The Heartfelt Service For All founded in 1999, is a youth non-governement organisation that into making young people in the community make postive impact in the society.Non-profit organization dedicated to serving and assisting young people in any form of need. .
Heartfelt Service For ALL mission statement is: "Touching humanity with divine love.
Our heart-to-heart service in the human community is demonstrated in a variety of ways ranging from feeding those who are hungry, educating the young about HIV/AIDS,organisating workshops and seminar that will make postive impact in the life of youth in the community,volunteer service in the community like environment santation,planting of tress and flowers,peace awarness campaign, helping the orphange and old people in the community.
Well over 100,000 people have been reached with heartfelt caring through the years, and more than 20,000 volunteers have been given the opportunity to provide hands-on assistance to those less fortunate.
What is especially unique about Heartfelt is that it networks direct, person-to-person assisting opportunities to individuals and groups wishing to volunteer. It matches the desire to do service with the need to be served, creating an exceptionally direct response to community needs.
Heartfelt is funded entirely through the generosity of individuals, businesses and a small number of charitable grants.The organisation is also network of other youth organisation in the world.
Our challenge as youth is to take what we've learned and share it.Because we belief that you can only keep love and joy around by letting it go." That's why I keep sharing this work with other youth in the commity. If we don't share what we've learned, if we don't reach out and share our experience with others, then there is very little value in our having participated.
What we're dealing with is the overall upliftment of society -- the actual transformation of thehumanity. That transformation is possible if we are willing to reach out -- if we're willing to communicate, to share, and to touch those people in our lives and to make committment with carry out the reproductive health camapiagn amony young people of the world.
Our challenge as youth is to take what we've learned and share it.Because we belief that you can only keep love and joy around by letting it go." That's why I keep sharing this work with other youth in the commity. If we don't share what we've learned, if we don't reach out and share our experience with others, then there is very little value in our having participated.
What we're dealing with is the overall upliftment of society -- the actual transformation of thehumanity. That transformation is possible if we are willing to reach out -- if we're willing to communicate, to share, and to touch those people in our lives and to make committment with carry out the reproductive health camapiagn amony young people of the world.
THE UN MILLENNIUM DEVLEOPMENT GOALS.
HEARTFELT SERVICE FOR ALL-YOUTH LED NON-GOVERNEMENT ORGANISATION Listing Site Updates
CONTACT
HEARTFELT SERVICE FOR ALL
POSTAL ADDRESS OFFICE ADDRESS
P.O.BOX 570 41 ONI STREET
IKEJA JIMOH BUS STOP
LAGOS STATE EGBEDA AKOWONJO
NIGERIA LAGOS STATE
WEST AFRICA NIGERIA Branch office
93 OZUWO STREET
IGARRA
EDO STATE,NIGERIA
PHONE-+234-80-284510854
BALOGUN KASIM COORDINATOR
DAVID SANNI ASSISTANCE PROJECT DIRECTOR
ISA SHEHU TEENAGER DIRECTOR
SALUI BASHIRU PROGRAM ORGANISER
LEVY BALOGUN SECRETARY GENERAL
BAKO JOHN ADULT PATNER
EMAIL CONTACT
heartfeltservice@yahoo.com or balogunkasim@yahoo.com
Read the lastest about the organisation activities
WHAT IS STAND UP AGANIST POVERTY IN NIGERIA......YOUTH MOST BE INVOLVE IN THE CAMPAIGN...................
Launched by the Millennium Campaign, STAND UP is an innovative and exciting challenge to set an official Guinness World Record - the greatest number of people ever to STAND UP Against Poverty and for the Millennium Development Goals - on October 15-16 2006. Within a 24-hour period, a minimum of 10,000 people must physically and symbolically "STAND UP" to communicate their desire to fight poverty and to hold their governments and leaders accountable for promises to end poverty by 2015. The purpose of this action is to raise awareness of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and to publicly demonstrate to policy makers the growing global support for the achievement of the MDGs and for the strengthening of development policies in both Northern and Southern countries.
STAND UP is a mobilization initiative designed to coincide with global mobilizations around the International Day of Poverty Eradication and the White Band Day of the Global Call to Action against Poverty. It relies fully on citizen participation in that it mobilizes all individuals, everywhere, to take part in local, group events around the world through which they use their bodies (rather than their voices) as concrete symbols of MDG advocacy. To ensure the inclusion of those not physically able to stand up, a symbolic act of raising a hand, wearing a white band (the symbol of the global fight against poverty), or holding up a banner with the "Stand Up Against Poverty" message will also be counted.
Tell me your field back
INTRODUCTION
The health of young people throughout the world today are threatened by changing conditions accompanied by changing pattern of behaviours, which has led to an increase in a number of problems including those associated with unprotected sexual relation.
Stigma is a dynamic social process that arises from the perception that an individual has an undesirable attribute, thus reducing the individual’s status in the eyes of society. Stigma characterized by silence, fear, discriminatory practices. Anti –stigma campaign is therefore essential to the success of any intervention to stop the spread of HIV and mitigate the impact of AIDS.
HIV/AIDS is the most devastating illness on the world’s sexual and health report card. The brunt of the pandemic is being borne by world’s youth especially in developing countries like ours. The evidence based fact that half of new infections are being recorded in the 15-29 age bracket is an indicator that there is a huge gap in the provision of a comprehensive sexual and reproductive information, education and service for the young people who are more vulnerable to the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Many of our youths who are currently living with the virus are ignorant of the fact that they are carrying the virus, they keep having unprotected sexual intercourse which if had with another HIV positive may accelerate the onset of AIDS in both of them.
Women’s vulnerability to HIV are linked to gender issues as well as poverty, lack of economic opportunities, and limited access to educate, information, and service. Similarly, stigmatization and discrimination are link to existing inequities and stereotypes, including racism, poverty, intolerance and inequality between men and women. As such, the most affected are already the most disadvantages. There is widespread stigmatization and discrimination toward HIV-infected women in the household, within communities and in health care institution.
Lack of political will and often times adults holier than thou attitude preaching what is unobtainable directly and indirectly heavily contribute to the impact of HIV/AIDS among young people. For example the ABC approach does not provide the youth a sound and in-depth knowledge and understanding of the root causes of transmission or information/educational of prevention strategies. The community outreach was organised with the focused on youth playing leading roles. Major Behaviour Communication Change and communication (BCC) approach including peer education, behaviour modelling, sporting activities enter-educative approaches such as musical concerts, drama, and song used during the concert.
Five-person committee planned the program. The committee meet every Thursday to make plans, and make suggestion for the program.
On the 25th of March, we made an advocacy visit to the community head of Ogba, Director of Iris Foundation, Police Community Based Organisation (CBO), the chairman, Ogba Community Development and The chairperson of Ogba market (Iya-loja of Ogba market)
The programs focused on the issue of stigma and discrimination. At the event, we had 91 young people in attendance from all works of life. The resource people where selected from different NGOs and they spoke on different topics in HIV/AIDS.
The community outreach program started by 11:50am with an opening prayer said by Mr. Omololu Aiyeola. In his prayer, he said that God should inspire young people on ways to combat the HIV/AIDS in our communities, which are more vulnerable to the infection. He noted that youths are more vulnerable.
Saliu Kasim, the organizer of the program. In his welcome address said that stigma and discrimination fuel HIV/AIDS in the community and young people should not be involve in carry out stigma and discrimination because it will lead to denial and silence among other youths that are living with the virus. The casting of stone on other show stigma and discrimination in our society.
IMPORTANCE OF VCCT BY Society for Family Health (SFH)
The representative of SFH started by explaining what is VCCT-Voluntary Confidential Counselling and Testing, which he mentions that young people should always take the advantage of VCCT centre around them. The VCCT around is free and in that place there will be counselling before the testing which will enable them to change their behaviours. HIV prevention initiative includes an array of education, behavioural change, and condom promotion programs. Through second-generation surveillance, the epidemiologic and behavioural characterization of high risk and bridge population provides the necessary data to design such interventions for maximum efficacy. The promotion of VCCT centres provides a venue for community education and risky reduction message as well as the identification of HIV-infected individuals for intervention and treatment.
It is desirable for all youth to receive counselling while testing is voluntary. He noted that VCCT has been shown to contribute to an increase in safer sexual behaviour at the individual level, and is likely to reduce the ignorance, fear, and stigma associated with HIV infection in the population at large.
He said that knowing your HIV status would be very good as the individual is informed of what to do if you are negative or positive; he also said that all young people should try to use the facility of VCCT facilities around. Stigma characterized by not knows your status can makes somebody to live a life of denial.
MUSIC BY ADEKUNLE TOSY
The music rendered by Child Brain passed the information on what HIV/AIDS is and how it can be contact. In the music chorus, he says, “stop stigma and face your future my follow young people of this community”. The act of sugar daddy and mummy for money will get young people infected; it will reduce the productivity of the nation. At the end of the music, he said that AIDS is real.
STIGMA AND DISCRIMINATION BY MORONFOLU FOLAKE
The issue of stigma and discriminations fuel the spread of HIV/AIDS; it is know that casting stone on somebody that is positive will not do anybody good. Moronlu folake also said even in the religious sectors, market, offices people are being stigmatized and this do not do anybody any good that we should stop stigma against people living with the virus. In his speech, his said that been positive does not reduce the creative and the potential of the individual, and then there should not be any reason for casting stone on anybody living positively.
Mr. Moronfolu Folake said that casting stone without knowing your HIV/AIDS status put you on the fence , so young people of any community should not be involve in stigmatizing others living with the virus because it will reduce the potential of the other person. The stigma of AIDS have primarily focused on the concerns of PLWHAs and only marginally on other actors in the production, perpetuation, and reduction of stigma. In his speech he said that the early stages of the epidemic was the prevailing myth that HIV could be contracted through normal social contact.
The issues relating to stigmatization and discrimination of people living with HIV/AIDS have not been as fully explored in Nigeria. The understanding is that PLWHAs have largely transcended the fear that others have of AIDS and that meeting a PLWHA humanizes the epidemic. He said that the faith-based organizations are well placed to promote stigma reduction through their repeated contacts with members. He said in some instance, a PLWHA stated that the stigma of AIDS had forced her to resign from her job as a nurse in a private clinic and go into hiding and at family level, she was denied inheritance and, although she had two young children, was shut out by her own relatives when she tried to return to her hometown.
The stigma attached to AIDS not only affected the individual’s access to health service and employment, but also their treatment by community, social, and religious group. Because of stigma and discrimination many PLWHAs avoid becoming involved community AIDS education even their involvement would provide a tremendous opportunity for correcting many misconceptions about the virus and its transmission.
AIDS orphans experience major psychosocial effects on the loss of parents, including stigma and learning difficulties at school, social ostracism, low levels of social support, discrimination in all areas of life, and economic hardship. Children who lose their parents to AIDS become fearful of losing other people close to them. They also experience desolation, extreme loneliness, a high rate of concealment as to the cause of parental death, and unresolved grief.
Society may use stigmatization and discrimination in defences of norms and values, but the public health consequences of driving the HIV/AIDS epidemic underground are devastating to the health, economy, and social life of the society. He said that stigma might lead people to delay being tested, to keep positive test results a secret, and to avoid using condom with sexual partners for fear of rousing suspicion of HIV infection. Stigma and discrimination do not do anybody any good, so let stop pointing fingers on people.
COMEDY BY DEJI & LADI
The comedians, two young people, were very creative. One was English speaking and the Yoruba interpreter. The comedy passed information on stigma and HIV/AIDS in the society using comedy. The young comedians are creative to use their talent to communicate AIDS to other youth in the community. They said AIDS is not somebody you should joke with, take it serious is real, do not deny it. They said that all young people should learn how to abstain from risky behaviour and hold on to their future.
CHALLENGES YOUNG PEOPLE FACE BEEN POSITIVE BY EKANOYE KOLAWOLE
Been positive is a great challenge, especially as a young person in the community because all friends, peer groups and relative will stigmatize you. In his speech Mr. Ekanoye Kolawole, said that initially when he test positive he didn’t want to disclose it to anybody because of fear of stigma and discrimination but when he started having symptoms of tuberculosis (TB), he has to come out open and in the process to his family and friend deserted sent him but the mother is always there for him to support him always. Mr. Ekanoye kolawole, work with Treatment Action Movement Lagos chapter.
Prevention of new infections should be integrated into HIV/AIDS treatment and care program as HIV infection remains incurable despite advances in antiretroviral treatment. Toward this end “social education”- such as through community mobilization widespread education, counselling and testing, sexual abstinence until marriage monogamy, condom use and female empowerment must be encouraged and taken seriously.
DRAMA
The drama group pass information of student had been stigma by his friends irrespective of the intelligent of the student. The issue of stigma cause more harm than good let fight against, by educating others.
In the drama a peer educator, educate follow youth and student about the issues of stigma and discrimination as it fuels the spread of HIV/AIDS among young people in the community.
LESSON LEARNT
Using a holistic approach to tackling development issues has been very effective in enabling young people to take control of their own issues and agenda, and therefore, find more sustainable solution. For example, the key to prevention of HIV infection and stigmatization is self-empowerment, and education of young people in the communities.
When young people feel confident about themselves, they can be assertive and powerful within their own spheres of operation. They are thus, able to make informed choices about their own sexuality stigma and discrimination, and self-development. They in turn area able to make positive impact on their families and communities.
Creation of an enabling environment is also important. Advocacy work with young people driving their own issues, agendas and solution has been a very useful strategy in my own experience. In the community, young people are often at the forefront of radical and sustainable change young people are valuable and not merely vulnerable; they are assertive agents of change rather than merely passive recipients. Young people in the community should be empowered to fight stigma and discrimination.
Many parents have an underlay feeling that sexual information will shock or disturb their children, or even worse that it will interest them too much. Some fear that they giving teenagers information about sex we encourage them to rush out and do it that is not what happens. Good sex education gives young people the tools to think before acting.
NEXT STEP
More youth groups in the community will be mobilized to be educated on the issues of stigma and discrimination and it can as well form part of there social activity in the community. Social activity can be conducted in the community during youths get to gather, like have a youth friendly centres in the community, which will, involves games and focus group discussion that deal with stigma and discrimination. The empowerment of the youth in the community can also help in changing their behaviour in stigma and discrimination.
FURTHER STEP
To educate young people more in the society a school project will be conduct in Break Through Academic in Shasha community to educate/train 20 or more students as peer educator. The training is necessary in order to have a team that completely understands the issues relating to adolescent reproductive and sexual health.
QUESTION AND ANSWER SESSION
The question and answer session was facilitated by expertise from difference NGOs in Lagos; Actionaid International, society for family health (SFH), Hope Worldwide, Treatment Action Movement, Health Matters Inc. to mention but few. These questions are from the youth that participated in the program.
Question: Difference between teenage and normal pregnancy?
Answer: Teenage pregnancy is when a girl under age, which is below 18years, is impregnated while normal pregnancy is when a girl that is physically, emotionally, mentally and financially mature is impregnated. Teenage pregnancy put the girl in danger zone because she is not mature enough to handle the situation and taking care of the child.
Question: couple that one is infected and other is not infected can they bear children without infecting the child and the other partner that is not infected?
Answer: Yes, the couple that one is infected and the other is not infected can bear children without the child or the non-infected partner been infected with the help of proper knowledge of transmission of the virus and taking drug that prevent mother to child transmission of the virus and child should be delivered through caesarean method, the mother with not breast-feed the child to avoid transmission through the breast milk.
Question: Difference between HIV and STI?
Answer: HIV is STI. Having any STI, like gonorrhoea increase the chances of been infected with HIV because the STI will make some cuts/injury at the surface of the reproductive organ which make it easier for the virus to come into the body system. Treatment of STI is importance in the prevention of HIV.
Question: can one be infected while sucking the penis?
Answer: HIV/AIDS infection can always come in through the body fluid contact, so it possible for one to be infected while sucking the penis.
APPRECIATION
I will like to recognize the wonderful support of the following individuals and organisations:
Journalists Against AIDS (JAAIDS) Nigeria
MTV/Staying alive foundation
Hope worldwide
Society for Family Health
Lagos State Action Committee on HIV/AIDS (LSACA)
Treatment Action Movement
Actionaid International, Nigeria
Police Area G community Base Organisation (CBO)
Health Matter Incorporation
Agegule Community Project
Ogba Youth Health Forum
Chid Brain Music Group
Pastor That Ring- Comedy group.
John Ibanga King
Joseph Akoro
Ogechi Eronin
Omololu Shola Aiyeola
Akintunde Akinseye
ADVOCACY IS ONE OF THE CORE OF FIGHTING HIV/AIDS
To end the pandemic means keeping our promises and commitments in the fight against HIV and AIDS. That is why the World AIDS Campaign has chosen the following as its theme from 2005 – 2010: “Stop AIDS. Keep the Promise.”
After two decades of AIDS, we know that with sufficient will and resources we can turn this epidemic around. In June 2001 Heads of State and government representatives gathered for the United Nations General Assembly Special Session on HIV/AIDS (UNGASS). This was the first time a meeting such as this one recognized that AIDS was a global crisis requiring global action.
Since the adoption by 189 countries of the UN Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS, additional promises have been made to strengthen the response to AIDS. The "3 by 5” global target to provide three million people living with HIV and AIDS in resource limited settings with life-prolonging antiretroviral treatment (ART) by the end of 2005 was another important commitment on which the WAC campaigned. This initiative was launched by the World Health Organization and UNAIDS in December 2003 and it was a milestone on the road to universal ART access for all who need it, and a powerful way to complement and accelerate prevention efforts but it was not achieved. Now we have a new one for Universal Access by 2010 agreed by the G8 in July 2005. On top of this are commitments like the Abuja Declaration made by members of the African Union and many more.
Everyone has a role to play in fighting HIV and AIDS and as Kofi Annan, UN Secretary General, said at the UN General Assembly Special Session on HIV/AIDS, "All of us must recognize AIDS as our problem. All of us must make it our priority."
