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.
Aidsfonds Closes its Emergency Fund for HIV Response
Aidsfonds Closes its Emergency Fund for HIV Response
In response to the 90-day freeze of USAID and PEPFAR funding, Aidsfonds launched the Emergency Fund for the HIV Response on the 14th of February. This fund provided current and previous Aidsfonds and the Robert Carr Fund partners with funding to bridge the 90 day-pause and contribute to the continuation of lifesaving services. The overwhelming number of applications we received in the first days highlighted the urgent need for this support. On the 27th of February, the situation took a drastic turn when the U.S. Government decided to terminate nearly all contracts with USAID and PEPFAR funded organisations. This decision is devastating for the HIV response and changes the situation from starting as a short-term emergency to evolving into a long-term humanitarian crisis.
Sidaction and Aidsfonds are pleased to jointly launch a 2 million euros call for scientific proposals for the year 2025, dedicated to accelerating advances in HIV cure research. This initiative aims to mobilise researchers from France, the Netherlands and African countries around this crucial issue for global health.
