Can you get Aids from a toliet seat?

HIV/AIDS is a complex, multifaceted, development problem requiring both short-term containment actions and long-term, sustained, and broad-based responses, including a range of activities involving virtually all levels and sectors of government and society. Rapid spread of the HIV/AIDS epidemic would have damaging consequences for sectors such as education, social welfare, gender and children's affairs, transportations, defence, agriculture and rural development, and the mining sector, all of which are key for the future development of Sierra Leone. At the same time, each of these sectors could, in turn, provide significant contributions to the overall fight against HIV/AIDS. Furthermore, experience suggests that these are certain aspects of the development problem which require attention:

Integrating HIV/AIDS into reproductive health programs, especially those geared toward the youth;
Intensifying information dissemination necessary to change behaviour to avoid HIV/AIDS;
Fully integrating gender into HIV/AIDS strategies and plans;
Developing well coordinated programs to protect orphans and other vulnerable children;
Integrating HIV/AIDS into the education system both as a curriculum issue and a sector planning concern;
Bringing the private sector into the fight against HIV/AIDS; and
Assuring that uniformed services as well as refugees, returnees, internally displaced persons and ex-combatants are included in the HIV/AIDS containment effort.
The way we deal with AIDS in Sierra Leone will determine our future. The devastation wrought by HIV/AIDS is so acute that it has become one of the main obstacles to development itself. AIDS threatens to unravel our whole societies, communities, and economies. In this way, AIDS may not only take away Sierra Leone's present, it could take away our future, if we become complacent.

This crisis requires an unprecedented response. It requires communities, nations, and regions, the public and the private sector, international organizations and non-governmental groups to come together in concerted, coordinated action. Only when all these forces join in a common effort will we be able to expand our fight against the pandemic to decrease risk, vulnerability, and impact. All of us must be open about HIV, and raise our voices against stigma and discrimination. All of us must rise above turf battles and doctrinal disputes. The only acceptable result is that we replace suffering with hope.

As we continue to develop in order to meet the challenges ahead in the 21st century, the NAS has embarked on a substantial programme of sensitization and service provision, aimed at reducing the spread of HIV and providing care, treatment and support both for those infected and affected by the virus. NAS primary focus as an organization remains firmly rooted in offering quality assured, reliable and cost effective services.

This website is just one of the many ways in which we are improving our services to facilitate the work of our implementing partners and donors. We hope that you will find the website very easy to use, and it would help you to have a clear insight into the activities of NAS.

NAS is here to provide support to all our partners in the fight against HIV and AIDS. As such, we welcome constructive feedback from you all as well as any suggestions you may have on ways we can improve this website.

Please revert with your views and help us to coordinate an effective response.

Enjoy browsing through our website!