Malawi National Association of the Deaf (Manad) and National Aids Commission (NAC) have embarked on a campaign to disseminate HIV messages among people with disabilities in Ntchisi District.
Speaking in an interview on Monday, Manad programmes manager Sekerani Kufakwina said they want to promote evidence-based HIV and sexual and reproductive health (SRH) information among people with hearing disabilities using sign language in line with NAC guidelines on inclusive health communication.
He said traditional modes of communication such as radio, music, jingles and public address systems are inaccessible to the deaf community, thereby limiting their access to crucial health information.
disabilities in Ntchisi. I James Mwale
“It is from this background that Manad, which is a grantee under the Pepfar [US President’s Emergency Plan for Aids Relief]-supported project dubbed Making HIV and Aids and SRH Information Accessible in Malawian Sign Language, has engaged NAC to address this communication gap,” said Kufakwina.
As part of the campaign, Manad and NAC used sign language to disseminate HIV and SRH information among adolescent women and girls with hearing disabilities in the district.
Participants also received content utilisation training and community engagement sessions, and were provided with flash disks containing NAC-validated HIV and Aids key messages to enable them to share the information with peers in their respective communities.
NAC HIV prevention and management officer Francis Mabedi said the commission’s mandate is to intensify efforts to curb the spread of HIV in the country.
“The coming in of Manad is a welcome initiative, particularly as we strive to promote inclusion of marginalised groups,” he said.
Mabedi said the project’s activities are strengthening community-led HIV prevention, promoting correct and consistent condom use, improving treatment literacy and ensuring that no population is left behind due to communication barriers
