CENTRE ESPERANCE LOYOLA

Poverty is a major obstacle in fighting HIV/AIDS. It was this conviction that prompted the Centre Espérance Loyola (CEL), together with its partners, to organize two sessions about income-generating activities (IGAs). The theme: How to create and manage a viable IGA. The first session took place from 12 to 14 August at the CEL, organized together with the NGO Investir dans l'Humain, and was attended by 50 members of the Association Saint Louis de Gonzague, a group set up by the CEL for people living with HIV and their families. The second was held from 17 to 22 August, also at the CEL, a collaborative effort with NGOs Jade pour la vie and PASYD Togo. Twenty-one people from associations and NGOs involved in the fight against AIDS attended.

The tools to create and manage an IGA were laid down during the sessions. The members of the Association Saint Louis de Gonzague were the first to have these tools in hand a month later, when we organized training from 7 to 11 September. This consisted of making bars of soap, liquid soap, organic soap as well as dyed cloth and t-shirts. Sr Justine Agbo, vice-Provincial of the Sisters of the Immaculate Conception of Castres, came from Benin to give the training.

The events were a great success: you could see the joy on the faces of the participants, especially when they saw all they had produced in the last five-day workshop. The CEL is now looking into ways in which to support people in their IGAs.

INCOME-GENERATING ACTIVITIES (AVELINO CHICO)