Care, treatment & support
Appropriate health and social services need to be made accessible for everyone living with and affected by HIV/AIDS. This includes HIV testing and counselling, treatment, palliative care, support and prevention. All of these should also be available to children and others who have to face the effects of HIV/AIDS, such as those having to care for parents or siblings, for example.
The right to health, including the right to care, treatment and support, is a basic human right. Community organisations may be working to overcome many of the different obstacles that undermine this right, which include government inaction, the high costs of medicines and diagnostics (including anti-retrovirals), under-resourced health systems, stigma and discrimination.
Even where anti-retroviral treatment becomes available, safe and effective roll out requires the active engagement of communities affected by HIV/AIDS and people living with HIV/AIDS. For people to believe that treatment is effective and to understand how it works and why adherence and prevention are important, community structures and community leadership, especially from people living with HIV and AIDS, must support and endorse the introduction and use of these powerful medical technologies.
Community organisations may need technical support in engaging with traditional models of health care that are resource intensive and rely heavily on doctors and other health care workers as the main drivers in delivering healthcare. They may require better understanding and support exists for models to place communities and people with HIV in the centre of decision making and action on the provision of anti-retroviral therapy.
Resources
ARV toolkit
This on-line toolkit provides user-friendly technical guidance on planning and implementing ARV treatment programmes in resource-limited settings. It is also available on CD-Rom through the website.
WHO, International HIV/AIDS Alliance, PharmAccess International, 2003-2005
Community Engagement for Antiretroviral Treatment
A training manual for community-based organisations, non-governmental organisations and people living with HIV in Africa.
International HIV/AIDS Alliance, draft, 2005, PDF, 172 pgs, 1.78 mb
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ARV Treatment Factsheets
A set of fact sheets and participatory tools to support community engagement for antiretroviral (ARV) treatment.
International HIV/AIDS Alliance, 2005, PDFs,10 factsheets, from 1 to 6 pgs
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Setting Up and Managing Sexual Health Clinical Services in Resource-Poor Settings
A comprehensive programmatic guide for NGOs providing community-based services for sexually transmitted infections.
International HIV/AIDS Alliance, 2004, PDF, 60 pgs, 739 kb
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Mobilising NGOs, CBOs and PLHA groups for improving access to HIV/AIDS-related treatment
A handbook to help NGOs, CBOs and PLHA groups to find practical ways to understand, plan and undertake work on HIV/AIDS-related treatment.
Español, Français
International HIV/AIDS Alliance, 2001, PDF, 130 pgs, 2.4 mb
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Alliance News: Access to Treatment
Newsletter focusing on access to treatment for people living with HIV/AIDS (PLHA) identifying barriers to treatment access and strategies for overcoming these obstacles.
Español, Français
International HIV/AIDS Alliance, 2000, PDF, 4 pgs, 68 kb
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A report sharing experiences and lessons learned on improving access to HIV/AIDS-related treatment
Based on development of the handbook, Mobilising NGOs, CBOs and PLHA groups for improving access to HIV/AIDS-related treatment.
International HIV/AIDS Alliance, 2002, PDF, 52 pgs, 532 kb
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Care, Involvement and Action
Report sharing highlights and lessons learned on mobilising and supporting community responses to HIV/AIDS care and support in developing countries.
International HIV/AIDS Alliance, 2001, PDF, 28 pgs, 467 kb
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Community-based Care in Resource Limited Settings: A Framework for Action
A framework to guide a variety of organisations in developing or expanding community home-based care programmes.
WHO, 2002, PDF, 101 pgs, 520 kb
Homecare for PLWHA
This manual seeks to empower family and community members with knowledge about living healthy with HIV/AIDS, providing care and support, and dealing with death and dying.
CEDPA, 2003, PDF, 404 pgs, 3.53 mb
HIV testing and counselling toolkit
This on-line toolkit provides practical guidance on the processes of planning and implementing testing and counselling services in resource-limited settings.
WHO, International HIV/AIDS Alliance, 2004
