Community Sensitization: Since its inception, AIDS Care Managers in its effort to actualize her vision, has carried out HIV/AIDS education in work places, markets, churches, and secondary schools in thirteen Local Government Areas. These include; Etinan, Nsit Attai, Essien Udim, Ikono, Onna, Oron, Eket, Ikot Abasi, Ibeno, Mbo, Uruan, Urue Offong/Oruku and Esit Eket. This sensitization has been on reproductive health, HIV/AIDS, Rollback Malaria and other chronic diseases.
Community Viewing Centre: This is a youth friendly center, established by ACM in 2007 in six LGAs. These include Onna, Mbu, Orufong Oruko, Ibeno, Oyuko Ibighi and Esit Eket. These centers availed community members the liberty to come around to watch videos/ movies relating to HIV and other life issues. It created a forum for information dissemination, interaction and knowledge transfer.
Production of Information Education and Communication (IEC) Materials: ACM has produced posters, pamphlets (in Ibibio and English languages), and bill-boards. IEC materials namely “What you must know about HIV/AIDS”, “A Handbook on HIV/AIDS for Home Based Care Providers” were published with the essence of providing adequate information and tools to the populace especially PLWHAs and Home Based Care Providers on issues concerning HIV/AIDS, Safe motherhood and rollback malaria.
Rollback Malaria: This was a scheme introduced with the aim of reducing the menace of malaria on the teaming populace in the Communities. AIDS Care Managers has provided long lasting insecticidal treated nets in 10 Local Government Areas and also netting of households. Knapsack sprayers and chemical for community fumigation have been provided and more than 10 communities fumigated. The NGO also partners with state Ministry of Health during the world malaria day to sensitize, test for malaria and mount bill-boards and posters with specific malaria prevention massages.
Birth Certificates: ACM collaborates with the National Population Commission to help issue birth certificates to vulnerable children who did not have previously, with the consent of their parents/ guidance. Presently, about 6,000 orphans without birth certificate have been issued with same across ACM’s operational LGAs.
Enrolment and Service Provision to OVC: ACM identifies, administers the child status index, enrols and reintegrates vulnerable children into their communities for those that are outcast or without a home. Also, vulnerable children have been helped to build their self-esteem through services such as psychosocial, health, education, protection, nutrition, economic empowerment for older VC and shelter. ACM has enrolled and provided services to a total of 46,426 vulnerable children based on their identified needs.
Care and Support: ACM provides care and support for People Living with AIDS and People Affected by AIDS (PLWA/PABA). HIV testing and Counselling (HTC) provided an important entry point to the care and support services, as well as ensuring the OVC obtain their drugs through tracking and follow-up, and also monitoring their progress in terms of viral load.
Provision of Drug Stores/ Health Posts: ACM introduced the Drug Revolving Fund Scheme. This project aimed at providing genuine drugs and primary health care services such as treatment of minor ailments and taking of deliveries. The activities involved the construction and equipping of drug stores/ trained personnel to manage the facilities. The project did so well that the NGO uplifted and equipped the status of some of the drug stores to those of health posts. The drug stores uplifted include those in Ikot Akpan Nko, Iwuo Okpom Opolom and Oyoku Ibighi. Udesi and Odio already have health centers while the status of that of Ekpene Obo is still that of a drug store.
Toilet Project: ACM provided 5 V.I.P latrines for households/locations in 4 communities (Ikot Akpan Nko, Iwuo Okpom Opolom, Odio and Epene Obo). This has alleviated the problem of open defecation and disposing human waste in bushes, which had adversely affected their health.
Water Project: ACM has built five mono pumps, eight boreholes and four wells across six communities, which have lessened the suffering of the people in getting portable drinking water. These communities include Ikot Akpan Nko, Udesi, Oyuko Ibighi, Iwuo Okpom Opolom, Odio and Ekpene Obo Communities. This has reduced the incidences of water-borne diseases in these communities.
Kids clubs: ACM conducts monthly Kids club activities in all her implementing communities in 4 LGAs. Trained community volunteers organize and engage their assigned kids in clusters for learning, using standardized kids club manuals. The kids club meeting serves as a hub for mentorships, shared learning, provision of educational, health and psychosocial services and also helps to improve facilitator-participant relationship. Generally, the kids club is structured to improve the psychosocial wellbeing of the children and also increase acquaintance level among children. This they do by singing, dancing, playing games and talk shows. ACM has so far reach about 8,000 OVC in 12 LGAs.
Operation Triple Zero (OTZ): ACM organizes
Adolescent Club meetings with the aim of ensuring that the adolescents are encouraged to use their leisure time adequately, learn to socialize with others and further build their self-esteem in their respective communities. They were also taught soft skills that can enhance their resilience to social ills. This has been achieved through acting play lets, doing carats, singing, dancing, debating and quiz.
Support Group: ACM has maintained 11 active support groups for People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA). This is a forum where positive beneficiaries, caregivers and adolescents share their experiences, challenges and encourage one another. They are guided on how to adhere to treatments in other to live a long and healthy life.
Forum for Men: ACM organizes forum for men in 7 communities. This is a provided avenue for men to meet and sit to talk about issues of concern to them. They discuss about their health, how to be involved in issues pertaining to their wives health especially during pregnancy. This has been of great benefit to the men. Also, more information on HIV and malaria are disseminated to them. This has increased spousal involvement in their wives’ health matters.
Forum for Women: ACM holds forums for women in 4 LGAs . Here women meet and sit to talk about issues of concern to them. They discuss about their health, how to support their husbands and the challenges that they do experience. More information on pregnancy, HIV and malaria are disseminated to them. This has helped women become better wives and mothers.
Caregivers Forum: ACM organizes forums for the care givers in 12 LGAs communities. This forum was put in place to ensure that the care givers of the vulnerable children are empowered with information and as much as possible, with income generation activities to enhance their taking care of the vulnerable children under their upkeep.
Safe Motherhood: In its mission to reduce maternal mortality rate, ACM introduced the Safe Motherhood programme. This programme involves pregnancy monitoring by trained TBAs and medical personnel who also give free hematinic and anti-hematinic drugs to pregnant women. This has helped in identifying high-risk pregnancy with prompt referrals to hospitals, thereby reducing a lot of maternal death in catchments areas. So far, more than 2580 women have been mobilized and received this service.
Women Empowerment: ACM introduced this programme with the aim of supporting women to be financially independent in order to cater for their needs and those of their families. This is achieved through skills acquisition and startup grants to establish women in various trade. A total of 250 women where empowered with various items to boost their already existing trades while about 50 women were given items to start up new businesses.
Collaborations from Stakeholders Including Other Implementing Partners: During the free medical services, ACM leverages support through visitations to various stakeholders such as the State Ministry of Health, Nigeria Christian Graduates’ Fellowship, fhi360 etc. In response, partners provide drugs and test kits for the free medical services activities for designated projects. This support has immensely boosted various projects as it attracted pregnant women, children and males from different communities to receive various services ranging from HTC, malaria testing and treatment, as well as ANC. To ensure sustained developmental projects, ACM partnered with 15 Community Development Committees/ Community Improvement Teams which is made up of community stakeholders, community gate keepers, women, men, youth church leaders and market leaders for continuum of services in their various communities after close out of projects.
Education: The NGO has provided succour to PABA with emphasis on orphans education through training them in school. ACM, since inception, has trained more than 30 orphans in school (Primary, Secondary and Tertiary). This sponsorship in education covered school fees, provision of books, uniforms, pocket money/provision, and boarding fees.
Skill Acquisition: In the area of skill acquisition, AIDS Care Managers has sponsored 9(M3,F6) persons in the following trade: Welding/Fabrication and Mechanic/Driving, hair dressing and tailoring. The sponsorship is in the form of payment of Apprenticeship/ Workshop fees and provision of working tools for the trade.
Internal Savings and Lending Communities (SILC): SILC scheme was organized to introduce the beneficiaries to the operations of savings and the roles each beneficiary has to play with the aim of ensuring their enhanced living. SILC when well conducted facilitate provision of funds for business start-up. This pilot scheme has already twelve groups formed within six months.
Food Demonstration
ACM carried out Food demonstration activity in thirty three communities within Ibesikpo Asutan, Nsit Ibom and Nsit Atai Loal Government Areas with the aim of educating the caregivers and adolescents on the need to prepare balanced diets for themselves and the children under their care with locally sourced and accessible food stuffs at affordable price. It is also to ensure that household members are healthy and fit to adhere to their drugs without defaulting due to poor feeding/ nutrition intake.