A handbook for network support agents supporting HIV prevention, care, support and treatment
This hand book has been produced by International HIV/AIDS Alliance Uganda to help network support agents and other community-based volunteers/providers to be more affective in disseminating standardised HIV and AIDS information at appropriate levels to their audiences.
Uganda like many other developing countries, suffers from inequitable distribution of health workers between rural and urban areas and between public and private sectors. To strengthen the referral systems, people living with HIV have been trained as Network Support Agents (NSA) to work alongside health care workers in health facilities. This handbook has been designed to help NSAs and other community-based volumteers/providers to be more effective in disseminating standardised HIV and AIDs information at grassroorts levels.
The handbook emphasises that knowledge, skills and the right attitude are needed to identify the psychosocial needs of people infected and affected by HIV and AIDS and address these needs by giving information, counselling and appropriate referrals. (2009)