To enhance its Mothers’ Support Groups program in Ethiopia, the Capacity Project recently trained 116 site coordinators and mother mentors at 22 health centers in four regions (Tigray, Amhara, Oromiya and SNNPR).

The program empowers HIV-positive pregnant and postpartum women to access peer-based psychosocial support, health information and a financial empowerment program to create self-help support groups in partnership with local agencies. The training sessions focused on male-as-partner and income-generating activities (IGA) to help increase male involvement in Mothers’ Support Groups and prevention of mother-to-child transmission interventions.

IGA training includes information and skills for self-help group formation. After creating a self-help group with community women and men, participants decide on which kinds of IGA to pursue, such as farming, producing hand crafts, managing small corner shops or other businesses.

March 2009