Testing the efficacy of Inter-personal Communication (IPC) and Community Drama as an effective tool in reaching the general population – this was the primary objective of selecting and training twenty-four (24) IPC Conductors in Alimosho Local Government Area (LGA) under operations research funded by the Enhancing Nigeria’s response to HIV and AIDS (ENR) programme.
Four communities were selected (Olugbede, Bammeke, Orelope and Oguntade) in Alimosho LGA of Lagos State. Twenty-four IPC conductors were trained to reach a total of six hundred and fifty (650) people within those communities for six months.
In the month of November, which signified the end of the intervention and also the end of both technical/financial support to the community, fifteen out of the twenty-four IPC conductors signified that they will continue with the IPC outreach for their communities even though the programme has been concluded.
According to one of the IPC Conductors “this project is good for our people because even us learn plenty things and people no know where they fit do HIV test but now we dey tell them where dey fit go and say na free! We go continue this work even if you no go give us that small change again. We wan make we comot HIV for our side here.
I don help us know say we need to sabi wetin dey go on for our community so we go fit report back give our local government. This work show us say we get small power how things suppose be and we get better support from our LACA [Local Agency for the Control of HIV and AIDS] manager o.”