By Komba Fillie
The Network of HIV Positives in Sierra Leone (NETHIPS), with support from partners, has ended a two-day National Delegate conference at their Head Quarter, at 261 Regent Road in Grafton, (14 to 15 December 2022) on the outskirts of Freetown. The theme for the conference was: “Rebuilding a Resilient and Progressive Network”.
In his opening remarks, the Country Programme Manager, who served as Chairperson of the Programme, Madam Miata Jambawai-Kaisamba, underscored the importance of the conference.
She said the delegate conference was organized for NETHIPS to vividly reflect on successes, challenges and the way forward. She noted that the meeting also reminded all about the rationale behind NETHIPS’ establishment as a parent body for coordinating all PLHIV in the country. She pointed out that NETHIPS has four thematic areas: advocacy, human rights, treatment and care and coordination, and advised that as a network, the organization should be able to solve problems relating to NETHIPS.
Mrs. Jambawai-Kaisamba affirmed the importance of the conference’s theme, and encouraged all network members to get a plan to address crisis.
She added that for any organization to succeed, it should be able to adapt to the environment with or without money, and called on the network to collaborate with other partners as true wardens, responsible for the people whom they serve. In his welcome address, the Board Chairman for NETHIPS, Rev Alimamy Kargbo, thanked God and the people for their interest in the process. He cautioned all delegates to represent their people well and called for them to consolidate the network’s progress. He acknowledged the importance of everyone and called on them do justice to the process.
In his statement, the Director General of the National AIDS Secretariat (NAS), Abdul Raman Sesay, expressed satisfaction with the process and called for unity. He said people should be progressive, innovative and result-oriented and, above all, focused on the new trend in the response. He said NETHIPS’ advocacy should focus on stock out, bringing back clients to treatment and related issues.
In his statement, the UNAIDS Country Director, Dr. Issac Ahomesah, said the role of the community is critical in the national response. He recalled that from 1996 to date the trend of HIV has changed due to the contribution of communities.
He said more lives have been saved due to taking the lead in advocacy.
Mr. Ahomesah said most PLHIVs serve as support role models and thus serve as ambassadors to trigger other people to take their treatment. “The number is tiny to take care of the country, and we need to do the right thing by taxing each other come 2023,” he said.
As a strategy, he said partners need to find every person living with HIV to put them on treatment if only “we want to move forward” while calling for the revival of treatment literacy and launched the U is =U campaign next year.
In his statement, the current Chairman of the Country Coordinating Mechanism (CCM) for Global Fund, Momoh Jimmy, described the role of CCM in providing coordination at the global level.
He disclosed that Global Fund has comprehensively addressed the issue of stock out.
In her keynote address, the District Medical Officer for Western Area Rural, Dr. Sylvia Fasuluku spoke on the significance of the theme.
Dr. Fasuluku explained the role played by the Health Ministry and recalled the vibrant part NETHIPS has played in the national response, especially mobilizing members for treatment, care and support.
She said they would continue to provide the enabling environment to achieve the 95, 95 and 95 targets.
She called for more improvement, ensuring that they did better in the response. She called for a zero barrier to stigma and for expansion of the network. She also pointed out the need to set a more realistic target to achieve the goal by getting accurate data.
In a brief presentation, the Executive Director of NETHIPS, Idrissa D. M. Songo, said NETHIPS was established in 2006 as an umbrella organization for People Living with HIV (PLHIV) or Recipients of Care (RoC) in the country.
He said there are currently 71 PLHIV support groups nationwide and that NETHIPS is an interconnected organization that is open to all that are infected or affected by HIV – children, adolescents, youths, women, men and key populations.
Using the power of evidence-based advocacy, we challenge the status quo to improve access to quality HIV prevention, treatment, care and support services.
Mr. Songo noted that the network believes that the priorities, voices and experiences of RoC must inform, shape and direct all policies and programmes aimed at improving the health and lives of RoC.
He said that the network is dedicated to preventing human rights violations against RoC, eliminating stigma and discrimination and ending all HIV criminalization.
“Our organizational mandate, cord functions, administrative structure, pillars on which the strategy operates and the challenges is key,” he said.