Côte d'Ivoire

In West Africa, Côte d'Ivoire is the country most severely affected by HIV. The political and military conflict which began in 2002 has greatly hampered the national response to HIV, and has resulted in limited access to health care and medication, particularly in the conflict zone.

At the end of 2003, approximately 7% of adults were estimated to be HIV-positive, 72,000 people had died of AIDS, and as many as 440,000 children were orphaned because of AIDS. Only 2,000 of the people infected by HIV have access to anti-retroviral treatment, and only three out of 15 regions have HIV mother-to-child transmission prevention programmes and/or operational voluntary screening and counselling centres.

Because of social instability, increased violence, and the deteriorating economic situation, the gross mortality rate attributable to HIV infection is expected to increase to around 53% in 2005. This situation has resulted in a massive displacement of people (as many as 800,000), both within and across the country’s borders, and has increased poverty and the marginalisation of some population groups.

Vulnerability to HIV/ is further exacerbated by the behaviour of at-risk groups and various forms of aggression. There are an estimated 8,500 transactional sex workers, and more than 15,300 children living on the streets mostly in Abidjan and six other major towns.

What we do

In 2004, the Alliance received US government funding through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to develop a programme to support community responses to HIV in Côte d'Ivoire as part of the President’s Emergency AIDS Relief Programme (PEPFAR). The programme is managed in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, (CDC/Projet Retroci, Abidjan).

As part of a plan to provide a continuum of care and to create demand for services, the Alliance trained 48 participants from 24 non-governmental and community-based organisations (NGOs and CBOs) that are members of the Ivorian Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS (RIP+) in treatment literacy and community support for anti-retroviral treatment. The Alliance also provided on-going organisational support to RIP+ and other highly vulnerable groups.

In 2005, the Alliance will continue to strengthen community groups in treatment literacy and adherence to anti-retrovirals. At the same time, the Alliance will strengthen the capacity of NGOs and CBOs in several HIV technical areas including: prevention with highly vulnerable populations; palliative care and support; prevention with highly vulnerable populations; abstinence, fidelity and partner reduction; youth and couple-friendly voluntary counselling and testing centres and support to orphans and vulnerable children. NGOs and CBOs will also receive organisational and institutional support and the Alliance will collaborate with the Ministry of AIDS for the development of a monitoring and evaluation plan for community-based HIV mobilisation activities.

The main strategy in 2005 will be the establishment and development of an Alliance linking organisation in Côte d’Ivoire to support local NGOs. The Alliance will support this linking organisation to develop by-laws and internal systems and procedures. Once established, the linking organisation will give grants and technical support to NGOs and CBOs in Côte d’Ivoire. It is expected that this will happen by the end of 2005.