Fact Sheets on ARV Treatment for NGO/CBO Staff

The International HIV/AIDS Alliance is developing a set of fact sheets and participatory tools to support community engagement for antiretroviral (ARV) treatment. The materials are intended for use by non-governmental/ community based organisations (NGOs/ CBOs) , training organisations and individual trainers, international NGOs and NGO support programmes, to enable staff to support PLWHA and their communities on ARV treatment. They are based on experience in supporting treatment programmes in several countries.

Information covered some so far by the fact sheets include:

• adherence to ARV treatment
• what side effects can be expected with ARV treatment
• interactions between ARVs and food, and how to cope with them
• how stigma can affect ARV treatment

Further fact sheets are in production covering other topics such as TB, prevention, monitoring treatment, palliative care and living with a chronic illness.

Participatory tools and activities, drawn from Alliance workshops in several countries, will also be made available later in 2005 to assist in education about ARV treatment and in developing ways of supporting people and communities with treatment.

The fact sheets are only available on-line and are not in print. A series of 20 fact sheets are planned and each one will be published on the Alliance website as it becomes available. There are currently seven fact sheets on the website, http://www.aidsalliance. org/sw19588.asp

For further information, contact: Garry Robson, Communications Assistant, International HIV/AIDS Alliance, Queensberry House, 104-106 Queens Road, Brighton BN1 3XF, United Kingdom. Tel: +44-1273-718-900 (main line), Fax: +44-1273- 718-901 http://www.aidsalliance.org, http://www.aidsmap.com