Providing HIV services to 20,000 Cameroonian youth

Over this past quarter, EFA staff’s time and attention has been spent planning and preparing for a big day in the history of EFA – the public recognition ceremony for Mairamou Hamandjouma, President of ASSYSGOD, who was honored as an outstanding Community Health Worker by the REAL Award for her tireless work in support of young people infected with or affected by HIV/AIDS. EFA took this opportunity to not only celebrate Mairamou’s achievement but also to plan a large scale sensitization event to reach community members with HIV/AIDS education messages. 

On June 28, the ceremony finally took place, and it marked a moment of deep pride for all members of the EFA family. In addition to publicly recognizing Mairmou’s outstanding courage and hard work, the ceremony gave all of us an opportunity to reflect on how far EFA has come since its establishment in 2006. Mairamou’s award ceremony was held on the esplanade of the Lamidat, the home of the Lamido (traditional leader of the Godola area). In total, more than 600 people attended the ceremony, including numerous dignitaries from across the region. The high-profile attendee list and prestigious location demonstrated the respect that EFA now commands amongst local leaders across the Extreme North. These relationships represent years of hard work by the local staff to spread the word about EFA’s unique approach, and they are vital for the continued success of EFA’s work.

The ceremony offered an ideal venue for community sensitization, and the association members seized the opportunity with gusto! Peer educators worked with EFA staff for months to plan a large sensitization activity during the event not only to educate the community but also to increase awareness about EFA’s activities. After an intense planning period, the event was held with great success. The day began with a presentation by the Peer Educators on the AIDS epidemic and opportunities for care and support in the region. Skits, poetry and games related to the fight against HIV/AIDS (and other sexually-transmitted diseases) followed, with lots of opportunity for participation by everybody in attendance. All of the sensitization activities were designed and delivered entirely by the youth association members, under the leadership of their presidents. This event had direct impacts on the community members reached and indirect impact through the media coverage that the event achieved. The months of planning were certainly worth the effort and marked one of EFA’s largest sensitization events since its creation.