Folorunsho Oloruntunde
Executive Director
Faith-Based Humand Development Initiative.

Prior to one being infected with HIV; the virus that causes AIDS, the basic issues of concern are social and cultural. At the point of infection the primary issues now becomes medical and psychological in nature. This is a dichotomy that affects the content of intervention strategies at these two stages in the prevention and management of the HIV/AIDS crisis.

Faith-based approaches have and is still playing a dominant role at every stages in the control of the HIV and AIDS pandemic. Before the problem became such a societal menace, the faith community had put in place structures for its prevention and management. The importance of the existing faith structures became evident at the inception of the AIDS crisis in the early 80s when national responses had not yet evolved.

The Faith Based Human Development Initiative (FDHI) is an interfaith non-governmental organization that is responding to the HIV and AIDS crisis in the Nigeria education sector by working in collaboration with government and relevant non-government agencies to reach out to the youths in Secondary and Tertiary institutions. ​

FDHI collaboration with Federal Ministry of Education, the National Teacher’s Institute, The Presidency, through the office of Senior Special Assistant to the Presidency on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is another attempt to take the message of HIV and AIDS from religious perspectives further and wider to the door steps of young students who are most vulnerable in our society.