COMMUNITY-BASED HIV PREVENTION

AND STIGMA REDUCTION

WE AIM TO CREATE
HIV AWARENESS, REDUCE
STIGMA, AND BUILD
THE CAPACITY OF OUR
PARTNERS TO BETTER
PREVENT HIV IN SOMALIA
Somalias HIV epidemic
is concentrated in at-
rlsk populauons such as
vulnerable women, truck
drivers, port workers and
young people. However,
unul recenLly, Lhese
populauons have been
largely overlooked ln Lhe
nauonal Plv response.
Croundbreaklng research
lrom 2007-2010, Lhe
lnLernauonal Crganlzauon
for Mlgrauon (lCM)
undertook a series of
groundbreaking studies
whlch ldenued, for Lhe
rsL ume, ma[or drlvers of
Lhe Plv epldemlc as well
as spaces of vulnerability
or hoL-spoLs" ln Somalla.
1he sLudles were used
as an evidence base for
Somalias success in its
Global
lund Lo llghL
AIDS, Malaria and
1uberculosls (ClA1M)
8ound 8 appllcauon and
have dlrecLly reshaped Lhe
nauonal Plv response.
Plv prevenuon
Led by Lhese sLudles,
two GFATM funded
programmes, Community-
8oseJ nlv lteveouoo
ooJ 5uqmo keJocuoo lo
Somalia, and Vulnerable
ooJ At-klsk AJolesceots
and Youth, are being
lmplemenLed. 1hey alm Lo
develop and implement
communlLy and youLh-
based Plv prevenuon,
awareness, and sugma
reducuon. 1hey focus on
aL-rlsk populauons ln all
Lhree zones ln Somalla:
Somaliland, Puntland,
and SouLh CenLral. key
acuvlues lnclude
communlLy ouLreach for
posluve behavloural
change, lncreaslng
voluntary counselling
and Lesung uullzauon,
reducing
Plv sugma
by faclllLaung
community
dialogue among
key sLakeholders,
including religious
and clan leaders, and
providing forums for HIV
posluves persons Lo glve
Lhem a volce and space for
advocacy.
IEC materials
As parL of Lhe programme,
lCM ln parLnershlp wlLh
over 23 sLakeholders
ls faclllLaung Lhe
development of new,
umely and culLurally
relevanL lnformauon,
educauon &
communlcauon
materials on HIV
for all Lhree
zones.
IOM IN ACTION
- lmplemenung an Plv
prevenuon and sugma
reducuon programme Lhrough
18 local non-governmental
organ|zanons across all Lhree
zones ln Somalla,
- 1ra|ned 108 peer educators
on HIV awareness and 60 peer
educators on sexual and gender-
based violence awareness and
mlcro loan managemenL,
- S,110 at-r|sk and vu|nerab|e
women, port workers, truck
drivers, uniformed personnel,
migrants and internally
dlsplaced persons have been
sensluzed Lo Plv,
- Sens|nzed 60 vu|nerab|e
women as "Women's
Advocates" on modes of HIV
transmission, sexual and gender-
based vlolence and Lhe rlghL Lo
healLh,
- ConducLed groundbreak|ng
research ldenufylng prlorlLy
populauons where Lhe Plv
epidemic is concentrated.
An loteqtoteJ 8loloqlcol ooJ
8ebovlotol 5otvelllooce 5otvey
was publlshed ln leadlng peer
revlew [ournal AIDS 24: S61-S67.

SOMALIA

WL ASSIS1:
WI1n 1nANkS 1C CUk Ak1NLkS:
- Vulnerable women
- Port workers
- Uniformed personnel
nLAL1n MIGkAN1S IN nLAL1n CCMMUNI1ILS
International Organization for Migration
IOM Somalia Oce
Tel: +254 20 444 4174
Email: MHDSomalia@iom.int
www.nairobi.iom.int
APRIL 2012
lllllng Lhe daLa gap
lCM conunues Lo ll Lhe daLa gap Lo advlse Lhe nauonal Plv
response and advocate for programming. IOM is currently
faclllLaung one of Lhe rsL sLudles on healLh vulnerablllues along
cosLal areas ln Lhe unLland SLaLe of Somalla.
lncreaslng volunLary Lesung and counselllng (vC1) uullzauon
Plv knowledge ln Somalla remalns a ma[or challenge. Awareness
on modes of Plv Lransmlsslon, prevenuon and LreaLmenL ls
lacklng. 1hrough LargeLed ouLreach acuvlues, lCM ls llnklng
prevenuon Lo exlsung LreaLmenL, care and supporL. lCM
and partners are focused on ensuring at-risk and vulnerable
populauons are LesLed for Plv. leedback from parLners shows
a noLable lncrease ln Plv Lesung among LargeLed populauons
where vC1 servlces are presenL.
Always ln parLnershlp
lCM works closely wlLh all key sLakeholders, lncludlng AluS
Commlsslons, MlnlsLrles of PealLh, and unlLed nauons agencles.
lCM ls also an acuve member of Lhe Somalla PealLh ClusLer
PealLh SecLor Commluee and Lhe unlLed nauons !olnL 1eam
on AluS Lo ensure all programmes are allgned wlLh Lhe nauonal
response on HIV.
lCM's conLrlbuuon Lo Lhe nauonal Plv response ln Somalla has been
lndlspensable. 1hrough quallLy Lechnlcal asslsLance, groundbreaklng
research and eecuve capaclLy bulldlng of nauonal parLners, lCM
has faclllLaLed us Lo LargeL Plv programmes for prlorlLy populauons.
?eL, scale-up ls sull needed for a comprehenslve comblnauon Plv
prevenuon lnLervenuon. Somalla ls aL a crlucal [uncuon. We musL acL
now Lo conLaln and reverse Lhe epldemlc."
Mr Ahmed Mohamed !lm'ale, Lxecuuve ulrecLor,
SouLh CenLral AluS Commlsslon
- Truck drivers
- MlgranLs & lu
- CommunlLy-based organlzauons
WhaL remalns unheard, however, ls sexual and gender-based vlolence.
Sleeplng ouLslde or ln homes made of sucks and cloLh, lnLernally
dlsplaced women and mlgranLs are parucularly vulnerable.
ln parLnershlp wlLh communlLy-based organlzauon We Are Women
Acuvlsts, lCM ls empowerlng women by dellverlng mlcro-nance
Lralnlng Lo Lhose vulnerable Lo sexual and gender-based vlolence.
lCM and parLners, lncludlng Lhe unLland pollce and Lhe MlnlsLry of
Women uevelopmenL and lamlly Aalrs, have also seL up sensluzauon
forums on HIV and sexual and gender-based violence for community
leaders and women's groups ln Lhe unLland SLaLe of Somalla.
A Plv posluve mlgranL member of one forum says: l nd lL hard Lo
Lell people my sLaLus. l hope one day our volce wlll be heard - LhaL ls
Lhe alm of Lhls forum. Cnly Cod can klll me, noL Lhls Plv. l know my
sLaLus, so now Lhe only problem l have wlLh my llfe ls sugma. WlLhouL
Lhls forum, l would feel so alone. "
ulsplaced women suscepuble Lo sexual and gender-
based vlolence are Lralned on mlcro-nance by lCM
& parLners.
Sporadlc gunshoLs can be heard across 8ossaso, Lhe
unLland SLaLe of Somalla's largesL porL. unlnchlngly
locals conunue worklng, Lradlng and resung ln Lhe shade.
WhaL remalns unheard, however, ls sexual and gender-
based violence.
- Young people
Scale-up needed for Plv comblnauon prevenuon
We need Lo oer LargeLed male and female frlendly servlces
LhaL comblne blomedlcal lnLervenuons, behavloural change,
and acuvlues LhaL address underlylng deLermlnanLs of rlsk
behavlour and servlce access." cblokl lto, lOMs neoltb
ltoqtomme O[cet fot 5omollo