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Talking past each other: towards HIV/AIDS prevention in Nigeria
- Authors:
- IYIANI Christian, BINNS Tony, SHANNON Pat
- Journal article citation:
- International Social Work, 54(2), March 2011, pp.258-271.
- Publisher:
- Sage
HIV/AIDS is extensive in Nigeria, with a prevalence rate of 5.8%. This study investigates the relationship between HIV/AIDS prevention programmes and the lived realities of people most at risk in the poor urban community of Ajegunle in Nigeria’s Lagos State. The research compared the formal approach of the HIV/AIDS prevention organisations, with the felt realities of those on the receiving end of such responses: sex workers, street youths and low-income families. The results demonstrate a significant difference between the medical model of health espoused by agencies and the broader social model of the lay respondents. While providers, international non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and their client NGOs, emphasise Western medical models for HIV/AIDS intervention and prevention, at-risk groups expressed strong feelings of powerlessness over socio-cultural and political conditions affecting them. The article suggests that multi-sectoral responses with full community participation are necessary in order to engage in more effective preventive action. This requires a major power shift, whereby local people are fully involved in decision-making about policies and their implementation.