Ninerela+

Nigeria Network of Religious Leaders Living with or Personally Affected by HIV/AIDS (NINERELA+)

NINERELA+ is Nigeria’s affiliate of the International Network of Religious Leaders Living with or Personally Affected by HIV/AIDS (INERELA+) with headquarters in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Nigeria Network of Religious Leaders Living with or Personally Affected by HIV/AIDS (NINERELA+) is a faith based network organization that seeks to equip communities, through right based approach, to promote issues that enable human dignity, wellbeing and equality/equity. As an interfaith Network, our organization leverages on the faith platform to address major issues around health, governance, livelihood, Stigma reduction, gender and human right, research and mental health.

NINERELA+ was officially inaugurated on the 14th of October 2005 and its affairs are being piloted by elected management board, with membership strength of over 830 religious leaders – lay and ordained women and men spread across the country. The organization has functional chapters across the 36 states of Nigeria and the FCT, and the National Secretariat at Abuja which is the program coordinating unit of the organization headed by the National Coordinator and supported by the program management team. As an interfaith organization, NINERELA+ enjoy the privilege of working with Religious Leaders who are recognised as holding unique authorities that play a central role in providing moral and ethical guidance in their faith communities and society at large. NINERELA+ has a large network of trained religious leaders working as champions across the different regions in Nigeria who are continually engaged in reaching people, particularly the underserved populations.

VISION

Envisages attaining a Nigerian where there is collective response for the elimination of stigma, inequality, hardship, and social injustices that drive transmissions of diseases like HIV/AIDS and deaths.

GOAL

To see a society where there is protection of basic human rights, respect of human dignity and promotion of the wellbeing of people not minding their social class, creed, orientation, gender etc.

MISSION

To equip communities, through right approach to respond to issues that promote human dignity, wellbeing and equality.

To empower and engage religious leaders and persons living with or personally affected by HIV/AIDS to live positively and openly as ‘Heralds of Hope and Agents of Change’ in their faith communities and society at large by creating an enabling environment for integration of HIV and AIDS prevention/stigma reduction, Sexual & Reproductive Health, human right, leadership and gender/transformative masculinity, into Faith Beliefs and Practices.

VALUES

Honesty: being open and truthful to everyone Transparency: being known for who you are or what you do by effective and efficient utilization of resources Gender Responsiveness: all NINERELA+ interventions promote gender equality, equity, justice & social inclusion Mutual Respect: each member is recognized irrespective of religion, beliefs and gender Partnership: working closely with other organisations.

Our Strength

As an interfaith organization, NINERELA+ enjoy the privilege of working with Religious Leaders who are recognised as holding unique authorities that play a central role in providing moral and ethical guidance in their faith communities and society at large. NINERELA+ has a large network of trained religious leaders working as champions across the different regions in Nigeria who are continually engaged in reaching people, particularly the underserved populations.

INTERVENTIONS

HIV Stigma Reduction: Developed and disseminated a version of Nigeria’s anti-discrimination Act simplified with verses from the Bible and Quran. Also, developed and launched Nigeria’s first National HIV stigma reduction strategy
Building capacity of Religious Leaders and Civil Society Organizations on HIV/ AIDS and other health related issues through promotion and adoption of SAVE model in Nigeria.
Promoting behavioural change through education information and communication (IEC) on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria using the Glorious Books, depends on the faith of the client.
Training and engagement of faith healers as partners in improving maternal and child health seeking behaviour and establishment of functional linkage to care for antenatal services and prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV (PMTCT).
Providing HIV counselling, Testing and referral services, in faith congregations and where necessary.
Providing Vocational training and income generating activities for women, as well as girl and establishment of Girl child foundation at Mogadishu Barrack and Karshi in Abuja,
Faith community dialogue for prevention of HIV using SAVE model approach in Edo, Anambra, Cross-River, Lagos, Benue Plateau and FCT state through theological schools.
Training of religious leaders on transformative masculinity as a strategy for addressing gender issues using religious teachings.
Training of female religious leaders as sexual and reproductive health/right counsellors to support women and girls in their congregations, and to address the norms that negatively affect women in their communities.

FOCUS AREA

NINERELA+ is an interfaith Network that leverages on the faith platform to address major issues around health, governance, livelihood, Stigma reduction, gender and human right, research and mental health.

STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES

To empower Religious leaders and congregation to address critical health issues like HIV, TB, malnutrition, Malaria, sexual and reproductive health/rights, maternal and child health etc. in their communities.
To provide platform for Religious leaders in Nigeria to acquire and share knowledge on faith strategies for addressing harmful practices/norms, gender and human right, stigma reduction, health education/promotion and governance/leadership.
To support national response against infectious diseases like HIV, TB and malaria through strategic engagements and by influencing policy directions.
To establish partnerships for effective and efficient implementation of interventions.
To provide data through research for evidence based program management and policy direction.
To carry out community engagement through media dialogues and sensitizations for strategic behavioural change communication, and knowledge management

NINERELA STRATEGIES/APPROACHES

NINERELA work by using the following strategies:

Advocacy and policy influencing
Demand creation and community mobilization
Promoting and adoption of SAVE model in theological / Islamic school curriculum
Capacity Enhancement
HIV Counselling and Testing (HCT) and referral networking.
Training / Capacity building.
Service delivery
Information, Education and Communication(IEC)
Behaviour Change Communication(BCC)
Inter-Organization Collaboration and networking
Participatory monitoring and Evaluation
Research

PAST AND PRESENT DONORS/PARTNERS

NINERELA has collaborated with the following international organizations and government Institutions.

Advocacy and policy influencing
DFID/Christian Aid
UKaid/Christian Aid
Gilead foundation/Christian Aid
Management Sciences for health (MSH),
INERELA+ South Africa
Church of Sweden
Ford Foundation
WHO/Stop TB
NACA/MDG

ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE

NINERELA has five (5) Board of trustee (BOT) among them are: religious / Spiritual leaders, others have background Medicine, and social Sciences. NINERELA has 8 man management board members, coordinator or focal persons in various states, Zonal coordinators in the 6 Geo- political zones across Nigerian, dedicated staff and volunteers. NINERELA Headquarter is headed by a National Coordinator and supported by program management team.

About us