AIDS in Ghana The WritePass Journal

The Role of NGOs in the Prevention of HIV/AIDS in Ghana Introduction The Role of NGOs in the Prevention of HIV/AIDS in Ghana Introduction This dissertation will focus on the role of NGO in the prevention of HIV/AIDS in Ghana. The Republic of Ghana is located on the west coast of Africa and is bordered by Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast and Togo. Ghana has an estimated population of 24 million people, with Accra Ghana’s capital city having the estimated highest population of over two million people.[1] The Human Immunodeficiency Deficiency Virus (HIV) and the Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) epidemics continue to devastate the lives of individuals globally. HIV/AIDS is proven to be a great developmental challenge for states, with many initiatives to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS proving difficult. With HIV/AIDS mainly affecting adults in their industrious years, the infections are having a detrimental effect on health care systems across the world. The high cost attributed to treatment and prevention programmes have averted resources away from productive investments. Empirical evidence reveals a relationshi p between HIV/AIDS and poverty. Since its discovery, HIV/AIDS has ravaged communities, assisted with the creation of poverty and deepened the opportunities to escape it. HIV/AIDS constitutes as one of the most serious health concerns destructing human development. HIV/AIDS also threatens to reverse the progress in the most severely affected countries for decades.[2] Of the global total of people living with HIV/AIDS, 95% live in developing countries.[3] Since its existence, HIV/AIDS has continued to evolve in communities where poverty facilitates the spread of the viruses. Weak healthcare infrastructures and social inequalities have increased the potential risk of HIV/AIDS, while factors such as migration, drug use and economic instability have also enhanced the spread of transmission. The impact of HIV/AIDS has been severe on the African continent, which has some of the poorest countries in the world, meaning large populations have been affected by the epidemic. Whilst   the   number   of   people   living   with   HIV   remains   high in sub-Saharan Africa, the availability of ACT treatments has been   associated with a momentous decline of HIV/AIDS related deaths. It has been   argued that the rise of HIV/AIDS in Africa is a result of a sexual   culture[4] and that Africanswere conducting hyper-sexualised behaviour.[5] Strong prevention campaigns have also played a key role in the decrease in recent HIV/AIDS prevalence rates. After Ghana’s first case of HIV was reported in 1986[6], the disease spread gradually but stea dily until 2003, when prevalence peaked at 3.1%.[7] In 2011, the estimated adult HIV/AIDS prevalence was 2.1%, with an estimated 225478 people were living with HIV/AIDS in the country.[8] HIV prevalence differs between age, gender, residence and geographical areas. Ghanas’ Aids Commision key strategic priorities are preventing HIV/AIDS in high-risk populations such as female sex workers (FSW), men who have sex with men (MSM), and discordant couples, reducing HIV/AIDS transmission from high-risk individuals to the general population, addressing stigma and discrimination, and providing comprehensive prevention and care and access to treatment for people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA), their partners, and families. The GAC has developed multiple evidence-based, comprehensive behaviour change support materials for FSW, their clients and partners, MSM, and PLWHA. The growing complexity of HIV/AIDS has led to a number of initiatives involving the skills of NGO’s. With good health care systems a commodity in some countries, NGO’s have developed programmes to assist with the demands on the state. For instance, Charity AID Africa has implemented a community testing and care unit in Kumasi to minimise the risk of future infections. Amid the rapid spread of HIV/AIDS, NGOs were used as a global trend to compensate for the short comings of the state. With HIV/AIDS being in existence for over 30 years, the relevance, efficiency and sustainability of NGO’s are all in question, now more than ever. Similar to states, NGOs face allegations of corruption, mismanagement in addition to funding cuts and state sanctions. NGO’s currently face not only the practical challenge of tackling HIV/AIDS but also the political challenge of influencing policy.   In this respect, the epidemic of HIV/AIDS and the challenge of the political economy are mutually constitutive. While some NGO’s have been successful to some degree in helping to reshape policy agendas, doubts still remain about the potential of NGO’s to reshape society. Dilemmas persist on the effectiveness of NGOS with questions asking whether they are efficient and have the agency to bring about long-term sustainable change.[9] NGO’s, such as Oxfam, have been productive in conducting programmes to tackle poverty and gaining International recognition. By way of comparison the majority of NGO’s haven’t been able to make a significant change to policy due to ideological parameters. The role of the state is important to NGO’s because the state has the power to determine the institutional nature, agenda and political relationship. The potential for NGO’s to bring about substantial change to HIV/AIDS is undiminished while the limitations of NGO practices will be explored with this paper. Despite amplified focus on the HIV/AIDS epidemic, initiatives by the Ghanaian government and NGOs have failed to eradicate the virus. Many businesses, communities, and private and religious organisations have also tried to work towards eradicating HIV/AIDS with varying results. The work carried out by those concerned with HIV/AIDS has provided vital information about the biological, behavioural and environmental factors that influence HIV/AIDS transmission. HIV/AIDS is a serious problem in Ghana and the challenge of implementing effective prevention programmes is a national priority. This study focuses on the potential role of NGOs in the significant reduction of HIV/AIDS in Ghana. The thesis is framed within wider debates concerning the impact of NGOs, with particular attention to the role of NGOs and their efforts to reduce the number of HIV/AIDS infections. This study will seek to examine the power of NGOs preventatives methods in Ghana and contribute to the theoretical framework of the role of NGOs in HIV/AIDS prevention. Specifically the aim of the study is to explore and describe the service’s NGO’s provide and how those services influence the transmission of HIV/AIDS. The study will also review the effect of The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM) funded policies and explore the possibility for further NGO involvement in decisio n making. The study is comprised of five chapters; in this introduction I provide a thumbnail overview of my research question and highlight the contribution I seek to make to HIV/AIDS literature. The introduction will also provide a brief account of the general background of the research, both in relation to the HIV/AIDS rates in Ghana and the number of NGO’s fighting the epidemic in the country. Chapter one and two provide a board historical perspective on the subject matter. Critical claims about the roles of NGO’s not only invoke historical views but also functions as a means by which NGO’s construct their programmes to seek political and economic interests. In chapter two I provide an outline of the theoretical outline that informs the research with particular reference to the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Africa. I will also provide an examination of the empirical literature on NGO’s HIV/AIDS prevention programmes. In chapter two, I will also illustrate how various scholars have discussed the role of NGO’s relationship with HIV/AIDS. It also permits an appraisal of the ways in which the history of HIV/AIDS in Africa evolves and transforms states. I argue that NGO’s in some cases have had to serve the interests of their funders and consolidate to capitalist nature. This point becomes apparent when one considers from a historical perspective the obligation put on external funding from the GFATM. This study will also explain NGO’s adapting strategy to shift towards external funding objectives. Chapter three provides an outline of the methodological rationale of the study. I introduce the number of individual interviews that took place and justify why they were the most appropriate approach to pursue my research question. The methodology focuses on the role of NGO’s in the prevention of HIV/AIDS, drawing on primary and secondary sources. Ten organisations have been selected to illustrate the links between NGO’s and the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Ghana, and this study will look at what will distinguish the chosen organisations and what will be their opinions of HIV/AIDS in Ghana. The methodology will be presented in three stages, firstly providing details of the research informant, secondly an exploration into the methods chosen for data collection, finally the analysis of the data will be explained. Chapter four will discuss the results of the research and consider them in relation to the research question. The methodological considerations will also be explored in chapter four, seeking out the strength and limitations of the study. Chapter five will conclude the study with a summary of the main body of the research. The conclusion will also make comparisons with other studies and make suggestions for further research. Finally the implications of the dissertation will be speculated.