December 12, 2011
New HIV Prevention Knowledge Base Topic: Voluntary Medical Male Circumcision
The HIV Prevention Knowledge Base is a collection of research and tools to help you find what works in HIV prevention. The new topic page on voluntary medical male circumcision (VMMC) includes research from the recently released PloS Medicine collection, summaries of promising VMMC interventions, as well as program materials – such as tools, curricula, and models – that can be adapted and used.
View the HIV Prevention Knowledge Base on the AIDSTAR-One website.
December 12, 2011
Gender-Based Violence Program Guide
This interactive guide serves as a tool for program managers to not only begin to address gender-based violence (GBV) within their programs, but also to plan for greater integration and coordination within country teams when designing work plans and budgets. Within the guide, you will find guiding principles for working with survivors of GBV, guidelines for GBV programming, as well as actions and recommended resources for addressing GBV within each U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief technical area.
Access the interactive GBV Program Guide on the AIDSTAR-One website.
December 01, 2011
New Information from the Health Policy Project
In commemoration of World AIDS Day, the Health Policy Project, which is funded by USAID through the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, is featuring new content on its website
Stigma: Raising Awareness and Taking Action for People Living with HIV – This short video raises issues associated with stigma and discrimination, illustrating how each of us must do our part to learn about HIV, speak out against beliefs and behaviors that contribute to stigma, and treat persons living with HIV with respect. In doing so, we can all help improve the lives of people living with HIV.
What Works for Women and Girls: Evidence for HIV/AIDS Interventions – This website compiles and summarizes the base of evidence to support successful interventions in HIV programming for women and girls. More specifically, it focuses on interventions that have an affect on HIV outcomes for women and girls, documenting practices for which there is evidence of successful approaches. The findings are from evaluations of interventions in 90 countries.
Getting to Zero: Social Capital to Strengthen Community Resilience and Readiness to Respond to HIV – In this essay, Dr. Jessica Ogden, a social anthropologist with specialization in public health, describes social capital and concludes, “Through the thoughtful application of social capital, communities and civil society groups can hold leaders to account and demand that they develop policies and programs that create the conditions for improved health, HIV resilience, and Getting to Zero [new infections, AIDS deaths, and discrimination].”
December 01, 2011
HIV-Positive Mothers Receive Emotional Support and Health Information over Coffee
In Ethiopia, the coffee ceremony is a central part of Ethiopian life and a sign to those invited of friendship and respect. The ceremony also plays a critical part in a USAID-supported project that integrates HIV education and food and nutrition security programming.
The Breedlove Project brings together HIV-positive women who are either pregnant or lactating for coffee ceremonies facilitated by a counselor. During these ceremonies, which take place at a health facility, mothers receive emotional support and important health information. The comforting ritual of coffee drinking and a familiar setting enable participants to engage in open discussions about their own experiences as well as sensitive topics, such as sex, illness, domestic abuse, rape, and birth control, which are normally difficult to discuss in Ethiopia’s extremely traditional society. In addition, at each ceremony, the participating counselor provides information about antiretroviral adherence, nutrition, and opportunities for producing food at home.
These ceremonies take place at a health facility and are designed to complement other services that mothers and their children receive there. Learn more about this project and its services.
December 01, 2011
USAID Works to Make Male Circumcision a Covered HIV Prevention Benefit in Namibia
Voluntary medical male circumcision (VMMC) is one of the most effective HIV prevention methods for men. Studies have shown that VMMC can reduce the risk of female-to-male HIV transmission by 60 percent. It is also cost-effective. Recent studies show that if $1.5 billion were invested in the next 5 years, a potential $16.5 billion could be saved in HIV/AIDS treatment costs from now until 2025. For these reasons, USAID supports the scale-up of VMMC services, particularly in countries that have been most affected by the global HIV/AIDS epidemic.
In Namibia, for example, USAID’s innovative project, Strengthening Health Outcomes through the Private Sector (SHOPS), is engaged in an effort to have adult male circumcision covered as an explicit HIV preventative benefit by Namibian medical aid plans. Working with key private sector partners, SHOPS has already helped achieve the first critical step toward this goal: winning approval for a newly standardized fee structure for VMMC. It is now focused on ensuring that the health benefits of male circumcision are understood, that the service is widely covered, and that training in male circumcision clinical skills are offered to private health providers.
Follow this link to learn more about this USAID initiative.
October 17, 2011
Social Service Workforce Training Curricula: Training Programs and Tools to Support Frontline Workers
On September 8th, the Social Service Workforce Strengthening Alliance hosted yet another well-attended webinar, focusing on the topic “Social Service Workforce Training Curricula: Training Programs and Tools to Support Front-line Workers.”
A well-trained and well-motivated workforce is essential to address the social service needs of vulnerable children and their families. However, many countries have a limited supply of professionals with advanced degrees to address child support needs. In an effort to facilitate the social service workforce to meet the needs of a larger population, a number of training models have been developed to equip local community members with basic social work skills and support them in working with vulnerable children and families under the supervision of social work professionals.
Frontline social workers trained under PEPFAR-supported programs will contribute to the legislated target for training and retaining 140,000 new health care professionals and para-professionals.
The webinars, funded by PEPFAR and implemented under the auspices of the Global Social Service Workforce Alliance by USAID partner CapacityPlus, will continue throughout the next year.
You can still access the complete recording of the webinar, engage in the ongoing discussion, and learn about the next webinars.
To join the Social Service Workforce Strengthening webinar listserv, please send an e-mail to SWWS.Webinars@capacityplus.org.
September 21, 2011
NuLife — Food and Nutrition Interventions for Uganda: Nutritional Assessment, Counseling, and Support
HIV, food insecurity, and malnutrition are interrelated phenomena, particularly for people living with HIV. HIV contributes to malnutrition by reducing food intake and nutrient absorption, thus impacting quality of life, ability to adhere to treatment, and clinical response. The NuLife program in Uganda is working to increase the utilization, adherence to, and efficacy of antiretroviral treatment through nutritional assessment, counseling, and support via provision of therapeutic foods.
Read an assessment of the NuLife program to inform future nutrition initiatives in HIV treatment, care, and support programs for USAID and other development partners.
Access the assessment on the AIDSTAR-One website.
September 12, 2011
Why Educating Girls Is a Must
The Girl Effect is a powerful campaign that promotes the importance of empowering young girls around the world. The video campaign ends with “invest in a girl, and she will do the rest.”
Statistics show that a woman is more likely than her brother to share her earnings with her family and her community; her brother is likely to keep more than half of his income for himself.
With an education, a woman’s chance of contracting HIV is greatly reduced, and she is more likely to be involved in local community politics. A woman with an education is more likely to send her children to school and keep them safe and healthy.
Educating a girl not only helps her, but also helps her entire community.
Through USAID, the United States is working to send more African girls to school. The Ambassador's Girls Scholarship Program, part of the President's Africa Education Initiative, strives to reach bright girls who are orphans, handicapped, economically disadvantaged, or affected by AIDS. By 2010, the program hopes to provide some 550,000 scholarships, primarily to African girls at the primary and secondary levels.
Educating a girl not only helps her, but also helps her entire community.
Read the full editorial, Educating Girls a Must.
September 08, 2011
The 11th Annual Global Health Mini University
On September 30, in Washington, DC, USAID and The George Washington University Center for Global Health are holding their annual Global Health Mini University. Featuring more than 70 different sessions highlighting evidence-based best practices and state-of-the-art information from a variety of technical areas across the global health field, the Mini University attracts students, medical professionals, public health experts, NGOs, U.S. Government staff, and others.
The forum is divided into hour-long blocks, each offering a variety of concurrent presentations from technical areas such as HIV/AIDS, family planning and reproductive health, maternal and child health, infectious diseases, health systems, and cross-cutting issues. In addition, there are exciting brown bag sessions offered during the lunch break.
You can register for sessions here: http://www.mini-university.org/.
Follow the conversation on Twitter during the event with the hashtag #GHMiniU.
August 30, 2011
In Mozambique, a Smart Investment in the Private Sector Supports HIV/AIDS Laboratories
At times, investing in the private sector is the shortest route to sustainability for public health programs. In Mozambique, the Ministry of Health and the Supply Chain Management System (SCMS), a project administered by USAID under the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), engaged the services of THL, a local, private company specializing in the procurement, distribution, and maintenance of high-tech hospital equipment.
Health systems can’t run without labs, and labs can’t run without access to reliable equipment maintenance and a consistent supply of consumables. The SCMS-THL contract isn’t only enabling the company to provide labs, health facilities, and hospitals with quality services, it’s also having multiple ancillary benefits. SCMS is working closely with THL to raise the bar of its services. In turn, other clients benefit from THL’s overall improvements to its systems. This has a similar effect on the health system, since the Ministry of Health is THL’s biggest client.
PEPFAR and SCMS strive to strengthen existing health systems rather than build parallel systems. In this case, the private sector provided the best option. Local, commercial enterprises stay long after projects and programs go away.
Learn more about SCMS here: http://scms.pfscm.org/scms
August 23, 2011
Access to Health Care Services Helps Women in Ethiopia Regain Their Strengths and Their Lives
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A USAID-supported HIV/AIDS program helped Almaz become one of her community’s most productive workers.
Source: Daniel Debebe |
All women deserve access to quality health care and the chance at life. Yet there are more than 600 million women in the developing world who struggle to gain such access. Twenty-five-year-old Almaz Minota, from Jimma, Ethiopia, used to struggle in her search for access to quality health care services.
Infected with HIV, Almaz had little energy and depended on the charity of her community to eat. Falling into a deep depression, she felt that she was a burden to her neighbors and struggled to hold onto hope.
This changed when Almaz was referred to programs funded by U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) through USAID. Through these programs, community volunteers work household to household, delivering much-needed basic health care to people who otherwise would not receive help. With assistance from the programs, Almaz was able to get out of bed and back on her feet. She even started her own cleaning business and continues to help many of the same neighbors who used to give her meal leftovers.
Read Almaz’s full story here.
[PDF, 66KB]
Read more HIV/AIDS success stories here.
August 19, 2011
Young People Living with HIV/AIDS Visit U.S. Embassy
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Leaders of the National Network of Adolescents and Young People Living with HIV/AIDS Are Received by Representatives of CDC and USAID.
Source: USAID |
On August 1, leaders of the National Network of Adolescents and Young People Living with HIV/AIDS met with officials from the Brazilian Government and bilateral and multilateral agencies. As part of the agenda, they attended a meeting at the U.S. Embassy in Brasilia with USAID and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) staff.
Created in 2008, the National Network of Adolescents and Young People Living with HIV/AIDS has 120 members who are aged 15 to 29 and are from all regions of the country. The organization aims to support and unite adolescents and young people living with HIV; it also works to develop and implement responses, actions, and policies against the stigma and impact of HIV in their lives.
During the meeting at the U.S. Embassy, the group presented a two-year strategic plan for the organization, whose current priorities comprise actions focused on youth participation, sustainability, political influence, and communication. In the meeting, they also drew attention to the organization’s need of financial and technical investment, in addition to support to build the advocacy skills of the network members and to provide English language training so members are able to adequately represent Brazil in international fora.
August 8, 2011
Collateral Benefits: How the Pursuit of an AIDS Vaccine Has Boosted African Research
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Bashir Farah, lab manager at KAVI.
Source: Vanessa Vick, courtesy of IAVI |
In 1999, the Kenya AIDS Vaccine Initiative was founded by local scientists with the goal of developing a vaccine that would block infection of the strain of HIV most prevalent in Kenya. Just over a decade later, the USAID-funded and International AIDS Vaccine Initiative-supported center has established itself as a model for developing country research institutions, capable of rigorously and ethically evaluating AIDS vaccine candidates and playing a crucial role in the global quest for the vaccine.
So, how has the pursuit of an AIDS vaccine helped spur Kenya’s future in scientific research and technological innovation? IAVI's Helen Thomson examines the question in the new issue of USAID Frontlines.
August 1, 2011
Male Circumcision
The new film, In It to Save Lives: Scaling Up Voluntary Medical Male Circumcision for HIV Prevention for Maximum Public Health Impact, examines the expansion and success of male circumcision as an HIV prevention intervention in Kenya and Swaziland. The film tells the story of how governments and communities in Kenya and Swaziland have embraced VMMC to turn the tide of the HIV epidemic in their countries. Featuring interviews with international HIV prevention experts, national and regional policy makers, and program implementers, the film shows that VMMC programs can be replicated and expanded to reach critical mass. The film weaves together a narrative of success in VMMC programming within communities proud of their contribution to an HIV-free future.
Watch the video In It to Save Lives: Scaling Up Voluntary Medical Male Circumcision for HIV Prevention for Maximum Public Health Impact.
May 24, 2011
Swaziland’s Six-Year MiracleAlthough its population numbers just over a million people, Swaziland has the highest HIV rate in the world. To battle the epidemic, the U.S. and Swaziland governments have developed a countrywide program to reduce and prevent new mother-to-child transmitted HIV infections. The efforts are paying dividends. Within six years, approximately 85 percent of pregnant women who now deliver in facilities have access to treatment. Nearly 60 percent of all potential infant infections are being averted. In a country where the HIV/AIDS epidemic has been so severe that life expectancy is just 49 years, the impact of this campaign will be felt for generations.
Read the full article.
May 10, 2011
Supply Chain Heroes
They are the invisible architects of the battle against HIV/AIDS, managing global drug supplies from the shadows. Six years after PEPFAR’s Supply Chain Management System was established, there are virtually no stockouts of life-saving anti-retroviral drugs in PEPFAR-supported programs. The program provides enough ARVs to support well over half of the 3.2 million people on treatment through PEPFAR.
Read the full article.
March 8, 2011
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Source: FXB |
Global Health Is a Global Good: Making a Difference for Women
Less than two years ago, Rose was struggling to survive, until she enrolled in the François-Xavier Bagnoud (FXB) Village Network program in the Muhanga district of Rwanda, which was funded by USAID through PEPFAR. Along with fellow participants in the three-year USAID project, Rose and her children began to receive the tools they needed to get back on their feet, including access to health care and education, improved sanitation, nutritional support, psychosocial counseling, and financial assistance services.
Rose found it difficult at first to accept her condition, but with the FXB nurse’s support, she learned that she could control her disease. She began to watch her food intake and hygiene and took her antiretroviral drugs consistently.
In addition to the one-on-one at-home counseling sessions with the FXB nurse, Rose began to participate in group counseling sessions with other USAID project participants who were facing similar hardships. These sessions proved instrumental in Rose’s success.
“Feeling encouraged and understood, as well as being part of my community, did wonders for my morale. It helped me be strong and believe in myself; it helped me look forward to a brighter future.”
With her disease under control, Rose was ready to begin earning an income. FXB provided Rose with a small grant and assistance to begin raising livestock. Motivated by her desire to provide a better life for her children and her newfound confidence, Rose’s business thrived.
“Knowing how to remain healthy, receiving treatment, and being supported has helped me become the mother I once was. I have the physical and mental strength to care for and protect my children,” says Rose.
Launched on International Women’s Day 2008, USAID’s Women Making a Difference in Global Health series highlights women whose work through USAID-supported projects has had a positive impact on the health and lives of other women, families, and communities. Read profiles of powerful women who make strong contributions in the best ways they can; USAID is proud to honor them. Read the stories.
March 3, 2011
USAID Funds Swaziland Circumcision Drive
Swaziland recently launched a drive encouraging men to volunteer for circumcision in a bid to curb the spread of HIV. The small kingdom has the highest infection rate in the world.
The USAID-funded drive aims to circumcise 80 percent of Swazi men within a year.
The project, which kicked off in late February with the launch of four new circumcision clinics, targets men between the ages of 15 and 49, and is expected to cover the entire country by April 2011.
Read the full article.
March 2, 2011
Contractors Help Feds Fight AIDS
As a partner of USAID, Partnership for Supply Chain Management (PFSCM) manages a project under PEPFAR to provide a consistent (and safe) supply of medicines and health products for HIV/AIDS prevention, care, and treatment. PFSCM has helped USAID deliver more than $600 million in supplies to countries supported by the PEPFAR initiative. The organization won two awards for innovation for its work supporting the project. Why is this worth a mention? Because PFSCM, which also does similar work to help fight malaria and other public health concerns, is a good example of industry and government pooling resources, expertise, and influence to have a global impact.
Read the full article. |
