International Centre on Advocacy for the Right to Health

The International Centre on Advocacy for the Right to Health’s (ICARH) education package includes technical support enabled by the International HIV/AIDS Alliance (IHAA) and is part of the support for community-based organisations (CBOs) and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) working in the area of HIV/AIDS, reproductive health, and sexuality in the South West States of Nigeria. ICARH works to:

• conduct research into national laws affecting sexual minorities in Nigeria;
• organise conferences, seminars, workshops, meetings, and open debates on issues concerning men who have sex with men (MSM), LGBT, and commercial sex workers in Nigeria;
• develop the capacity as a monitoring organisation to other developing bodies implementing intervention activities as it relates to sexual minorities and PLWHA in Nigeria;
• embark and carry out sensitization workshops and seminars to create awareness of the link between human rights and HIV/AIDS as it relates to sexual minorities, with the aim of reducing discrimination and stigmatisation;
• liaise with government and research institutions to find solutions to the problem of HIV/AIDS and human rights violations and to publish occasional reports on these violations; and
• provide networking and collaboration opportunities with other non-governmental organisations with similar objectives.

Some of ICARH's programmes include the following:

• Well-being in Difference Workshops and seminars
• The Gay and Lesbian adolescent sexuality education series
• Men-Alive support groups for Positive Living
• The Alliance AIDS Initiative: HIV/AIDS Prevention education, care and support for and with MSM
• MSM round tables on sexuality, sexual health and rights
• Nigerian sexual minorities conferences
• The Nigerian LGBT Pride and Carnival (Black-Gold Pride)
• Legal Aid

The organisation has also carried out a participatory community assessment (PCA) with a broad representation of MSM in Ibadan, Nigeria, including those living with HIV/AIDS to determine their knowledge of, and attitude to HIV/AIDS/sexual transmitted infections (STIs), and their access to care and support services. In addition, it provides HIV/AIDS prevention education for men who have sex with men.

HIV/AIDS, Health, Sexual Minorities

The organisation's goal is to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS amongst MSM and to mitigate the impact of HIV/AIDS within the MSM community in Ibadan metropolis.