Manbhum Ananda Ashram Nityananda Trust (MANT)

Advocacy on HIV/AIDS - Kolkata Municipal Corporation

Promotion of Effective Response of Kolkata Municipal Corporation to HIV/AIDS

Evolution Of The Project

Most development partners, programme implementers and national governments now agree that HIV/AIDS is more than a health problem and requires a broad- based multisectoral approach to address the many facets of the epidemic; that HIV/AIDS is very

much inter-linked with poverty, social and economic inequities between men and women and long-standing cultural behaviours and beliefs.

While there have been major advances in terms of prevention, treatment and care, efforts to scale up responses to HIV/AIDS significantly have, as yet, been inadequate and insufficient (UNAIDS, 2005). A more systematic approach is needed in order to build local capacity to manage and sustain a comprehensive response to the epidemic. Municipal government has a key role to play within such a comprehensive response. Through efforts to create a more enabling environment for community-based and municipal government initiatives, foundations can be built to support the scaling up of responses to the epidemic.

Against this backdrop the project has been conceived by West Bengal Legislator’s Forum on HIV/AIDS, WBSAP&CS and MANT, Kolkata to promote and support concrete actions that contribute to limiting the spread of HIV and alleviating the social and economic impact of the epidemic at the ward level of Kolkata Municipal Corporation.

The project will be jointly implemented by West Bengal Legislator’s Forum on HIV/AIDS, WBSAP&CS and MANT, Kolkata in association with Kolkata Municipal Corporation.

Objectives

SUPPORT elected counselors, municipal authorities, officials of municipal administration and other concerned persons in understanding the specific developmental determinants and implications of the epidemic in their jurisdiction
DEVELOP the capabilities of municipal authority and community stakeholders to identify and analyze needs and develop appropriate policies and programmes
HELP KMC to access and utilize local funds and other resources to address the specific needs they have identified - these may include prevention and behavior change, or care and support for people living with or affected by HIV/AIDS
BUILD better coordination between Municipal Governance System and NGO-led AIDS Prevention Initiatives
INVOLVE all the elected representatives in strengthening NACP Programme in Kolkata
DOCUMENT the process to support learning and sharing of lessons

Strategies

Bring together key community leaders, KMC Personnel and elected representatives
Provide them with an opportunity to articulate their realities
Invest in developing their capacities to manage and facilitate an expanded, multisectoral response to the growing challenges of HIV in their wards/locality
Targeted capacity development of local stakeholders and collaboration across sectors and institutions (public and private) to work to expand services and support systems

Activities

Capacity Building of the Doctors of KMC - The training workshop was organized at Council Chamber Hall of Kolkata Municipal Corporation on 22nd June 2007 to capacitate the participants in a way that they could

explain the basic biology of HIV
describe HIV transmission routes
understand the importance of concurrent STIs in increasing risk of HIV transmission
discuss the natural history of HIV and list the major opportunistic infections that occur among AIDS patients in Kolkata city
describe the major elements of HIV prevention and control programmes and their roles and responsibilities in strengthening NACP-III in Kolkata. More than 110 doctors participated in the programme

Training Workshops on HIV/AIDS for the Honorary Health Workers of Kolkata Municipal Corporation- The workshops were held at Council Chamber of KMC on 4th, 5th, 8th 11th and 12th October 2007 to capacitate them in facilitating the development and implementation of a community-based response to HIV/AIDS in collaboration with key KMC and community stakeholders

Report Of the District Level Advocacy Workshop on HIV/AIDS held at Council Chamber of Kolkata Municipal Corporation, Kolkata on 18^th August, 2005