans to and from schools due to the death or the lack of income of one or both parents. Most of the time the child is integrated or cared by
the large family nevertheless schooling of these children remains a problem far
from been solved. The organisation has challenged to bring relief to the orphans
in such situation.
Description: In the course of 2000 the organisation has established groups of
professionals composed of teachers, social workers, psychologists, psychiatrists
and health workers to be in charge of the HIV orphans. The role of these volunteers is to identify orphans after the death of the parents, see about their economic and social situation and then decide if the organisation must be involved
in caring. All together the volunteers are 9 in number. 173 orphans are identified
and have home care visits by a team of two professionals. 46 out of the 173 lost
both parents, 100 lost one parent, 7 are infected, 104 among them are attending
school and 20 are dropped outs. In fact 85 pupils at the beginning of the school
year could receive school materials but 81 pupils benefited by these gifts awarded
by a Non Government Organisation.
Lessons learned: We have noticed that families at beginning may be reluctant
at involving an orphan child in the family circle owing to the death related to HIV/
AIDS of one or both parents but increasingly they are eager to show understanding when an organisation through advisers commits in giving information and caring without discrimination between all the children they meet in a family as the
case may be. So every child profits by the gift we would offer. By doing so the
orphans are integrated.
Recommendation. African family is very large of course and nowadays everybody is aware of the origin of death, anyway at first there is no rejection but one
could sense a bit of discrimination. When dealing with orphans in the African environment we should care at taking the family as a whole and not selecting only
orphans in which case we are raising stigmatisation.
Presenting author: Jacques Sanogo, PO Box 382, Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina
Faso, Tel.: [phone], E-mail: [email protected]
ThPeG8323 Psychological support in a hospital through duty
hours services Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina
C. Kafando, D. Ardjata, B. Fanta, S. Sogbele. REVS+, PO Box 382,
Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso
Issue: By the years 98-99 it has been noticed that AIDS patients didn't have any

support and care neither by their families nor by the hospital and peri-urban health
workers for fear of contamination. The community based organisation REVS+
composed of people living with HIV decided to offer their services.
Description: In partnership with the medecine department of Bobo-Dioulasso
where the seroprevalence rate is about 12,17% and 50% of the beds are engaged by AIDS patients, two wolunteers of the association were identified to perform duty hours at the hospital. The Most important role to play is to testify that
they are HIV positive. Other roles were to assure psychological support through