Prepared by Kadiri Audu
IRMA Community Vice Chair, IRMA Nigeria Coordinator
Report:
NEW PREVENTION TECHNOLOGY TRAINING FOR MSM IN ABUJA
22 OCTOBER 2010
Introduction
International Rectal Microbicides Advocates (IRMA) Nigeria held one day training on New Prevention Technology (NPT) – Rectal Microbicides- The Basics, the training was facilitated by the Steering Committee Community vice Chairman and the leader of the Nigerian Chapter of the International Rectal Microbicides Advocates (IRMA) – Mr. Kadiri Audu, with support from IRMA International office in Chicago. The training was attended by twenty (23) peer educators, six (6) outreach coordinators, and four (4) program staff, making a total of thirty (33) participants. All participants are volunteers and staff in the Integrated Men’s HIV Prevention Project (IMHIPP), a project funded by Heartland Alliance for Human Needs and Human Rights (HA) with support from USAID.
Objectives
1) To increase the awareness of the MSM community in Abuja on New Prevention Technologies
2) To mobilize the MSM and Peer Educators in the IMHIPP project in FCT Abuja on the need for Rectal Microbicides
3) To build a team of MSM advocacy group for rectal Microbicides in Nigeria
4) To update the community members on the development and progress made on new prevention technologies and research to reduce the spread of the virus.
5) To provide participants with information for personal and professional growth.
Presentations
a) Who is IRMA,
b) Overview of the HIV epidemic,
c) New Prevention Technologies (NPTs),
d) What are Microbicides,
e) The basics of Rectal Microbicides research,
f) IRMA goals and Objectives and
g) Rectal Microbicides advocacy & you.
Methodology
a) Facilitation
b) Presentations
c) Story telling
Questions Raised
a) Can rectal Microbicides be used to prevent re-infection among two infected sexual partners?
b) Can Rectal Microbicides be applied on the penis for oral sex? And how safe is it for human consumption
c) Can two sexual partners use Rectal Microbicides as a double protection?
d) Can ARV based Microbicides be used by a people not infected with HIV?
e) How effective will microbicides be in controlling the virus in a plenty cum situation?
f) Will microbicides push away condoms?
g) Can microbicides be used as a lubricant?
h) When will an effective microbicides be available?
i) I will like to participate in the rectalmicrobicides (RM) trials, how can I participate?
Key Achievements
a) Participants now have enhance knowledge on the need for rectal Microbicides for the MSM community
b) This training has helped the participants to improve their knowledge on the use of Microbicides as a new HIV prevention technology
c) Participants are determined to disseminate the information about Microbicides to other members
Lesson Learned
• Most of the participants were just hearing about the word Microbicides for the first time
• The participants now know the reasons why the MSM community is 19 times more vulnerable to HIV infection than the heterosexual population
• Community Literacy program on Rectal Microbicides for the MSM Community should be encouraged and sustained.
Challenges
• Most of the participants do not have email addresses that can ensure their mobilization to the IRMA link serve.
• The training seems to be too technical to some of the participants who were hearing about Microbicides for the first time
• Some of the participants are not educated
Conclusion
The participants want such a training to be a continuous training so that more community members can be informed about the existence and progress made globally on Rectal Microbicides and other New Prevention Technologies. The participants also want to see posters and IEC materials on rectal Microbicides.
[If an item is not written by an IRMA member, it should not be construed that IRMA has taken a position on the article's content, whether in support or in opposition.]