This is the objective of the press conference given this Monday, April 15, 2024 at the Djeuga Palace hotel in Yaoundé by the NGO Coalition Plus. It was a prelude to the 12th international Francophone conference on HIV/AIDS, hepatitis, sexual health and emerging diseases (AFRAVIH 2024) which opens this Tuesday, April 16 at the Palais des Congrès.
This press conference allowed the various speakers to fully appreciate the work of peer educators in the community health care pyramid. After the welcome speech from the Africa manager of Coalition plus Papa Abdoulaye Deme, we had the presentation of Mach-houd Kouton representing Onu AIDS West and Central Africa, then that of Brice Bambara of the global fund, of Loïc EBO GTR CNLS/Centre and finally the testimony of Florent Ateba, peer educator who expressed the hazards of this profession which he carries out with passion. Media men and women were entitled to discussions to improve their understanding and the need to make it a decent full-time profession. The Yaoundé meeting will serve as a trigger for this approach, which remains laudable.
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Papa Abdoulaye Deme, head of Africa office Coalition Plus
« Coalition Plus is a union of international civil society organizations that work for access to health and also on human rights issues around the world. The aim of this press conference was to share the initiatives of Coalition Plus but of other partners on the question of recognition in any case of the profession of Peer Educator, because we all know that peer educators are the essential links in the fight against HIV. Also in other areas of health they play an important role. The statistics at the global level have proven it, there is evidence which today shows the important role that this peer educator plays. We are in a global organization and represent in this profession which involves several technical and financial partners including the recognition of this peer educator status. There are many steps, we have put in place initiatives such as a regional Talk force, which will today support the advocacy that we are doing, we also plan to work with state institutions, we thank the regional level which will to be able to offer this certification, recognize and give all the necessary guarantee for this profession and for the benefit of the general public. There are mechanisms for encouraging peer educators through action plans which will be operational through which we work, as a reminder we operate in 53 countries in which we have the platforms in which we are trying to ensure that in each country that there is already the availability of a charter for peer educators, the availability of a framework which describes the work (tasks, working conditions of peer educators). We will mobilize technical and financial partners to upgrade and provide many more resources to peer educators, including their salaries.».
Mach-houd Kouton, UN AIDS regional advisor for West and Central Africa
« More than ever, we need peer educators. You know, these are the ones that allow the most marginalized people or those most vulnerable to HIV to be able to access services. The more things progress, the more we need them because their role is sometimes subject to violence or stigmatization, as you noted during your testimonies. All of this puts at the center the need to have peer educators who are protected, protected by their training, by the systems that are put in place by certifications. That is to say, to have a dignified, protected job, which is part of a mechanism of training, supervision, monitoring and it is at this price that we will have peer educators who are there the linchpin, the base of the response to HIV. You know for UNAIDS, putting an end to AIDS means putting an end to inequalities. And for that, one of the key interventions is that 30% of services (screening and treatment) are carried out by community organizations, 60% of prevention is carried out by community organizations (peer educators), so today more than ever, we needs peer educators for a response to HIV AIDS. Likewise, we saw with the Covid pandemic, they must be an integral part of the health pyramid because they are the ones who build trust, the essential ingredient of a health system, because they have experience, know-how, training and commitment to serving the community ».
Clément Noumsi
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