When I arrived as the next Peace Corps Volunteer to serve with EFA International, it was clear this program was a huge success. Members felt empowered and attitudes and behaviors of both HIV-positive and HIV-negative people in the community were changing. I thought to myself: this is great, but how can it be better? I realized, the previous Volunteer had created this empowering and effective program, but now my role was to make it sustainable, to make it EFA’s program and not the Volunteer’s.

There is a saying that goes “when spiders unite, they can tie up a lion.”  The members of the Education Fights AIDS (EFA) associations have tied up many lions! And they have done it …

In early December, I celebrated a one-year milestone as both a Peace Corps volunteer and as Technical and M&E Adviser for Education Fights AIDS International (EFA) in Cameroon. Reaching such a milestone seems to necessitate …

Treatment or prevention?
In the absence of a cure for HIV, for the past 30 years this question has been the center of debate. For those of us who have dedicated our lives to the …

By Rachel Hoy Deussom – Chair, EFA International Board of Directors

Irene* is petite, with almond-shaped eyes and a brillant smile. She is married with one child and an eighth grade education. Irène is HIV-epositive. These …

By Doumtigai Guibai, translated by Gena Barnabee – EFA Peer Educator

EFA Peer Educators at gender training in Maroua
My husband died from a disease that we didn’t understand; after medical exams, the results showed that we …

It is impossible to hide how proud I am of the ever-so-brave members of the Education Fights AIDS youth associations.  This story is about Djingui a member of our AJEPS association and the one who …

A few months ago, I visited the EFA regional office in Maroua, Cameroon.  I participated in many meetings (sometimes in insufferable heat!) and yet spirits remained high and laughter and lively discussion was the menu du …

Health is our first wealth. It takes an effort each and every day to live a healthy life. In Cameroon, approximately one in 20 adults is HIV-positive. In places like the Far North of Cameroon, …

Rachel Hoy Deussom (’99) is co-founder of Education Fights AIDS (EFA) International.
After graduating from Georgetown University in 2003, she served as a Peace Corps
community health volunteer in northern Cameroon. During her service, a fellow
volunteer, Andrew …

It is often said that in reality, it is not HIV/AIDS that kills–it is stigma that does. It is because of stigma that people are afraid to get tested, ashamed to admit their status or to seek treatment, and embarrassed to even talk about the realities of the epidemic. Stigma isolates people, strangles discussion and spreads the virus. The dream of Education Fights AIDS (EFA) is for “the idea of stigmatization to be completely erased.”

Monday, June 27 is National HIV Testing Day in the U.S., and EFA International encourages you to find a center near you and get tested! The National Association of People with AIDS coordinates the annual …

An HIV Prevention Trials Network study found initiating ARVs early can greatly reduce the transmission of HIV. While this is great news for the HIV and AIDS community, an Interagency Youth Working Group blog post noted …

An update on EFA’s activities for April through June 2011
EFA International’s peer educators and support associations continue to expand with increasing projects and activities. In March and April, a TrustAfrica grant enabled EFA International’s peer …

Tulane University’s spring/summer 2011 issue of Global Health magazine has featured its alum, EFA co-founder Andrew Koleros (Tulane 2005), for his work with EFA International.
Read the full article here:
http://tulanesphtm.wordpress.com/2011/02/17/efainternational/

In April, dozens of people attended a “Live Positively” fundraising event in Mahboula featuring DJs and a live band.

Our deepest thanks goes to those of you who attended and made the event a huge success. …

Ambassador Eric Goosby, the United States Global AIDS Coordinator, cited Peace Corps Volunteers as significant to overcoming the HIV and AIDS epidemic worldwide. In his U.S. Department of State blog post, Goosby said Peace Corps was …

It is widely accepted that gender strongly influences the spread of HIV and the ways communities respond to it.  Gender and sexual based inequalities, norms, and violence increase vulnerability to HIV while limiting ability to …

The months of January through March 2011 were especially productive ones for the EFA International regional office. First, sadly, EFA bid adieu et grand merci to our technical advisor Peace Corps Volunteer Caitlyn Bradburn …

EFA International joins Peace Corps in celebrating the government agency’s 50th Anniversary today, commemorating when it was established by Executive Order on March 1, 1961. As an organization founded by returned Peace Corps Volunteers, currently …

The Peace Corps Office of AIDS Relief honored three EFA International Board Members for their outstanding commitment and response to the HIV and AIDS epidemic. Board of Directors’ Chair Rachel Hoy, Treasurer Andrew Koleros and …

EFA simply could not function without benefiting from countless volunteers. One volunteer deserves extra special recognition, though. Addie Ryan recently completed approximately four months of volunteer service with EFA Cameroon.

EFA International celebrates the life of Sargent Shriver, the man who brought JFK’s vision for the United States Peace Corps to life. He passed away today at the age of 95. It was through the …

The Government of Cameroon’s financial proposal to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria (GFATM) for its 10th round of funding was approved, including over $120M from 2011-15 to contribute to the HIV …

As the new year approaches, EFA asks for your support in promoting the successful future of tomorrow’s most valuable resource: our youth.

Today is World AIDS Day. We are grateful for the efforts made by all living positively and keeping HIV on the global agenda!
Check out the latest reports from UNAIDS. Data is showing that the rate …

Dear Friends,
We are very happy to share with you some pictures of Child Support Center’s (CSC) activities.
After forming a group of the mothers of CSC kids, we asked the Women for Women [project] to train …

EFA International is proud to be featured in Global Giving’s Open Challenge from September 1st – September 30th.
Our Challenge: at least 50 gifts from 50 unique supporters to raise at least $4,000 to continue our …

by Caitlyn Bradburn, Technical Advisor
MAROUA, CAMEROON — HIV is not the death-sentence it once was.  Anti-retroviral medications (ARVs) are free to those who qualify and recent research shows that young people, especially, in Cameroon have …

The efforts of Cameroonian youth to prevent new HIV infections through safer sex is showing results!  A recent UNAIDS study reports that both males and females in Cameroon are using condoms more frequently with their …

MAROUA, CAMEROON – Peer educators trained in an EFA International-sponsored program have educated more than 6,000 people in Cameroon’s Far North region about HIV transmission and prevention. The January-June training involved 14 HIV-positive youth in …

While our 2009 Annual Report captures the main quantitative results of our work over the past year in Cameroon and Rwanda to promote the successful future of African children and youth infected with and/or affected by HIV and AIDS, the voices of our beneficiaries speak louder than any numbers or figures you’ll find in this report.

Reposted from FriendsofCameroon.org
Cameroon’s 50th Anniversary of Independence
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State
Washington, DC
May 19, 2010
http://www.state.gov/secretary/rm/2010/05/142016.htm
________________________________________
On behalf of President Obama and the American people, I congratulate the people of Cameroon as you celebrate your fiftieth anniversary of …

UNAIDS.org — The African continent is experiencing major changes as 17 African countries prepare to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of their independence in Yaoundé, Cameroon. Two days before the anniversary celebrations, a high-level international conference, …

Nearly 100 Washington, D.C.-area residents gathered in the Eighteenth Street Lounge’s warmly lit Gold Room on the evening of April 29. Attendees were present for a fundraiser supporting Education Fights AIDS (EFA) International, a U.S.-based …

EFA International proudly announces that it is a grant recipient of the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR)’s Volunteer Activities Support and Training (VAST) program. With the help of Peace Corps Volunteer technical …

PARTNERS FOR LIVING POSITIVELY
A panel discussion on HIV and development in Africa
Tuesday, May 4th  -  5 – 7 pm
Harvard University – Divinity School
Center for the Study of World Religions Common Room
Featuring panelists:
David Amponsah, …

Since 2005, EFA has impacted the lives of HIV+ youth in Cameroon and Rwanda by promoting HIV prevention, treatment and care, and building young people’s capacity to become tomorrow’s leaders.
To celebrate EFA’s five years of …

Since February 2010, the Child Support Center (CSC) in Kigali, Rwanda has been providing educational and nutritional services to over thirty orphans and other vulnerable children in the community. Through the education program, CSC beneficiaries …

Since 2005, EFA has impacted the lives of HIV+ youth in Cameroon and Rwanda by promoting HIV prevention, treatment and care, and building young people’s capacity to become tomorrow’s leaders.
To celebrate EFA’s five years of …

As EFA’s technical advisor and as one of 13 facilitators of the Men As Partners program, I am proud to report that our February 2010 training has been a genuine success!
 
This two-week-long health education and wellness training benefited 30 …

EFA International USA is seeking a development professional who is interested in using his or her expertise to assist us as we significantly expand our activities. While the position is currently unpaid, EFA’s hope is …

February 11th is Cameroon’s National Youth Day, a celebration of the country’s greatest asset for the future: its youth. Each year and in each village and town, primary and secondary schools participate in cultural festivals and …

We’re growing!
Given the ambitious nature of EFA’s strategic plans, the Cameroon regional office seeks a Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Advisor to facilitate the establishment of a robust M&E system for all organizational activities. The M&E Advisor will work …

Our hearts go out to the people of Haiti and all those affected by the earthquake that hit Port au Prince last Tuesday, January 12th. We send sincere wishes for the good health, safety and strength for …

 EFA International is very proud to announce that it’s Cameroon Country Representative, Alim Ousmanou, has been accepted to the US State Department’s International Visitor’s Leadership Program! Alim will be traveling to the United States in April …

HIV/AIDS concerns everyone. With a mission to promote the successful future of HIV-positive African youth, EFA International empowers young men and women with the skills to lead healthy lives and help prevent HIV/AIDS in their …

EFA International is proud to announce two new regional partnerships with health centers in the towns of Godola and Amchidé. Over the course of 2009, health center partnerships have emerged as an effective model for …

Since July 2009, the Rebero Orphan Center has experienced several administrative and managerial challenges that have begun to compromise the quality of services provided to the orphans and vulnerable children in its care. As a …