08 2014 SEPT.

Newsletter
From 2
nd
to 5
th
September 2014, Orientation sessions have been conducted on UN Cares by Mr. Dan Onyango-
Maina, Regional Coordinator UN Cares in Asmara. UN Cares is the UN system-wide workplace programme on
HIV that is aimed at providing comprehensive support to UN personnel and their dependents to respond to HIV.
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The objectives of the orientation
sessions were to one, mobilise
commitment and support of UN
leadership and management to the
implementation of UN Cares in the
UN system in Eritrea, and two, to
build capacity of the UN Cares in-
ter-agency team to improve coordi-
nation of implementation of the
programme. Mr. Onyango-Maina
met with the UN Country Team
(UNCT), Joint UN Team for HIV/
AIDS (JUNTA), and the Opera-
tions Management Team (OMT).
The main objective of these meet-
ings was to mobilize commitment
and support of management and
leadership to implementation of
UN Cares in Eritrea.
For one and a half days he conducted a capacity building workshop for
the UN Cares team for better implementation of UN Cares in Eritrea.
On the afternoon of 4 September Orientation sessions on UN Cares
were conducted for all UN personnel in Asmara.
UN Cares
ERITREA
All UN Personnel in Eritrea Briefed on UN Cares
UN Cares Team with the Regional Coordinator, Mr Dan Onyango-Maina

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At the orientation sessions,
there were a series of
presentations on UN Cares
by Mr Onyango-Maina
and Mrs. Senait Tesfami-
cael from UNAIDS. In
addition, the participants
showed great interest
through active participa-
tion, asking questions and
discussing important
points.
In his presentation, Mr
Onyango-Maina said
that UN Cares pro-
gramme in Eritrea pro-
vides information, sup-
port and commodities
related to the health and
wellness of the UN Per-
sonnel and their depend-
ants. He also talked on
Adolescents and Sexual
Reproductive Health.
Mr Onyango-Maina put
stress on confidentiality
that is to handle staffs
medical diagnosis and
reporting with high con-
fidentiality. Further-
more, he reminded staff
to take the 90 minutes
mandatory E-course on
HIV.

At the orientation, it was mentioned that
though the prevalence rate in Eritrea is
declining, the UN Agencies have to
scale up their interventions. In line to
this, the UN Cares Inter-Agency Team
identified implementation gaps, chal-
lenges, priorities and the way forward
on how to best implement the pro-
gramme in the country.

UN Cares in Eritrea is also providing
HIV Post Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP)
Kits to UN personnel and their depend-
ents. Staff members are expected to use
all precautionary measures to avoid any
possible exposure to HIV. Post-
Exposure Prophylaxis Kits are intended
for use by HIV-negative persons in the
event of accidental exposure to HIV.
The UN PEP Kits are available to UN
personnel in Eritrea and their immediate
dependents who may have been acci-
dentally exposed to HIV, irrespective of
the means of exposure. Antiretroviral
medications are a serious treatment tak-
en under the supervision of a physician
for an entire month that may cause vari-
ous side-effects.
In the coming months and the year
ahead, UN Cares in Eritrea will have
several important activities focusing on
UN Personnel and their recognized de-
pendants in Eritrea.
PEP Kits are used after someone has
been possibly exposed to HIV.
However condoms are used for pre-
exposure prevention of HIV.
Condoms are not only a means to
protect one from being exposed to
HIV, but they also help to prevent
exposure to other Sexually Trans-
mitted Infections (STIs), and are a
means of contraception. Condoms
significantly reduce the risk of infec-
tion for most sexually transmitted
illnesses. It was emphasized in the
workshop to put all female and male
condoms in all UN Premises bath-
rooms.
Orientation Sessions going on with UN Personnel.
UN CaresERITREA
UN Cares Team