About PATA

MISSION
Positive Action for Treatment Access (PATA), is a non-governmental organization working to ensure that every individual has access to treatment education and every person can access qualitative, affordable, ethical and humane treatment.

VISION
A nation where every individual is knowledgeable about HIV and AIDS and every person with a chronic illness can access affordable, available, qualitative, ethical and humane treatment, which will empower them to take charge of their lives and health.

SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES

1. To promote access to treatment education
2. To advocate for access to affordable qualitative diagnostic tests and drugs to treat HIV, AIDS and its attendant problems.
3. To ensure non-discriminatory gender based responses to disease prevention and treatment.
4. To support the full participation of people infected with and affected by diseases in all responses
5. To work in partnership with other persons and institutions including governments to facilitate information sharing and build platforms for networking.
6. To build capacity of persons and institutions at all levels to ensure an increase in treatment access.
7. To facilitate a sector-wide prevention, testing and treatment of HIV and AIDS.
   
   
   PLANNED ACTIVITIES
8. Identify recruit and train volunteers as treatment educators, supporters and counselors
9. Treatment education in the media
10. Build platform for networking and collaboration between orthodox and health care providers
11. Research and publish locally available food supplements and herbal remedies for treatment of opportunistic infections
12. Gender based responses to HIV treatment and prevention
13. Training of people living with HIV as educators and public speakers thus empowering them to take charge of their lives and health
14. Developing community based programs that supports and places people living with HIV and other life threatening illnesses at the center and ensures their involvement in key decision-making process.
15. Advocating and mobilizing our communities, leaders, businesses and all sectors of society to take its share of the responsibility to prevent new infections, promote VCT and promote openness about HIV and AIDS.

PREVIOUS AND ONGOING PATA ACTIVITIES

Frontiers Project (FP)
Most HIV/AIDS prevention, care and treatment programs widely available are focused on the poor and lower class people in society. As a result, Nigerians have come to see HIV as a disease of the poor rather than a disease the working class. The Frontiers Project (FP) is about reaching the hard to reach. It targets the middle end upper class people living with HIV who have no where to seek support. FP held its first meeting in March 2004 with 8 people present. It has since grown to a membership of 23 upwardly mobile young professionals. RHR has acted as a safe space for middle class professionals who crave more than the money to buy medications. Their major challenge has been where to meet with people like themselves and how to mitigate the financial burden living with HIV imposes. They belong to a generation that sustains their aged parents, their own children, spouses and educating their siblings. Most of these people are so important that if AIDS take them out, then the entire family might get back into poverty and lack.

Media Education Project
The media education project aims to inform the community about HIV and AIDS.

• PATA is currently running a program on 12 TV Stations across Nigeria, called “IN MOMENTS LIKE THIS”
• PATA also publishes a quarterly newsletter on HIV and AIDS treatment education, called “Positive Moments”

Treatment Advocacy
There is a need to keep treatment issues always on the front burner of the AIDS agenda and help communities to understand what is available and can be strengthened.

Public Education
Ignorance is the main reason for majority of the problems we have with HIV and AIDS. To help alleviate this, PATA does the followings: -

• HIV basic information and Treatment literacy programs in health facilities and Support Groups.
• Treatment education training of healthcare providers.
• Holding talks on HIV and AIDS in churches, schools, alumni associations, clubs and societies.
• Training staff kindred NGOs on HIV Treatment education and basic information.

People for people Project
PATA is aware of the fact that the spread of HIV and the needless loss of lives associated with AIDS cannot be curbed effectively if the issue of stigma and discrimination is not addressed aggressively.

PATA is involved in:

• Training of people from NGOs, support Groups and private sector on HIV and AIDS related stigma and discrimination.
• Raising a corp. of volunteers committed to challenging and addressing stigma and discrimination wherever they see it manifest.
• Advocacy for relevant legislation that will provide a platform for people who are discriminated on the basis of their health status to seek redress in the courts.

SECRETARIAT
PATA is a Non-Governmental Organization, we look forward to collaborating with NGOs, Corporations, SACAs and FBOs etc.

PATA is located at 1st Floor, Holy Trinity Hospital Plaza, Adesina Street, Off Obafemi Awolowo Way, Ikeja.

www.pata-nigeria.org
info@pata-nigeria.org
 

Our People

Morolake Odetoyinbo, PATA founder and Project Director
Morolake Odetoyinbo is an Activist, Advocate, Writer, Trainer, Public Speaker, Television Producer and Presenter. With a background in Dramatic Arts, she has over ten years experience in fighting for the rights of the marginalized and vulnerable in society.

Morolake has worked on issues of People with Disabilities and Persons living with HIV and AIDS. She has engaged in HIV/AIDS policy review and developmsent around issues of treatment, research and ethics, advocates for inclusive programming involving People living with HIV. She is a key actor in mobilizing, networking and mentorship of People, particularly women living with HIV. She is a 2007 graduate of the African American HIV University (AAHU) Los Angeles, California.
 

Titilola Babalola – Program Officer
Ms.Titilola Bablola, our program officer is a young dynamic lawyer. She has been trained in SRH and understands the legal and human rights issues around HIV treatment and care service provision. She is an integral part of our proposal writing, project design and implementation team and she coordinates the Women and Leadership Mentorship Training (WLMT), a program designed to raise new leaders amongst women living with HIV. Titilola, a member of the Institute of Chartered Secretary in Nigeria, is a graduate of law from the Lagos State University and bagged Barrister at Law at the Nigerian law school.
Email: titilola.babalola@pata-nigeria.com


Temitayo Oyedemi – Programme Associate
The program Associate, Ms. Temitayo Oyedemi, is an alumnus of the twelve month Women Leadership and Mentorship Training (WLMT) where she studied HIV treatment, prevention, Counselling and programming. She has attended various conferences and participated in various fora as a resource person. Temitayo is the Chair Person, International Community of Women Living with HIV, Nigeria Chapter.
Email: temitayo.oyedemi@pata-nigeria.com


Samuel O. Ijiyokun – Logistics/Production Assistant
Samuel, a dedicated eager-to-learn young man who possesses great leadership qualities works actively on the program, “In Moments Like This”, our Unilever Nigeria Plc sponsored HIV/AIDS Magazine Television program. Mr. Ijiyokun, an undergraduate of Mass Communication at the Lagos State Polytechnic is also PATA’s in-house trainee TV editor.
Email: samuel.ijiyokun@pata-nigeria.com


Austin Ehi – Administrative Assistant
Our “Power Holding” Austin is dependable and hardworking. This longest serving staff member of PATA is quietly efficient and firm. He ensures the smooth running of the office.