Northern Areas AIDS Control Consortium
(NAACC)
Secretariat Gilgit

Today HIV and AIDS have become a potential threat by and large to the development activities across the world.

Pakistan is one of the several countries facing the threat of HIV and AIDS which has now become a concentrated epidemic. According to NACP report 2007 around 3250 HIV&AIDS cases have been registered so far and as per estimates of INGOs, nearly 90,000 HIV&AIDS cases exist in Pakistan.
 

The Federally Administered Northern Areas (FANA) also known as Northern Areas, are vulnerable to HIV and AIDS. According to an estimate, there are around 300 HIV&AIDS cases exist in this region. Although the prevalence rate of HIV&AIDS is low, but due to high-risky behaviors of vulnerable groups i.e. Intravenous Drug Users (IDUs), Men having Sex with Men (MSM), Female Sex Workers (FSWs), Border Traders (Trade with China), Tourists Guides/Porter. Long distance Truck/Bus drivers, migrants, mobile workers, out of school youth and general youth, there are huge chances of spread of HIV/AIDS in Northern Areas. Besides that, the world’s second highest prevalent country India is neighbor to this region, which has 4 million HIV/AIDS cases (World’s 10% out of total HIV/AIDS cases). The Republic of China is also neighbor to this area and more than 4000 people of Northern Areas especially youth are engaged in business and trade activities with China. As per FGD conducted at Pak-China border Sost about 95% youth who visit china are indulged in unsafe sexual practices, which is also a vulnerability for spreading of HIV among youth traders. Due to low rate of education, ignorance, poverty, denial, shortage of standard health facilities and bad practices of traditional healers & quakes, majority of people of Northern Areas are unaware about the use of screened blood, new syringes, blades, dental equipments and surgeries related equipments, which can also be a cause for transmission of HIV and other infections among the people of this region.

Realising the importance of participation of grassroots level communities and civil society organisations in combating the challenge of AIDS and other infectious diseases in1999, some NGOs - Publishing Extension Network (PEN), Al-Khair Welfare Society, Aga Khan Health (John Hopkins University Research Project) - joined hands to extend activities on prevention and control against HIV/AIDS and provided an intervention based joint forum against HIV/AIDS working with Rights Based Approaches.

During the year 2002, efforts were made for the establishment of Northern Areas AIDS Control Consortium (NAACC), which sounds like “NAIK”, meaning ‘pious’ in Urdu. The efforts were materialized and formal registration was accomplished in the year 2004. Founding members of the NAACC, Dr. Abdul Latif, Mr. Ejaz Ahmed Khan, Mr. Ishtiaq Ahmed Yaadand Ms. Tai Saleem finally established this first Consortium in the history of Northern Areas under the nomenclature of Northern Areas AIDS Control Consortium (NAACC).  NAACC then was registered with Govt during 2004, which is now a network of 32 registered NGOs and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) of health and social sector from all six districts of FANA with special focus on prevention and control of HIV and AIDS and other infectious diseases including Hepatitis B and C. Since its establishment NAACC has undertaken a number of activities to make an enabling environment for prevention and control of HIV and AIDS in the region. All efforts of NAACC have the paved way to curb AIDS, stigma and discrimination associated with the epidemic in Northern Areas.

The duration from 2002 to 2004, a number of activities were organized on self-help and voluntary basis. During the year 2004, a four years project known as TAMEER Project funded by the European Commission (EC) and Department For International Development (DFID), was launched in Pakistan. NAACC was entrusted to implementing the same project in Northern Areas. Initiation of Tameer Project opened up various new vistas for NAACC to take forward its active role to accomplish the cause. Under Tameer Project four important components -- Capacity Building, Awareness Raising, Research, Advocacy and PPP – were focused.

To bring about a ‘change’ is indeed a challenge and the issue of AIDS is one of the issues can best be addressed through behaviors changes. NAACC in this regard made comprehensive efforts through workshops, mass campaign, media campaign, IEC material dissemination, walks, trainings, service delivery, exposure visits and such kind of many other events focusing on the people who can fall vulnerable to this lethal disease. All these efforts helped to enable the environment to fight against HIV, AIDS and other infectious diseases, and social issues in the region.

At present NAACC, a leading network of 32 Civil Society Organizations from across eight districts of the Northern Areas is taking on the infectious diseases and associated social issues.

The outreach of NAACC interventions has now extended throughout the region and its awareness raising, capacity building, advocacy and research activities have expanded to over 20,000 families and 500000 individuals of the Northern Areas.

In the light of the listed realities, NAACC has planned to launch a more comprehensive and integrated Program in its future strategic plan. Some of the key interventions of future plan are:

·      Capacity Building of community volunteers and representatives of civil society organizations

·      Strengthening research activities in the region

·      Fostering partnerships with potential partners

·      Strengthening institutional arrangements to enhance the development efforts in the  region

·      HIV&AIDS Mainstreaming

·      Strengthening Services on Sexually and reproductive (SRH)  and Rights

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