DCosta C, Thangsing C, Gogia J; International Conference on AIDS (15th : 2004 : Bangkok, Thailand).
Int Conf AIDS. 2004 Jul 11-16; 15: abstract no. D11837.
Project Concern International/Pathway, Pune, India
Background: I am an Woman living with the HIV for over ten years; presently working as social worker at the Pathway Project Pune India. My involvement includes counseling, community outreach, training of peer educators and coordination of day to day community activities. Description: Peer Educators play a crucial role in improving quality of life of those living with the virus. In the nine low income communities where Pathway project implements the home based care activities we selected two PLWHA's from each of the communities. The selected peer educators are then provided training on basics of HIV/AIDS, counseling and care and support. The peer educators provides peer counseling, peer support, formation of support groups, conduct meetings in their communities. They also make home visits, and share issues on positive living, self care, nutrition training, livelihood skills, psychosocial support and accompany them when they are referred to hospitals. They act as attendant to a sick PLHA who has no family member during hospitalization. PLWHA's are more at ease and comfortable with the peer educators than anyone else. They also share testimony of their experience of living healthy with HIV to families of PLHAs which help sensitize the families on different issues. At present we do not have ART component in our project but we advocate. Outcome: Peer Educators participation in home based care improve quality of life for PLHAs in CommunitiesPLWHA's developed positive attitude towards life and improved self esteemOver nine peer support groups for PLWHA's formedFormation of savings group, over 77 members save monthlyPeer Educators motivated peers to work and aided by the project micro enterprise component where about 50 Micro enterprises initiated. Conclusions: Peer educator should be a priority component in all care and support services. Formal training of PLWHA's in peer education should be encouraged as they play a very important role in the over all improve health. Need to support Peer Educators. ART issues to be addressed.
Publication Types:
Keywords:
- Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome
- Behavior
- Counseling
- Female
- HIV Infections
- HIV Seropositivity
- Humans
- India
- Interpersonal Relations
- Peer Group
- Virus Diseases
- education
- organization & administration
Other ID:
UI: 102278102
From Meeting Abstracts