30 May 2005

Bonn, Germany: Fourteen years of civil war has destroyed Liberia’s health care and social services sectors, leaving it unable to control the rapid spread of HIV/AIDS. With a population of three and a half million, the country is estimated to have more than 100,000 people infected with HIV. Also at risk of contracting the virus that causes AIDS are the 15,000 military and civilian personnel of the United Nations Peacekeeping Mission in Liberia (UNMIL).

Jean Roger Kuate of Cameroon signed on as a United Nations Volunteer (UNV) in January 2004 to help UNMIL establish its new HIV/AIDS prevention unit. The unit is responsible for educating UNMIL’s personnel and local population on HIV/AIDS – a requirement of all UN peacekeeping missions since 2000.

In support of this mandate, Jean Roger, along with four other colleagues, developed an AIDS prevention programme to heighten awareness of the epidemic. Included in this programme is HIV/AIDS workshops consisting of an introduction to the HIV virus, a talk on risky sexual behaviour, and, most importantly, discussions and demonstrations on preventative measures, such as the proper way to wear a condom. Jean Roger says all new personnel, regardless of their level of involvement in the mission, are required to take part.

He also interacts with mission staff on a one-to-one basis to gauge each person’s understanding of the epidemic and to find out if the individual has already participated in risky sexual behaviour. In these conversations, he can downplay fears, or tell the person that they are at risk of contracting HIV. He shares examples of people he knows affected by HIV/AIDS, including that of a Liberian colleague who is HIV positive and lost two wives to the disease.

He and the rest of the unit team equally encourage mission staff to get tested for HIV, for which the facilities are available on-site for fast and reliable testing. To support mission personnel in protecting themselves against HIV, Jean Roger ensures condoms are available throughout the mission’s headquarters and informs new staff where to locate them. He trains mission staff to support the prevention unit as peer educations to learn how to counsel people before and after getting tested for HIV.

Outside of his involvement with the prevention unit, Jean Roger assisted the Liberian Transitional Government and partnering NGOs in creating a national strategy to curb the spread of HIV/AIDS by 2008. He provided the committee charged with developing the strategy with education manuals for training future counsellors on AIDS prevention, and together with local associations of people living with HIV/AIDS helped to develop a model anti-stigma project, as well as methods to acquire funds, manage projects and evaluate results.

When he is not involved in his regular mission work, Jean Roger volunteers at “Black Gate”, a missionary centre in Monrovia home to more than 50 HIV positive people abandoned by their families. Through a personal contact in France, he hopes to secure donations of antiretroviral drugs for the patients.

Contribution by: UNV Jean Roger Kuate, HIV/AIDS Trainer, UN Peacekeeping Mission in Liberia (UNMIL).