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NAVRONGO HEALTH RESEARCH CENTRE A Field station of the Ministry of Health, Ghana (Member of the INDEPTH Network)
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Location
:Navrongo - Ghana
Investigators :Fred Binka,Erasmus Agongo, Pierre Ngom, Philip Adongo
Collaboration :
Funding
:GTZ/RAP,
UNAIDS, CCISD/Université Laval,
ActionAid-Ghana
Period Covered:1995-1998.
This study aims at mapping social and institutional aspects of sexual health and cross-border migration between the regions of Nahouri/Boulgou (Burkina Faso), Upper East (Ghana), and Savanes (Togo), with a focus on STD/AIDS. The ultimate goal is to propose a feasible intervention that deals with migrants’ sexual health.
This contribution presents findings from a three-country study on Cross-Border Migration, Sexual health, and STDs/AIDS covering Burkina Faso, Ghana and Togo. This study relied on quantitative and qualitative interviews carried out with various migrants groups in Boulgou/Nahouri(Burkina Faso), Upper East(Ghana) and Savanes(Togo). Most migrants have low level of education and are aged between 25-45 years. The duration of stay of these migrants at their host countries varies from few weeks to permanent settlement. Migrants’ economic activities range from farming to trading and prostitution. Health facilities at migrants’ destination are generally poorly equipped and most migrants rely on self-medication. Migrants with ill health/AIDS often return to their home countries for treatment.
The survey also revealed that 40% of frequent cross-border migrants reported ever had sex at their area of destination, out which 40% used condoms and 10% ever had STDs as a result of such casual sex. In the course of this study, a facility survey was carried out and revealed that STDs are among the five top diseases affecting cross-border migrants.