The activity was initiated in response to the absence of existing support groups across the target communities in Ogbia Local Government Area. Recognizing the need to strengthen community-based care and support for People Living with HIV (PLHIV), the RHF project team embarked on a targeted mobilisation and engagement exercise.
From May 4–5, 2016, the RHF team visited health facilities across the seven selected implementation communities in Ogbia LGA. The primary objective of these visits was to establish direct contact with facility heads, retrieve reliable contacts of PLHIV accessing services, and identify potential individuals who could be engaged for selection, orientation, and integration into the project’s network of support.
During the visits, RHF project staff discussed the HPDP-II project’s objectives and outlined how the formation of support groups would create a sustainable structure for delivering psychosocial support, promoting treatment adherence, and reducing stigma within the communities. The team emphasised the importance of close collaboration between health facilities and community-based initiatives to improve the quality of life for PLHIV.
In most of the health facilities visited, the Heads expressed their willingness to collaborate with RHF on the HPDP-II project. They agreed to provide lists of PLHIV currently accessing services in their facilities, enabling the project team to reach them directly for participation in orientation and future activities. This commitment was seen as a critical step toward building a functioning community support network.
However, the Head of Kolo-I General Hospital did not agree to partner at this stage. Despite this, the RHF team remained optimistic, viewing the overall outcome of the mobilisation exercise as positive, with strong buy-in from the majority of health facilities visited. These partnerships were expected to form the foundation for creating active and sustainable support groups across Ogbia LGA.
