15th International AIDS Conference Bangkok, Thailand - July 11-16, 2004

Int Conf AIDS 2004 Jul 11-16; 15:(abstract no. D10271)

Nyabienda L, Hall H
ARBEF, Kigali, Rwanda

ISSUE: HIV/AIDS prevention and care tend to concentrate in urban areas and yet the rural areas are equally affected.

DESCRIPTION: Over 83% of Rwanda's 8 million population live in rural areas according to the 2002 census and the current HIV/AIDS prevalence rate at 13.5% is the same in urban centres as in rural areas. Despite this, however, most interventions to curb the rising rate of HIV infection in Rwanda have been focusing their efforts only on urban areas. ARBEF (Association Rwandaise Pour le Bien-Etre Familial), a local NGO affiliated to IPPF (International Planned Parenthood Federation), recently developed a project to address the needs of rural Rwanda in the current HIV/AIDS crisis. The project has targeted peripheral three provinces with numerous resettlement villages, known as Imidugudus, using BCC strategies to increase the awareness of HIV/AIDS/STI prevention methods with the aim of behaviour change. Additionally the project will provide VCT to the rural population through the local health centres and provide medical and social care to those who are HIV positive. The project facilitated the development of local health committees in all three sites to guide the program, furnished the sites with the necessary equipment to carry out VCT, trained the necessary health centre staff for BCC and VCT, and actively supports the formation of PLWHA Associations at each site.

LESSONS LEARNED: The rural population is eager to be included in programs which address HIV/AIDS. As rural sites have been left behind in the bulk of HIV/AIDS prevention activities, their health centres lack the basic infrastructure required to implement the HIV/AIDS related health services and thus health centre rehabilitation became the first activity of the project in our case. Recommendation: Advocacy to Governments, the donor community and civil society organizations of the urgent need to include the rural population in future HIV/AIDS interventions can not be overemphasized.

040711
D10271

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