The AIDS epidemic in Africa is hitting farm output and threatening millions of people with poverty and hunger, United Nations agencies said recently.

"The majority of African countries worst-hit by HIV/AIDS are also those heavily reliant on agriculture"said Peter Piot, Executive Director of the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS.

"For many rural households in these countries, AIDS has turned what used to be a food shortage into a food crisis"[FAO]

AIDS has killed seven(7) million agricultural workers since 1985 in the worst- hit African countries and the epidemic could kill sixteen (16) million more by 2020[FAO].

"Hunger and poverty aggravated by HIV/AIDS, creates a vicious spiral"(Jacques Diouf,  Director General, FAO).

Where farmers and their families fall sick, they cultivate less land and shift to less labour-intensive and less nutritious crops, agricultural productivity decreases and hunger and malnutrition are on the rise. Many children are losing their parents before learning how to farm, to prepare food and to fend for themselves.  Severe malnutrition among HIV/AIDS orphans is already reported in the worst-hit affected areas.

The two UN agencies estimate that about 30 million of the estimated 42 million people with HIV/AIDS live in sub-saharan Africa, half of them in rural areas.

According to FAO estimates, many countries are likely to see a quarter of their farmers affected by HIV/AIDS creating a vicious circle of poverty, hunger and AIDS , working in a synergistic way and exacerbbating each other.

Unless controlled, the HIV/AIDS scourge ravaging the developing countries of the world will significantly impede efforts to reduce poverty in sub-saharan Africa.

Looking at the agricultural sector of the Nigerian economy, the most active age range for potential agricultural labour force  is between 15-45 and incidentally, this age range is the most vulnerable to the epidemic.

High prevalence rate of HIV/AIDS epidemic is worsening the already existing weak food security situation of many households in Nigeria.

It will be disastrous if preventive and mitigating steps are not taken urgently to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS inrural areas of Nigeria and other parts of Africa  experiencing the same potentially devastating scenario

Centre for Rural Reproductive Health and Development[CRRHD], Ado Ekiti, Ekiti State, Nigeria was established to contribute to the global fight against the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Nigeria with particular emphasis on the rural areas of the South West before it reaches a more alarming prorportion and we seek for a collaborative partnership with interested organisations and individuals towards making a more sustainable impact.

CRRHD MISSION STATEMENT

CRRHD is a proactive, rural specific, adolescent orientated, community driven NGO that seeks to curb/reduce high risk sexual and reproductive health practices amongst the vulnerable rural populace by promoting traditional values like abstinence, delayed sexual activities coupled with appropriate contraceptive and reproductive health and life planning education, counseling and holistic, participatory community and human capacity development.

CRRHD’S OBJECTIVES:

§         To promote traditional reproductive health education which is crucial in reducing the current prevalence of undesirable high-risk SRH behaviour of rural youths by promoting abstinence and delaying commencement of sexual activities.

§         Promoting the emergence and training of Peer and Community SRH Educators amongst the target rural populace.

§         Facilitating easy access to resource, IEC / BCC materials and other relevant audio-visual materials in local language on responsible SRH practices.

§         Expanding rural religious leaders SRH educational roles and influence.

§         Promoting and providing appropriate SRHcare services as well as voluntary counseling, testing and referrals for further youth friendly attention and care.

§         Promoting holistic, participatory community and human capacity development and skills acquisition.

§         Collaborating with other interested stakeholders to sustainably achieve the above stated objectives.

CRRHD’S TARGET POPULATION:

While our programme will be directed at the entire rural populace (male and female), we will be paying particular attention to the SRH and holistic human capacity development needs of the highly vulnerable rural adolescent (male and female) who are either in or out of school aged between 12 – 20 years and are residents in the rural areas .

CRRHD’S METHODOLOGY:

Our NGO will be utilizing a combination of the following strategies to sustainably implement its programmes:

§         Participatory Programme Planning and Implementation.

§         Advocacy visits /sensitization campaigns

§         Participatory workshops and training programmes

§         Community based Apprenticeship and Skill Acquisition Internships

§         Participatory Learning and Appraisal (PLA)

§         Learners Centred, Problem Posing, Self discovery, Action oriented (LEPSA)

§         Experience sharing, Counseling sessions, Role  plays and Mentoring.

§         Participatory Programme Monitoring and Evaluation.

CRRHD’S MANAGEMENT:

CRRHD is managed on a day to day by the Coordinator while a Board of Trustees composed of experts and professionals provides policy guidelines, advise and regular monitoring and evaluation of the NGO to ensure programme sustainability and adherence to high ethical standards.

CRRHD’S REQUEST:

CRRHD seeks a collaborative partnership/networking with your organization in our desire to render qualitative proactive services and programmes to our target audience.

Yours Sincerely,

Gbolahan Olubowale,

B. Agric. Extension & Rural Sociology (OAU), Master of Social Work (UI),

Coordinator,

Centre for Rural Reproductive Health and Development [CRRHD].

11,Surulere, Street, Ajilosun Area,

Ado Ekiti, Ekiti State,

P.O.Box 20587, U.I Post Office, Ibadan,

 Nigeria.

Telephone:+ 234-0803 370 3772.