Earlier this month, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) concluded a 10-day training on voluntary, confidential counseling and testing for HIV for health care workers at the Bentiu protection of civilians (PoC) site in Unity State. The training was supported through a grant from UNAIDS and benefited health care workers from three partners providing health care assistance at the site.

While HIV prevalence in South Sudan is estimated at only 2.6 percent, the ongoing unrest and large-scale displacement have disrupted health service delivery, including HIV prevention, treatment and care. An estimated 62,000 to 76,000 individuals are currently seeking shelter inside the Bentiu PoC site, and many have lived at the site for nearly a year and a half. Overcrowded living conditions, combined with negative coping mechanisms for addressing distress and family separation, have affected the health of internally displaced persons (IDPs), particularly through increased incidence of gender-based violence and risky sexual behavior.

During the 10-day course, IOM and UNMISS trained 18 participants, representing a combination of health providers and local health promoters from the IDP community. The UNMISS Unity State Coordinator, Ms. Mary Cummings, opened the training on 5 May and presented the closing remarks during the certificate awarding ceremony on 15 May. The UNMISS HIV Unit facilitated the training, led by Chief of the UNMISS HIV Unit Dr. Michael Munywoki, Dr. Patrick Sokiri Bongi and Dr. Akuein Madut.

“Together with IOM, we have trained 18 health personnel in Bentiu who are now qualified to assist in both the local and national efforts to ensure that all South Sudanese have access to voluntary and confidential HIV counseling and testing so that they can know their HIV status,” stated Dr. Munywoki.

The training focused on building the participants’ knowledge of HIV counseling strategies and techniques. The participants learned about the importance of pre-test and post-test counseling and how to facilitate one-on-one, couple and group counseling. Furthermore, the training taught the participants—who were health workers already engaged in spreading messages to the community—how to prevent and mitigate the stigma and misconceptions surrounding HIV.

“Supporting efforts to prevent HIV among South Sudanese, especially the youth who make up 50 percent of the country’s population, is a priority for IOM’s Health Unit. Through this training in the Bentiu PoC, we are hopeful that these newly qualified individuals will become our advocates in the community, raising awareness about HIV, how to prevent it, the importance of voluntary testing and counseling and the dangers of stigmatisation,” stated Haley West, the IOM Migration Health Programme Coordinator.

IOM has provided emergency primary health care services in South Sudan since 2009 and currently supports five clinics countrywide. IOM has conducted more than 175,000 curative consultations in Unity and Upper Nile states since the crisis began in December 2013.