TAFU programme is building the capacity of community structures
Last updated on: 06 March 2024
One achievement that I’m most proud of from the TAFU program is building the capacity of community structures. This is very critical, because the community structures especially the expert clients, are very supportive of the peers. Says Joselyne Mwabadde of the National Forum of People living with HIV and AIDS in Uganda (NAFOPHANU), one of the valuable implementing partners in the Towards an AIDS free Generation in Uganda (TAFU) programme in the past eight years. She reflects on the crucial role of community structures in ensuring children living with HIV have access to the care they need. Watch her interview!
“NAFOPHANU has been implementing TAFU that is the towards an AIDS free generation in Uganda program for the last eight years. We have been working through the PLHIV networks, that is, the expert clients. These structures have been instrumental in supporting the identification, the referral and follow up of lost clients, especially the children and pregnant women. One achievement that I’m most proud of from the TAFU program is building the capacity of community structures. This is very critical, because the community structures especially the expert clients, are very supportive of the peers. This is because they are living in the communities where the children living with HIV also live. And this has helped the TAFU program to realize its goal of increasing enrollment of children living with HIV into care, simply because the expert clients have been able to educate the community about what paediatric HIV is.”
About the TAFU programme
The Towards an AIDS Free Generation in Uganda programme was Aidsfonds’ first paediatric HIV community intervention programme co-created with Ugandan community-based partner organisations. The program trained community resource persons and village health teams to identify children living with HIV, refer them to health facilities and follow up on them after they are enrolled in HIV care. Based on the successes and learnings of TAFU in Uganda, Aidsfonds scaled paediatric HIV programming to four other countries between 2018-2021: Zimbabwe, South Africa, Mozambique and Nigeria. These five programmes, co-developed with partner organisations form the basis for the Aidsfonds Kids to Care model for community-based paediatric HIV programming.
The Towards an AIDS Free Generation in Uganda (TAFU) programme was Aidsfonds’ first paediatric HIV community intervention programme. The programme trained up community health workers to identify HIV positive children, and link individuals to care and ongoing support. The programme was co-created through community leadership and engagement with key stakeholders, building on community knowledge of the needs of children living with HIV. Towards an AIDS Free Generation in Uganda changed the way that community-based paediatric HIV services were delivered.
Medan faces significant challenges related to stigma and discrimination against PLHIV and the LGBTQI+ community. Access to healthcare services is limited, as many people are hesitant to seek medical help due to fears of rejection and discrimination. HIV issues and LGBTQI+ rights receive little policy attention, with healthcare services lacking inclusivity and minimal public education, worsening the situation for the LGBTQI+ community in addressing HIV in Medan.
Three new pilot projects for children living with HIV
Three new pilot projects for children living with HIV
In summer 2024 Aidsfonds launched three new pilot projects for children living with HIV. These projects were selected by Aidsfonds’ Paediatric HIV Advisory Panel. The projects aim to test new and innovative community-based approaches to identify and support children living with HIV who are underserved. This is important as these children are hard to reach, falling through the crack in the health care system.
