Espoir Vie-Togo: Forging a Community of People Living with AIDS

Women prepare the daily free lunch offered by EVT

Providing a network of support for people affected by HIV and AIDS continues to be one of the largest and most vital challenges facing governments, local and international organizations, and individuals across West Africa.

Intense stigmatization and widespread fear of the disease has discouraged most people living with the disease (PLs) from speaking publicly about their status. Countless others are extremely apprehensive about affiliating themselves with HIV/AIDS-related organizations; they are concerned that community members will catch wind of their activities and make socially devastating assumptions. In light of this, the rapid success of Espoir Vie-Togo (EVT, translated roughly as "Hope for Life") is astonishing.

In 1995, the African Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS, an independent international organization involved in fundraising and lobbying, contacted governments in several African countries. They asked these governments to find doctors interested in forming home-grown organizations devoted to assisting indigenous PL communities. In Togo, the government's national AIDS program, Projet Nationale Lutte Contre l'SIDA (PNLS), identified a number of interested doctors. These doctors swiftly found support from a handful of motivated Togolese PLs.

AIDS poster

Seven adults and one child, all living with HIV/AIDS, formed EVT on August 11, 1995. For the first few years, EVT grew slowly around its core members (the child is the only original member who is still alive). With very limited resources, they gathered at various locations for regular meetings and provided each other with whatever support they could offer.

Their fortune changed in 2000 when a French Volunteer Organization recognized EVT's work and rewarded them with their first office and with additional funds that enabled them to begin community outreach programs and field sensitizations.

At the time, EVT had no full-time staff. Everyone working for the organization was a volunteer and a member. However, with the French Volunteer Organization's assistance, many of the loyal and dedicated volunteers were hired as staff; EVT grew even more quickly.

In 2002, EVT received new support from the U.S. Embassy, which gave them temporary access to an expanded center that accommodates a full-time doctor, a laboratory, a pharmacy, a counseling unit, and more.

Today, EVT has three branches in Togo; one is in Lome, the capital, a second is based in the border town of Aneho, and the third is in the provinces of Sokode. They are currently working with over 2,000 people, 1,200 of whom are officially members. 499 of these members are classified as "vulnerable children." The Lome clinic alone sees approximately 50 people each day.

EVT moved into their current center in 2002

Elizabeth Akapo, a social worker with EVT, is responsible for receiving clients and managing their files. Ms. Akapo organizes regular themed activities for the association's members and arranges to meet with each child on a monthly basis. While she is able to visit some of them in their own homes, for others this is not an option.

"When I do go into the field, I visit as a friend of the family," said Akapo, who mentioned that the policy of some larger NGOs to travel in eye-catching and obvious vehicles can draw unwanted attention to a suffering family and reduce the effectiveness or even the possibility of home visits. She travels on a simple moped.

While EVT offers counseling, advice, and a place for people to congregate and support one another, it also tries to provide monetary assistance for its orphans and vulnerable children who sometimes have difficulty paying for school fees and food. Last year, the Global Fund sponsored 101 vulnerable children through EVT; most of these children live in poor neighborhoods on the outskirts of Lome. Most of EVT's children find the organization after being referred by local clinics or health workers, though an increasing number of PLs are finding the establishment through word of mouth. Anti-retro viral drugs are provided by the clinic at no charge to children under 18 and to pregnant women. Adults must pay 5,000 cfa (about $9) per month.

EVT staff outside the Lome center

However, in recent years political problems in Togo have complicated EVT's funding. Discontented with the government's misuse of funds, the European Union, and many others, cut funding to projects in Togo. Recent instabilities have only exacerbated this situation. It is typical for diplomatic moves or sanctions of this variety to impact negatively on social services, and EVT's official government assistance has not recently been forthcoming.

As of October, Espoir-Vie Togo was still waiting to receive their promised funding from the Global Fund for 2005; the money is tied up in the Ministry of Health, through which it is forced to pass. These funds enable home visits, the maintenance of orphan and vulnerable children programs, and the salaries of counselors and full-time staff. None of the employees of EVT have been paid for their work in more than five months.

Concerned individuals and small organizations from Europe are currently keeping EVT afloat with modest, semi-regular donations. Commenting on the current financial situation, Akapo stated, "It is satisfying work when we have the resources. However, it is hard when we can't offer our members anything." She is one of the two women responsible for giving unfortunate members the bad news that EVT is not as able to help as it previously was.

Profile of Lawson-Gaizer Godefroy, Director of EVT

Lawson-Gaizer Godefroy, President, Espoir Vie-Togo
(2002-2005)

Mr. Lawson-Gaizer Godefroy sits behind his modest desk on which a sticker faces visitors reading, "The Global Fund is bankrupt. Where is the ten billion? Money and medicines save lives, not talk." He apologizes for not having any business cards. "None of us do. Even me, the director, has no business cards." Funding has been tight and Mr. Godefroy seems to prioritize well.

In 1999, Lawson-Gaizer Godefroy joined Espoir Vie-Togo (EVT) as an ordinary member. Godefroy had been living in Burkina Faso, working in public works and road construction, where he was affiliated with a similar support network. After four years as a member of EVT, Godefroy ran for presidency of the organization in 2002 and was elected by its members.

As he nears the end of his three-year term, Godefroy continues to have high aspirations for EVT. He looks forward to the time when there is "access to free medicine for all members" and a time when they can own their own center. The lease provided by the U.S. government was a one-shot deal that expires early in 2006. EVT does not have the means to rent or purchase the establishment, nor do they have the funds to continue caring for their impressively large community.

While he is apprehensive about this situation, Mr. Godefroy has noticed some positive changes in the local government's policy with regards to HIV/AIDS. "The fight wasn't a priority before... Nothing can be done without the government's support. Little but little, things seem to be improving but it is still a struggle." Even if nobody steps forward to give Espoir-Vie Togo the resources that they deserve, it has become a strong community that is likely to continue helping its members in every possible way.