Agoè-nyivé is a marginal neighbourhood on the outskirts of the Togolese capital of Lomé. The slum of Agoè-nyivé is home to many people coming from rural areas. HIV spreads easily in such outskirts of large African cities: typically poor, lacking basic health, sanitary, educational and social services.

In 2006, the local Jesuit community established the Centre Espérance Loyola (Loyola Hope Centre) to provide basic educational, religious and social needs in Agoè-nyivé. The centre works in conjunction with the Loyola Education Centre, another Jesuit initiative, to alert youth to the threat of AIDS and awaken their capacity to make a difference.

It is the first such Jesuit initiative in Africa and employs a multi-pronged approach to AIDS prevention and care. It aims to reduce the infection rate in Agoè-nyivé and to offer comprehensive support to infected people and their families. This is done through a recognition that HIV and AIDS have more than a medical impact. The centre's all-inclusive approach meets the nutritional, psychological and spiritual needs of individuals and families affected by HIV and AIDS.

The CEL offers the following services:

Prevention - Peer education, drama, seminars on responsible sexual behaviour, family life, respect for others and oneself; counselling and HIV-testing; support groups for couples to foster HIV-free families.

Care - Pastoral care for people with HIV; support groups for those with AIDS and their caregivers; nutritional education and assistance; home-based care with basic medical services.

Formation of youth, religious volunteers and relatives - Help infected people to stay healthy; Support widows, orphans, child-headed families; Promote prevention and fight stigma.

Advocacy - Use different media to transmit the Church's message; Work to eliminate cultural stigma and social discrimination; promote national and international responses.

Fr. Paterne Momobe, SJ has been the CEL Director since 2006. He has been extensively involved in work on prevention and care for people living with HIV/AIDS, and has been published on the subject. He and a dynamic team of staff and volunteers are the driving force to the work that CEL does in Agoè-nyivé and surrounding areas.

To learn more about Centre Espérance Loyola (CEL), visit their web at www.centreloyola.org or contact Canadian Jesuits International. To give online to CEL, visit the donations section of our website.