Traditional Coffee Ceremony Provides Forum To Discuss Health Issues

In the village of Bati in the Amhara region of Ethiopia, Fatuma N. and her neighbors gather daily for traditional coffee ceremonies, where they share in a favorite beverage and casual conversation. Integral to social and cultural life in Ethiopia, coffee ceremonies also provide an opportunity for neighbors to come together and discuss issues that concern them.

Pregnant with her fourth child, Fatuma recently attended a coffee ceremony organized by Bati's core community team (CCT) members for the prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV. CCT members are individuals from Ethiopia's communities chosen by local government and village residents to mobilize health education and service delivery in their region. Trained and supported by IntraHealth, CCT members organize coffee ceremonies in villages to discuss health issues and provide messages around prenatal care, family planning, stigma alleviation and decreased discrimination as well as messages related to gender, such as empowering partners with the skills and knowledge to make informed decisions about reproductive health and supporting male participation in the health and well-being of families.

After the coffee ceremony, Fatuma, who delivered her other three children at home with only the help of her neighbor, attended an additional forum sponsored by the CCT. There she made sure she understood HIV/AIDS transmission and received a referral to a local health center for prenatal care, which includes PMTCT services. 'Today is the first time in my life I have been seen by health personnel,' said Fatuma. 'Thanks to our community core team members, I understand how HIV is transmitted from mother to child.'

In Ethiopia, where more than 95,000 children under the age of 15 are living with HIV, IntraHealth has been working to help communities like Fatuma’s understand the complex nature of mother-to-child transmission of HIV by ensuring the rights of women, strengthening partnerships between health care providers and the individuals they serve and facilitating the delivery of PMTCT services in health centers.

IntraHealth's PMTCT work in Ethiopia is carried out through the Hareg Project, a U.S. Government-supported coalition of cooperating agencies and local partners. The project currently supports 81 health centers with plans to scale up to 267.