A Case for Adolescents Living With HIV/AIDS

POSITIVE LIVING, SPIRITUALITY AND RESILIENCE EDUCATION:
CHILD AND TERTIARY LEVEL TRAINING;
A Case for Adolescents Living With HIV/AIDS



By



Waiswa Jacob



Makerere University Institute of Psychology (MUIP) and
the Integrated Mental Health Services/Solutions (IMHS-UG)
P.O. BOX 7062, Kampala-Uganda
Telephone: +256-77-4-336277
waiswajacobo@yahoo.co.uk




Awarding Body: Uganda National Council for Science and Technology
P.O. Box 6884, Kampala
uncst@starcom.co.ug


ÓDECEMBER, 2007
Executive Summary

The background of all healthy sectors is that of medicines and their application with no regard to preparing the patient through the entire drug or medicine taking-process as well as and lifting their hopes and spirits through counseling. Resilience concept could be a learned one concretized by; social support, environmental and ecological health. But, families, in child upbringing may indirectly or directly promote or devalue resilience during child rearing. Unlike, protective families, authoritative, authoritarian families may tend to harden off children during their growth and development and therefore, contribute to resilience. The bases of resilience however, are positive living and spirituality which too ought not to be underestimated. This could go as far as conditioning child to find his or her way through growth difficulties, education hardships as well as in times of sickness –as living with HIV/AIDS. Resilience could also be taken as a choice through learning -with determination, self-reassurance, self-belief, self-trust, mental stamina and responsibility over whatever is learnt for healthy living. It could call for continued and relentless anticipating for their positive life goals, pursue them and realize their fulfillment. At schools and tertiary institutions resilience as a cross-cutting course unit would be integrated in the curricular as key ingredient in psychological studies with psychology as a major in all disciplines. This, for instance, would help individuals find struggling in life as an obligation rather than a punishment. Once that is done, it would as well go a long way to building immune systems for quick recoveries; refresh the body for new daily tasks, for healthy living and longer life than it would have been without an integrated system of positive living, resilience and spirituality in disease or lifestyle management and control. It would, therefore, require positive living, spirituality and resilience being closely applied alongside physician diagnosis and prescriptions.

A multi-disciplinary team of; psychologists, medical persons, drug manufacturers, caretakers, social support groups (NGOs) donor support, government aid and grass root support could play combined role in realizing success of positive living, spirituality and resilience in the management of HIV/AIDS as well as other life challenges for human development, survival and security. In doing so it would not only attempt to eliminate the stigma and increase patient’s lifespan but also help unite communities against the common enemy HIV/AIDS and other human insecurities. It would further promote interdisciplinary and multi-disciplinary approaches in public health management and thus; provide employment to multiplicity of professionals while at the same time helping provide a wide range of health and social services supportive to the well being of the youths living with HIV/AIDS and the vulnerable groups. In its interventional programmes, and as building blocks, the project would have interests and undertakings in; health living, spirituality (faiths, beliefs or religious sects), mental and general healthy –spreading into socio-cultural, socio-environmental, ecological, socio-economical, and socio-political spheres for general well being and well functioning of the communities in their day-to-day lives. Stronger attention would best be placed on inter-institutional or inter-organizational net-working aimed at combining forces to realize the programme goal. Some of the community activities would be, carrying out annual national-wide conferences on conflict resolution, international relations and nurturance of peace as gateways to human and ecological security, among other things. Such conferences and lectures could formulate adoptable guides, legislative or legal structural designs and policies for local and international managers or leaders to use in their decision-making process. The project membership and affiliation would be unlimited (consisting of its staff, hired experts, researchers, volunteers, interns, guest speakers, collaborating institutions, etc) -since by nature since we all need one another in the struggle for human and ecological rights as well as survival ones, while at the same time; entitled to them (rights).

Justifications

HIV/AIDS like any to other devastating life pressures do terribly torment from that time of announcement of news of positive stature to its full-blown state. Even after the shocking revelation of positive stature, the client could end-up verbally and cognitively “resigning” from life, which adversely affects the physical being at the face of death. Deteriorating mental states would with time make the individual vulnerable to other infections like; tuberculosis, cancer, typhoid, meningitis etc -since the immune system could have been suppressed mainly due to psychological resignation or mental health-related problems. It is at this stage accompanied by failure to manage shock, depression and anxieties that a patient surely begins to wait for death unless earliest psychological interventions are carried out to lift his or her spirit and resilience to live on. However, in present day medical faculties and services, even where counseling services are carried out, no emphasis is put on the helping the patient develop resilient power and spirituality or to activate the inner powers and resources to healthy life. There is a strong emphasis by health ministries on pharmaceutical products for disease remedy –supported by their big financial base to hold persuasive adverts, while ignoring ethical examination of other health living determinants like; positive living, spirituality and resilience. Consequently, it would be a win-lose battle in favor of pharmaceuticals while patients continue to die even after spending off all their savings to buying drugs. In other words, there is no helping relationship between pharmaceuticals and the diseased or affected communities. In fact, the kind of relationship is unfair since drug dealers continue to amass wealth yet the health services offered are narrow and client illnesses recurrent.

And, there is an increasing emergence of qualified psychologists, related mental health professionals, social workers and para-professionals with a social impact, who are neither identified nor utilized, amidst social and economic stressors that go as far as; relationship breakdown or family breakdown, clinical illness, decreased productivity at work, confliction mentalities and wars etc -in everyday lives. Yet, if the following were incorporated; 1) the spiritual positive interpretations: noting that; in some societies beliefs send people into human killings and sacrifice for wealth and eternity), 2) socio-economic, socio-culture stress: noting that; through positive cultural practices a community could be organized in a healthy way, 3) socio-political distress and disregard for nature conservation practices, for sustainable development and human and ecological health -where, underutilization of existing human and ecological resources amidst widespread and accumulating load of acute challenges as; illnesses, ignorance and docility, self-destroying lifestyles and practices (as rebellions and/or civil strive) would prevail. Also, regarding the aspect of political distress; the little resources that are developed, end up in the hands of few greedy leaders, who selfishly amass public funds to themselves at the expense of the very sick and poor -whilst noting that such creates aggravated mental health problems, loss spiritual attachments, moral degeneration, conflicts, hopelessness, devaluation of life and nature -through aggressions to destroy ecology and humanity on the part of the led. It is such cumulative human and ecological insecurities that IMHS-UG wishes to put into context in its goal and objectives. In using a multi-systemic approach, IMHS-UG describes the approach as in the case of an obese patient, whose treatment approach may be –medicinal or medical case, behavioral or psychological and nutritional, all of which manned solely by specialized individuals (working one long after the other) could not give adequate services to the client. Rather it would be a combination of such individuals working as a team who could be most effective. There fore, numerous sub-systems working together would be the best way to go -towards finding solutions to multiple human problems. Such micro-set approaches need to be amplified across each other for a multi-faced action for: health-living and health-development, human/ecological survival and security as well as positive socio-economic and socio-political development relevant to social and economic transformations of the masses. Achieving this would call for a multi-institutional frame-work in realizing its goal, aims and objectives.

2. B. Mission: To attain health-living for humanity, human dignity and development through guided utilization of the eco-system resources in a sustainable manner

2. C. Vision: To pool together the numerous elements of the eco-system working together for the common good, and operating under a single unit so that every member is able to benefit from the union of spirituality, positive living and resilience –in socio-cultural and socio-political ethics, as well as in socio-economics and ecological aspects

2. D. Approach: Multi-systemic, multi-disciplinary, multi-dimensional and multi-faced ideals interacting together for a common good

2. E. Goal: To form ecological structures and designs for human survival, development, well-functioning and well-being in union and interactive, understanding with ecological elements and sustainable utilization of ecological utilities for human and ecological justice that nurture positive living, spirituality and resilience

2. F. Specific Objectives: i) To form holistic development, technical and infrastructure systems
ii) To promote development-evaluative systems, holistically
iii) To build self-sustaining development work and health systems
iv) To develop holistic health based of spirituality principles and its development based on information delivery and management

2. G. Activities: i) Design technical and infrastructure systems for human and ecological health
ii) Ecological and development systems’ research, information relay and implementations
iii) Securities and assets investments and their management links
iv) Institution and maintenance of data management systems

2. H. Funding Sources: i) Subscriptions fees and individual contributions
ii) Grants and Fundraisings
iii) IMHS-UG assets and Loans

2. I. Monitoring and Evaluation:
i) Joint Supervisions to constitute IMHS representatives to allied organisations as well as have annual evaluation would be done (during which an assembly would be called to receive annual reports and make propositions) with reports dispatched to stake-holders and IMHS library.

2. J. Fears and Strength: i) There are no significant fears projected, while strength lies in abundant human resource power

2. K. Values: i) Team-work, realism, persisting focused and responsibility


3. A. Figure 1: Standard IMHS-UG Organization Chart
Board of Directors
Executive Director
General Secretary
Hired Expertise
Treasurer
Public Relations Officer
Programme manager
Support Staff
Volunteers
Stake- Holders


3. B. Figure 2: A Projected Three Year Work Plan
N0.
Date
2008
Specific Objectives
Activity
Specific Activity
Item (s)
Quantity
(per unit)
Corresponding Annual Cost (Ushs)
Annual Investment Expenditure (Total)
Out-put
0.1
March 3rd
a)Promote establishment of infrastructure and technical systems

a)Infrastructures and technical design

a)Infrastructure construction and Human Resource Training




a)Office Block rent

b)Registration and Licensing
c)Stationery and Furniture
d)Training Equipment
e)Field-Work


f)ICT equipment
g)Recruitment and Staff remuneration
h)Staff Van
i)Staff and volunteer training
j)Filed work, Report Writing, Monitoring and evaluation
m)k)Journaling and articling
l)Diagnoses, counseling and therapy

m)Community library services

a)10monthsx1.000.000
b)1x1.000.000

c)1x3.000.000

d)1x3.000.000

e)2 a month@2.000.000
f)1x15.000.000
g)1x20.000.000

h)1x25.000.000
i)1yr x15.000.000
j)2x10.000.000 per yr

k)1x10.000.000

l)50p’ple monthly each@20.000x12months
5000 books@10.000x1, a yr
10.000.000

1.000.000

3.000.000

3.000.000

4.000.000


15.000.000
20.000.000

25.000.000
15.000.000

20.000.000


10.000.000

12.000.000



50.000.000



Community Empowerment through Employment and Participation in Development Initiatives
0.2.
June 5th
Promote health and development-evaluative system










Research design, field work and publishing










a)Instrument construction and review
b)Expert Data review and collection
c)Data analysis and dissemination

a)Peer Review Workshops

b)Field-works



c)Data Entry


d)Publishing


a)2x5.000.000


b)20p’ple x2a yrx200.000


c)10p’ple x2 a yr x300.000

d)2x10.000.000
10.000.000


8.000.000



6.000.000


20.000.000

Integrated Knowledge Application for Holistic Development
0.3.
October 10th
Develop self-sustaining Health development and work systems

Investments and Marketing



a)Buying shares and assets
b)Product design
c)Advertising
a)Consolidated Funds
b)Competitive Innovation
c)Publicizing IHMS-UG activities and products (IMHS-UG Magazine)
a)Initial x20.000.000
b)Single-award x5.000.000
c)12months x500copies@20.000


20.000.000

5.000.000

200.000.000



Improved Mental Health States and/or statistics, and Life spans
0.4.
December 5th
Promote ICT Development



Installations and programme designs


a)Training


b)Maintenances


a)Design and Purchase of Soft&Hard-ware
b)Repairs and upgrading


a)50 PCs@400.000
b)1 a yr@1.000.000
20.000.000


1.000.000







Predictability of Global Trends and Adjustability


Simultaneous







10,000,000



509.000.000


Human and Ecological Development

Conclusion
In conclusion, IMHS-UG as a multi-stake organization would pool together people from diverse professions to come and work as a unit for the common good and dignified living. Such multi-disciplinary outlooks and multi-dimensional ideals would be given a chance to interact by way of complimenting one another. IMHS-UG and other sister organizations would work together to achieve the goal of human and ecological security: by going as far as exploring the socio-cultural, social-economic, socio-political, spirituality and ecological perspectives and their effects on human physiology, cognitive, emotional and behavioral aspects and place checks for harmony and health living.