Combating HIV from Villages

Age may exist, but humanitarian activities lives on through the ages. That principle has allowed John Siga to continue his struggle, never stopping his activism. He moves from village to village in Sikka regency, East Nusa Tenggara, to provide information about the danger of HIV/AIDS.

KOMPAS/KORNELIS KEWA AMA

Yohanes Siga

Age may exist, but humanitarian activities lives on through the ages. That principle has allowed John Siga (69) to continue his struggle, never stopping his activism. He moves from village to village in Sikka regency, East Nusa Tenggara, to provide information about the danger of HIV/AIDS. The formation of groups of citizens concerned about HIV/AIDS was initiated by him, and he encouraged the use of village funds to combat the spread of HIV. His work principle is simple: the more cases found, the more transmission can be limited.

According to data, in almost all villages in Sikka regency HIV cases have been found. As has been known, there is no drug that can completely eradicate the HIV virus. The growth of the virus can only be inhibited in a person\'s body by taking antiretroviral drugs or ARVs.

"I encourage all Sikka residents, including officials in this area, to take HIV tests. This case has been present for 22 years in East Nusa Tenggara, but there are still many officials who are afraid to carry out HIV testing, especially lower-level people. They certainly are far more afraid if they are invited to take an HIV test," said Yohanes Siga, secretary of the Sikka HIV/AIDS Prevention Commission, East Nusa Tenggara, in Maumere, Saturday (18/5/2019).

Yohanes Siga aka Yan said that if people were tested positive for HIV infection, they would immediately consume ARV supplements regularly. Indeed, this drug does not cure, but can extend the life expectancy of people with HIV/AIDS (OHDA).

Building community awareness on the impact of HIV is still difficult. Stigma as a deadly disease, a “curse” and its lack of a cure is still heavily implanted in the minds of the citizens. The stigma even makes people reluctant to take HIV tests. They generally give up and surrender to their fate, afraid that if they are found to be positively infected, they would feel humiliated, lead a useless life and become excluded in social life.

In fact, thousands of ODHA in Indonesia have been helped by the discovery of ARVs. They also know that there are ODHA in their surroundings who are consuming ARVs regularly and doing activities as usual. However, this has not yet built people\'s awareness. Generally, said Yan, the residents are still afraid of being the subject of gossip within their community.

Yan then moved from village to village to form HIV/AIDS groups (WPAs). Departing early in the morning and returning home late in the afternoon, every week, five to six villages are visited at a distance of 15 to 50 kilometers from Maumere City.

This 69-year-old man has never felt tired. For the rest of his life, he wants to continue to do good for others. Even though he sometimes uses his personal money, Yan has continued to visit one village after another, forming WPAs. There are still around 100 villages in Sikka that do not yet have WPAs.

"Sometimes I invite OHDA volunteers from Maumere to spread awareness in villages. They give testimonies and explain why they are infected by HIV, share experiences about family and community attitudes toward ODHA up to the present day," Yan said.

In Sikka regency, 60 out of 160 villages already have WPAs. Each WPA has 10 to 20 members. Their task is to monitor the health of the villagers. If there are people who have a history of diseases leading to HIV, it is immediately reported to the local health center.

WPA caretakers

Each WPA group is equipped with caretakers formed by each village. So far each village has one to two WPAs. Members join voluntarily and also want to work voluntarily. They are provided with basic information about HIV/AIDS, such as how it spreads, how to prevent it and how deal with it should residents find themselves infected.

Yan said the Sikka Regional Child Protection Commission (KPAD) managed Rp 500 million in funds, including salaries for five staff members. These funds are for operations, information dissemination, transportation, procurement of supporting facilities and infrastructure, and other activities.

If there is a WPA meeting in the village, Yan always forces himself to attend so he can express his thoughts about the groups, HIV and village funds, which could be used to combat the spread of HIV in villages.

Each WPA receives Rp 2 million from village funds, plus Rp 3 million from Sikka KPAD, putting the total at Rp 5 million per year. These funds can be used by the groups in the villages for HIV prevention, training WPA members, install banners on HIV/AIDS awareness in the villages, and buying light snacks during meetings.

According to Yan, the amount of funds is insufficient. However, in the villages, the mutual cooperation system is still strong. During the meetings, each WPA member brings local snacks, coffee, sugar and tea to be consumed jointly.

The utilization of village funds for HIV/AIDS prevention is in accordance with Villages, Disadvantaged Regions and Transmigration Ministerial Regulation No. 14/2018. This ministerial regulation is explained through Sikka Regent Regulation No. 4/2016 on village priority programs, including tackling infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS.

Today, Yan is still working hard with village representatives to form WPAs in the remaining 100 villages. He also has to convince village officials to be willing to set aside village funds for HIV/AIDS prevention.

The number of HIV/AIDS cases in Sikka as of December 2018 reached 754, including 174 cases of infected housewives, 200 of which had died. The number of ODHAs who are consuming ARVs is 554 people.

ODHAs who consume ARVs are still actively working in farms and offices, studying in colleges, and acting as housewives. After consuming ARVs, the housewives who have tested positive for HIV can get pregnant and give birth to a child who is healthy and not infected by HIV.

Thanks to the existence of WPAs in the villages, said Yan, a part of the community was increasingly aware.

Migrant workers who return to their villages, students who return from vacation and project workers in the villages are also invited to get tested. Migrant workers are sometimes found to have contracted HIV while abroad.

"As more cases are found, it will increasingly limit the process of transmitting the virus to others. Once someone is declared to be positive, he or she will immediately be given ARVs. With this, they also do not spread the HIV virus to other people," Yan said.

Yohanes Siga

Born: Bajawa, 10 April 1950

Wife: Donata Nari

Children: Vian Siga (42), Pastor Emanuel Natalis Pr (40), Mariana Domingga (39), Edwar Piere (37), Leo Agusta (30)