In many countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, there is a dire shortage of healthcare workers. In Togo specifically, there are only 4 doctors for every 100,000 people. With an adult infection rate of 3.3% in Togo, that means that these 4 doctors have to provide care for an estimated 3,300 people living with HIV. This deficiency has caused a sense of desperation here in Togo when trying to mount a response to the AIDS epidemic.
The international response to AIDS is commonly considered to be a medical issue. However, people who are HIV-positive don’t only have to worry about infections; discrimination poses a big concern as well. During my time here in Togo I’ve heard countless heartbreaking stories of abandonment: orphaned children who are only fed the leftovers, if there are any; people who have been fired from their jobs; a woman who was abandoned by her husband and all of her children, minor and adult alike. The fog of desperation and confusion felt in Sub-Saharan Africa have led to commonplace stigmatisation. Out of shame and fear, people who have been diagnosed with AIDS are forced to hide their status. Without support, these social problems can derail a patient’s adherence to their treatment.
Despite the massive challenges faced by people who are HIV-positive, there is hope on the horizon. Hope Through Health, through funding from UNICEF and in partnership with the Togolese Ministry of Health, is currently leading a weeklong training of Community Health Workers, who are being trained not only to fill the healthcare professional gap, but also to act as counselors and advocates for our patients. As people who also live with HIV/AIDS, our Community Health Workers understand firsthand the challenges that our patients face on a daily basis. They will be trained to recognize infections in their early stages and refer patients to our clinic; to empower our patients through counseling; and to help our patients chart the choppy waters of discrimination.
- Participants get settled in at the training.
Abiba, one of our Community Health Workers-in-Training, is excited to participate in the workshops. As a Community Health Worker at Hope Through Health’s newest site, she now feels prepared to help people living with HIV/AIDS. “I really liked the sessions on counseling and patient empowerment. To learn how to help others clarify their problem and find their own solutions changed how I thought about counseling people. Now I know that I can approach a patient of mine and really help them in their difficulties.”
- Abiba jots down her reflections during one of the workshop sessions.
In responding to an epidemic that is further complicated by crushing poverty and isolating stigma, medicines alone won’t heal a population. As what I consider to be the heart of Hope Through Health’s programming, the moral and medical support offered by our Community Health Workers is providing hope for a group of people that have largely been abandoned by society, and in some instances even by their own families. Our Community Health Workers are working daily to mount the right response to the AIDS epidemic. It’s the right response not only because it is based on compassion and dignity, but also because it works.