August 2008
Feature Articles
International AIDS Conference Report: Committee for Accessible AIDS Treatment (CAAT) at the IAC
By Maureen Owino, CAAT program coordinator
Mobilizing Knowledge Into Action: Progress report on the CAAT knowledge transfer exchange project
By David Nshimiyimana, KTE Project coordinator
 |
CAAT Members and friends at the International AIDS Conference 2008, Mexico City. (August 2008)
L to R: Maureen, Claudette, Devica, Alan, Victor, Josephine, Anna and Henry. |
International AIDS Conference Report: Committee for Accessible AIDS Treatment (CAAT) at the IAC
By Maureen Owino, CAAT program coordinator
The XVII International AIDS Conference (IAC) or AIDS 2008 was not one conference, but a dozen of them running simultaneously under the same huge umbrella. Exhibitions, satellites, global village presentations and affiliated events all had participants sharing and learning from each other on a wide range of issues – prevention, vaccines, human rights, women and children, treatment, vulnerable populations name it.
With over 25, 000 delegates and media, this global HIV/AIDS response forum continued to highlight the need of engaging meaningfully and respectfully groups that have been ignored in the past, to respond to the epidemic – commercial sex workers, men who have sex with men, injecting drug users, prisoners and ethno-racial communities and immigrants.
The Committee for Accessible AIDS Treatment (CAAT) had a great presence at this milestone conference in Mexico City and members fully participated in conference proceedings and affiliated events. 2 abstracts on our “Improving mental health service access for immigrant, refugee PHAs” study were selected for poster presentation at the conference, and 3 other CAAT steering committee members had poster presentations on their own program initiatives. Our members also worked with local MSM communities and promoted condom distribution amongst the local communities, assisted in the planning of the Global Village programs, and volunteered at the display booths of the Canadian government and the African and Caribbean Council on HIV/AIDS in Ontario (ACCHO). We also organized a very special reunion event to celebrate the birthday of our former coordinator, Victor Inigo, who is now based in Mexico City and continued to be actively involved in HIV/AIDS work.
Many of our delegates attended separate satellite conferences that preceded the main event, including Youth, Global forum on MSM and HIV, Religious leaders and HIV – all stipulated the need of capacity building skills, resources and equality for all so as to move the agenda forward in the HIV/AIDS response. On August 2nd, local and international delegates joined together by the thousands for Mexico’s first ever “Global March Against Stigma, Discrimination and Homophobia” that started from the Angel of Independence monument, up to the monumental Paseo de la Reforma and climaxed at the Zocalo, which are the central points of celebration and protest in Mexico
At the main conference, speakers emphasized prevention and treatments as strategies that have to work hand in hand, as well as advocacy for vaccines. Topics like HIV criminalization, male circumcision for HIV prevention, restriction to travel, accountability for HIV funding were topics that were most talked about in all sessions from the skills building workshops, to plenaries and presentations in the global village.
At the closing ceremony, Julio Montaner of British Columbia’s Centre of Excellence was elected President of International AIDS Society, while Elly Katabira was nominated as President-elect for IAS, who will assume office at the end of the conference in Vienna, Austria in July 2008. With a lot of information exchange and shared, AIDS 2008 was a turning point in the HIV/AIDS response because of the findings shared all aimed at evidence-based strategies to advance prevention, care, support and treatment to be able to look towards achieving ‘Universal Action Now’.
**********
Mobilizing Knowledge Into Action: Progress report on the CAAT knowledge transfer exchange project
By David Nshimiyimana, KTE Project coordinator
The goal of the CAAT Knowledge Transfer Exchange (KTE) project is to engage our community members to build capacity and to develop knowledge transfer and exchange strategies for our research study: “Improving mental health service access for immigrant, refugee and non status PHAs”. Our research findings showed while immigrants, refugees and non-status people living with HIV/AIDS have complex psychosocial needs and face profound barriers when accessing mental health services, the most critical element of improving their mental health comes with capacity building and empowerment so IRN PHAs can advocate for themselves to effect positive changes both in their personal circumstances as well as systemic policies. As a result, in developing knowledge transfer strategies we were aiming to mobilize communities to work collaboratively to address social determinants of health and structural barriers to their health service access.
How did we do it?
After reviewing some of the definitions of knowledge transfer and exchange, participants coined a definition of KTE in the context of the project: “we will define knowledge transfer and exchange as a process of engaging researchers, community members, healthcare services providers and decision makers in the development and use of research knowledge to make our communities healthier by accessing health services and improving services delivery”. Peer research assistants, April 10-11, 2008
KTE project team used participatory approach incorporating anti-oppression framework to engage target group populations in capacity building and knowledge transfer exchange activities; to develop KTE tools on findings and recommendations of research. The strategy was to increase capacity of both individual PHA and community members in developing effective and culturally appropriate KTE tools and conducting actual knowledge transfer activities.
Five peer research assistants from 5 ethno-racial commnities (African, Caribeen, Latin American, Southeast Asian, and South Asian) were recruited to recruit other peers to participate in training to become knowledge transfer exchange ambassabors (KTEA). A team of 25 motivated individuals was established and shared common goal of developing knowledge transfer tools and disseminate research findings to their communities.
Capacity building activities included trainings and supporting peer research assistants and knowledge ambassadors. Training topics included conducting interviews, facilitating focus group discussions, administrating survey from a Community Based Research perspective; mental health and community resources; public speaking skills; workshop facilitation; dealing with media; as well as theoretical basics of knowledge transfer and exchange.
The KTE tools development invoved a series of exercies: identifying and prioritizing key messages and recommendations from the study, understanding needs and issues of relevance to different audiences (audience analysis) as well as framing key findings into clear and effective messages. The project primary audiences included: Immigrants, Refugees and Non-status PHAs, ethno-racial media, healthcare service providers, policy makers and research/academic and professioanl institutes.
Research assistants and knowledge ambassadors worked in small groups to tailor messages and develop tools for presenting to specific audiences. The goal of this exercise was to put into practice all theoretical knowledge they had received during training series from audience analysis to message development and public speaking.
At the end of the 4 day training series the knowledge transfer ambassadors role-played their presentations to their peers and an expert panel with diverse backgrounds in mental health, public policy, media, and health services management. The resource panel provided constructive comments and whole group engaged in debriefing and feedback discussion to further refine their presentations. It was a peer learning exercise that went successfully beyong expectations.
What are the results?
At this point our knwoledge transfer ambassaros are all primed and ready to use their newly acquired skills to engage the broader audience, we are in the process of finalizing our study report and will be organizing a series of dissemination activities for different community stakeholders in the coming months.
In the meantime, here are some highlights on how the knowledge transfer /exchange ambassadors (KTEA) felt about their experiences with the project:
“I feel really touched and proud of everyone and the team; this is very encouraging and motivating. The team has done a great job; we can bring our work to the community and effect change. This is not the end... I look forward to bring our work to the communities” African KTEA
“When I look back at when we first started, I see how much we have come; we have come a long way in capacity building and empowerment” South Asian KTEA
“The little time I have spent in this country and with the few people I have met, I realize that my struggles are common to IRN-PHAs and they are very hard to deal with. It is interesting for me to experience the relationships among you. Although I have language barriers, I still feel the warmth. I have experienced a lot of barriers and compromised a lot in my own countries fighting HIV/AIDS. Now I see the struggles here.” Latin American KTEA
“This training has expanded my knowledge; I am grateful to have learned more and I am excited about what will happen next”. Caribbean KTEA
“I am really happy to see empowerment – all the great presentations, seeing the PHAs taking charge and sharing leadership rather than looking to the facilitators for direction” Southeast Asian KTEA |
