Central Districts Home Based Voluntary Counselling and Testing Project
The Project Manager: Dr. Muganzi Elly.
Background
From 2004 to 2006, ICOBI successfully implemented a home-based, door-to-door HIV counselling and testing project that saw over 90% of household members test for HIV in the whole of Bushenyi district. The results of the project had a substantial implication in the prevention of HIV where the prevalence rate in the district fell from 7% to 3.1% by the end of the project. Among the indicators were; the number of people who got to know their HIV status and accepted to change their behaviour by either living positively, abstaining from sex or using protection measures to avoid new infections and re-infections .
The recommendations made thereafter included the need to scale up this Home-based HCT intervention to benefit other districts in Uganda, particularly those with high HIV prevalence rates.
In July 2008, ICOBI won a second international competitive grant from the United States Government through CDC to implement a similar home-based HIV counselling and testing (HBHCT) project in Central Uganda.
Goal of the HBHCT project
To contribute to the reduction of HIV infection rate and mitigate the impact of HIV in the high HIV prevalence districts of central Uganda.
Target districts
Mubende, Mityana, Wakiso, Nakasongola, Nakaseke and Luwero
Target group
All household members above 14 years of age and children at risk of HIV infection, for instance if the mother tests positive.
Specific project objectives
To achieve 100% awareness on HIV counselling and Testing (HCT) among community members living in the 6 districts.
To offer HBHCT to at least 1,000,000 people in the 6 districts.
To reduce the risk of HIV infection in the population.
To obtain data on utility of HBHCT in various service outlets at the level of sub counties.
To provide ongoing support and counselling.
To increase awareness of VCT beyond the 6 districts.
To document lessons learnt and disseminate good practices.
Some of the key activities
Training and capacity building of project staff and partners.
Community mobilisation in form of sensitization meetings, IEC materials and radio talk shows
HIV counselling and testing in homes and referral of HIV infected persons to health centres
Establishment of quality control system
Setting up a referral system
Provision of basic care for HIV infected individuals
Data collection and management
Monitoring and evaluation
Dissemination of lessons learnt and good practices
Methodology of implementation of HBHCT
Outreach teams each composed of a counsellor and laboratory assistant based in each sub county are assisted by resident parish mobilizers (RPMs), one in each parish, and village health teams or local council officials. They move systematically from door to door in respective sub counties offering HIV/AIDS health education, HCT to consenting eligible household members found at home, referring identified HIV infected individuals and couples to health units and other support groups/organisations within their parishes, sub counties and districts. Data for each individual client is collected by filling a client profile.
Key targets for the period of April 09-March 2010
Establish HBHCT system in Mubende, Mityana, Luwero and Nakaseke districts
Counsel and offer HIV testing to about 150,000 people in 12 months.
Test at least 120,000 people for HIV and give them results in their homes.
Identify and refer more than 15,000 HIV positive people to service providers.
Identify and provide about 12,000 HIV positive people with basic care package.
Help more than 9,000 Persons Living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHAs) access post-test servicesv
Create awareness to all people in the 4 districts on HCT and other relevant basic facts about HIV/AIDS.
Partnerships
Greater collaboration has been established with district health systems organised under respective district health offices and community development departments at sub county levels. Potential partners include JCRC, Mild May International, RTI, PSI, PREFA, Minnesota International, among others.
