RECPHEC

Nepal faces an increasing HIV prevalence among the most at risk populations such as migrant workers. The Majority of HIV cases, an estimated 46% have been registered among the seasonal and long-term labor migrants, who further put their spouses at risk of HIV infection. Most of the people go aboard for labor and return home with HIV from foreign countries. It is compulsory to test HIV during pre-departure and after arrival of every person in the country. Taking into account, RECPHEC is working for migrant workers under the Comprehensive HIV/AIDS Program in Kathmandu district.

Under this program, prevention efforts and community outreach, through outreach education and interpersonal communication is completed to reduce the HIV stigma and lower the barriers to accessing HIV/AIDS treatment and counseling services. The program aims to reduce the percentage of HIV among labor migrants by strengthening testing and counseling services. The program expects to reach people living with HIV and AIDS (PLHA) with anti-retroviral treatment (ART) and opportunistic infection (OI) drugs and services.

The goal of this program is to reduce HIV transmission in Nepal and enhance the quality of life of PLHA in the country, focusing on the west, mid-west, and far-west development regions of Nepal. The main objectives are to promote the adoption of safe behaviors among the most at risk populations, especially labor migrants and their spouses through increased access and availability of prevention programs and to expand access and coverage of quality HIV testing and counseling and STI diagnosis and treatment.

Though the project was implemented in Kathmandu district, all the labor migrants of Nepal departing abroad through Kathmandu valley via air are the key target groups of this project. Manpower agencies, training institutions and health clinics are the point to reach target population. These institutions lie in Kathmandu and Lalitpur district which are major points to our outreach clients, where the outreach workers create demand for VCT and STI Services.

 

Our main approaches are: Reach the clients is through manpower agencies & the other is VCT/STI services by static and mobile staffs