Dimapur, November 10 (MExN): The AIDS Competence Process (ACP) was initiated in year 2004 by the AIDS Competence Constellation with the belief that the battle against HIV/AIDS can be won by the local people themselves. This is based on the reality that people have the capacity to respond, to take charge, to learn from each other and to change. This is to be the new concept called ‘social vaccine’.
Initiated in the year 2007 across India, ACP is capacitating over 30 NGOs in helping communities to be AIDS-competent. Joe Ngamkhuchhng, director of NEDHIV has been part of ACP India since 2007. In September 2008 a support team of the ACP national coaches visited Nagaland and held a 3 day programme at NEDHIV in Dimapur.
Joe Ngamkhuchung in an interaction with Rituu B. Nanda, Programme Associate of UNAIDS recently explained the concept of “social vaccine”. He said a concerted effort through targeted intervention into injecting drug users under the Nagaland State AIDS Control Society has drastically reduced HIV transmission among injecting drug users from 39% to 2.27% within a span of about eight years. However, he said, public infection has risen to 80% through the hetero-sexual route. “Nagaland remains a high prevalent state with 1.27% prevalence while HIV infection among selected targets (IDUS, CSWs, MSM) has been held at bay (and) infection is spreading fast among the general population in the state”.
Joe explained the concept of AIDS Competence Process said it is people’s capacity to respond to HIV/AIDS. “The sharing with fellow participants during ACP meetings and visits to communities who progress and my own SALT visits in Nagaland have shown that people’s response is the answer to HIV problem. We know there is no vaccine to prevent HIV infection, no vaccine to cure AIDS. People’s response to it is the vaccine. I call this response ‘social vaccine’” he said.
Saying this concept made “sense”, Joe Ngamkhuchung said a community, with its experiences and strengths, can effectively respond to HIV/AIDS. “Rather than looking at intervention programmes as remedies, which have limited scopes, the community response is lasting and embraces all sections of people” he said.
On the impact of ACP, he said ACP application is a new method of organizing an old practice; it is based on community strengths, resources and potentials and ownership of the problem.
SALT visits and community visits give a new approach for mass response to the epidemic. “Community response guarantees success and sustainability” he reminded.
In the second area, he said, HIV/AIDS can not be prevented nor contained without community involvement while money is a help but not the answer. “This concept is quite different from TI approach, which concentrates on key populations as communities. In ACP approach community is inclusive of every section of the village population” Joe explained.
The third impact, he further said, is about changing the mindset. Building on the strengths, resources and potentials of village communities is a new mind set and the community is now responsible for its own problem. “It must own the problem” he said adding that approach goes against the stereotyped mind set of the “it’s somebody else’s” problem”. Rituu B Nanda is working with UNAIDS as Programme Associate and looks after UN and donor coordination. She is also a volunteer with the AIDS Competence Process.
