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HIV/AIDS KNOWLEDGE IN RURAL NIGERIA
Related to country: Nigeria

Translations available in: English (original) | French | Spanish | Italian | German | Portuguese | Swedish | Russian | Dutch | Arabic

I had a glimpse into the knowledge of HIV possessed by rural Nigerians recently during a training on Life Building Skills organized by my organization for our volunteers.

Not only did they not know what the acronym HIV/AIDS means but they believed AIDS actually means "American Invention to Discourage Sex". This situation I don't need to tell you was quite embarrassing. This begs the question: how are the many millions of dollars being pumped by donor agencies into Nigeria being used? Are we only reporting successes based on urban figures? What are donor and local agencies doing for and with the youths in rural Nigeria?

Akoko Edo Local Government Area is the largest and oldest in Nigeria. The population is largely agrarian and a handful processes solid minerals. Basic infrastructure like roads, good schools, health centers, water and drainage is lacking. Ninety percent of the people of this region are impoverished and living beyond the poverty line. And yet, successive government has done nothing to ameliorate the plight of the people.

Akoko Edo will seem to an outsider as a forgotten and relegated mass of undulating area. Vices like drug abuse, sexual abuse and laziness are rampant. Nevertheless, these people have an indomitable and participatory spirit. This situation is not peculiar to Akoko Edo alone but is to be found in most rural parts of Nigeria. The Reproductive Health situation in Akoko Edo is appalling. 85% of young women between the ages of 12 to 24 years have had a child out of wedlock. About 50% has at one time or another procured an illegal abortion. The school-dropout rate is one of the highest in Nigeria and about 40% of the young men have suffered from an STI.

Rural Nigeria has always suffered from neglect and a sense of abandonment. The recent call for the scrapping of the third tier of government - the Local Government - stems from their failure to impact on the lives of their constituents. We have consistently seen this neglect even in HIV programming. People continue to get infected and they continue to die in ignorance in the rural area.

During this training I referred to above, a time came when we mentioned male condom. Surprisingly, they have heard but never seen a condom. We had men and women that are married and sexually active youths that have never seen a male condom talk less of a female condom. The question is how do these sexually active individuals protect themselves from HIV. The biggest illusion and fallacy is that they don't believe HIV actually exist in their communities. I believe this may be what obtains in other rural parts of Nigeria. The rate of stigma and discrimination is still very high.

This situation demands urgent attention. Akoko Edo Diocesan Development Services (ADDS) is the only CSO in this big Local Government Area and it was just formed in 2008. Their capacity has been built and is capable of carrying out effective HIV intervention. But compared to the needs, what they can do is meager. What is needed is an urgent and massive programs deployment in rural Nigeria. Community Based organization should be identified and empowered to carry out HIV intervention. Youth-led organizations and faith based organization should be empowered to lead the campaign in rural Nigeria.

Donor agencies and funders should concentrate their effort henceforth in rural Nigeria. 70% of people in Nigeria live in rural Nigeria but it is only about 15% of HIV intervention that gets to the grassroots. Without empowerment HIV will continue to run like wild fire in the villages of Nigeria and we will continue to report successes when people keep dying of ignorance in the rural areas.

The future of Nigeria depends on the rural communities. Donors and Funders, international and local NGOs, government and other CSOs should not neglect rural Nigeria. They should empower the people with information about STIs, HIV/AIDS, stigma and discrimination, Reproductive Health and Rights, Human Rights, etc. Services like Voluntary Counseling and Testing, Career counseling, youth centers, STI and Contraceptive clinics etc should be established. This will help preserve the next generation of farmers, engineers, scientists, doctors, teachers, etc from extinction.

February 26, 2009 | 1:48 PM Comments  0 comments



MY BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION (VILLAGE SCENERIO)

HELLO FELLAS,
ITS BEEN A LONG TIME SINCE I LAST BEEN ON TIG AND A LOT OF THINGS HAE BEEN HAPPENING IDONT EVEN KNOW WHERE TO START FROM.

WELL I THINK IT WOULD BE GREAT IF I SHARE WITH YOU MY BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION "EXPERIENTO PARTIER". BUT FIRST LET ME SINCEREY THANK YOU GUYS (MYTIG FAMILY) FOR THE WONDERFUL CARD YOU SENT ME. GUESS WHAT? YOU WERE THE ONLY PEOPLE THAT SENT ME A GIFT! GREAT ISN'T IT.

ON THAT VERY WEEK PREPARATION FOR EASTER WAS UNDERWAY AND YOU KNOW WHAT FRENZY FOLLOWS SUCH ACTIVITIES BUT ME, I WASNT PREPARING FOR EASTER, I WAS PREPARING FOR THAT SPECIAL DAY THAT I WILL CLOCK 20 THE BIG DAY I WILL FINALLY CLOCK 2 DECADES IN THIS LIFE.

YOU KNOW APART FROM NOT HAVING THE BUCKS TO THROW A PARTY, MY THOUGHT WAS CLOUDED WITH THE DISMAY APPREHENSION THAT NO BODY WAS EVEN LOOKING FORWARD TO THE GREAT AND SOLEMN DAY INCLUDING ME.

ON THE EVE OF MY BIRTHDAY I.E. ON THE 8TH OF APRIL I SAT DOWN AND DREW MYSELF INTO A SOBER REFLECTION ABOUT THE DREAMS I HAVE HAD ALL THOSE PAST YEARS. THE ONES I I HAD TO FORGO AND THE ONES I COULDNT EVEN ACHIEVED 50% OF ITS FULL CAPACITY. WELL YOU KNOW AND THEN I REALISED THAT I HAVE "FAILED" WOEFULLY FAILED BECAUSE I WASNT ABLE TO GET PEOPLE LOCALLY TO SHARE MY DREAMS PEOPLE THAT WILL SACRIFICED A LOT WITHOUT LOOKING FORWARD FOR A MONETARY GAIN. FOR EXAMPLE "SKYWALKERS YOUTH ORGANISATION" THE ORGANISATION WHOSE NATIONAL CO-ORDINATOR AND FOUNDER I HAPPENED TO BE, NOT BEING ABLE TO RAISE 50 WHOLE MEMBERS AND N50000 AND AFTERMATH OF THAT DEFUNT FOR THE TIME BEING COS SOME OF OUR TOP OPERATIVES ARE DISILLUSIONED AND LOST THE FOCUS OF THEIR DREAMS AND INSPIRATION.

YOU SEE THIS AND A LOT OF OTHER THING FOUND THEIR WAY INTO MY SUBCONCIOUSNESS AND IT FLATED ME THE MORE.

SO I CAME TO THE CONCLUSION THAT INSTEAD OF STAYING HERE WALLOWING IN DEJECTION AND SELF-PITY I WANT TO HELP SOME ONE OUT THERE OF MY OWN WILL EFFORT AND ACCORD. SO I DECIDED TO GO TO THE VILLAGE AND HELP MY AUNT IN THE FARM COS ITS PLANTING SEASON.

ON MY WAY THERE I MET AN OLD WOMAN CARRYING A HEAVY LOAD, YOU KNOW I COULDNT BEAR TO SEE HER BENT UNDER SUCH A WEIGHT SO I HELPED HER CARRIED THE LOAD INTO HER HOUSE ALTHOUGH IT WASNT IN MY DIRECTION. YOU KNOW WHAT THE WOMAN SAID "MAY YOU SPENT MUCH TIME ON THIS EARTH RECIEVING FAVOUR FROM EVERY BODY" WHOA JUST WHAT I NEEDED YOU WILL SAY. IT FILLED MY HEART WITH ENORMOUS JOY AND SATISFACTION THAT FILLED MY HEART BEING ABLE TO PUT A SMILE ON A FACE.

I GOT TO THE VILLAGE AND THE NEXT DAY BEEN MY BIRTHDAY I WENT TO THE FARM AND LEARNT HOW TO PLANT YAM AND CASSAVA

THEN LATER THA EVENING I LEARNT HOW TO MAKE SOAP AND O.J. ALSO I LEARNT SOME NEW DANCE STEPS. WANT TO SEE THEM? COME TO UROMI IN EDO STATE NIGERIA!

I WAS GIVEN SOME MONEY AND I INVITE SOME NEIGHBOURS AND WE HAD A GO-GO TIME AND TOOK SOME SNAPSHOT. NEXT TIME I WILL UPLOAD THEM.

TILL THIS DAY BROS. AND SIS M STILL IN THE VILLAGE LIVING IN A WHOLE NEW WORLD. IT IS A DAZZLING PLACE I NEVER SEEN.

MY DREAMS ARE MORE SUBTLE NOW AND I HOPE THEY WILL SOON MATERIALIZED. I WANT TO RE-ENGINEER AND RE-ARRANGE MY ORGANISATION STRUCTURE, INVITE PEOPLE AND SPONSORS. I DONT KNOW HOW TO MAKE MY ORGANISATION ATTRACTIVE BUT I AM HOPING SOMEONE OUT THERE MIGHT HAVE AN IDEA.

THANKS FOR TAKING TIME TO READ THIA LONG UPDATE I APPRECIATE IT

ON I CONTINUED. DESTINATION: VILLAGE

April 16, 2004 | 12:00 AM Comments  1 comments

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today i submitted my application letter to novahotels personnel manager for consideration to be a staff. if am employed i will take the oppurtunity to meet some influential people that can help me achieve my goals of starting up a youth organisation and magazine.

i will like ideas and advise on how best to start this project especially the magazine and how i can get fund to purblish it.

January 24, 2004 | 1:34 PM Comments  0 comments

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