What We Do

Community- Facility HIV linkages for sustained efforts towards HIV epidemic control in Masaka region. The goal of this project is to ‘Achieve rapid HIV epidemic control in Masaka, Kyotera, Rakai and Kalungu Districts through implementing a targeted, user-friendly, innovative, evidence-based, and sustainable differentiated service model for increased demand, linkage, retention and adherence to HIV care services. The project targets children, adolescents, and adults.

Sub-populations include women, adolescent girls and young women, Sex workers, Fishermen, women engaged in transitional sex, Lesbians, Bisexuals, Transgender and Injecting drug users, Truck drivers, Boda boda riders, Armed personnel, Pregnant/lactating mothers, High-risk men, Barmaids, uncircumcised men above 15 especially those in the sexual network with the adolescents, HIV positive men who are eligible but not on ART.

The Core package of interventions include, HTS, Linkage, adherence and retention to ART, viral load monitoring, Post-GBV Care, Expanded/improved Contraception Mix including EC, Community Mobilization, Linkage to VMMC, Psycho-social support, TB, breast cancer and STI screening. Other activities include but are limited to; mapping and sample size estimates for hotspots, creation of KP peer groups, conduct community based targeted HTS outreaches within hotspots, prisons, police and army barracks, same-day ART initiation, viral load monitoring, intensive adherence counseling, sensitization about undetectable=untransmittable, conducting HTS for prisoners at entry and exit points, follow-up of released HIV positive prisoners, the establishment of DICEs, community dialogues targeting KPs and opinion leaders for stigma reduction. ART delivery centers including CDDPs, CCLAD and DICEs are strengthened. Linkage to HIV prevention services including PEP, PreP, SMC, condoms, lubricants, STI screening and treatment for Opportunistic infections are promoted.

A differentiated service delivery model (DSDM), Community ART groups (CAGs), HIV self-testing, assisted partner notification, bar to bar, door to door, boat to boat, moonlight testing, social network testing and other strategies are used to identify naïve HIV positives. Phone calls, Whatsapp other social media platforms are used for booking appointments and reminding re-testing KP, use of community scorecards to monitor uptake of services and continuous quality improvement activities.

This complex project works with KP networks and peer leaders, health facilities, DHTs, HIV and TB index clients, VHTs, expert clients, local leaders, politicians, fisheries departments and beach management units for fishing communities, prison, army and police leadership and leaders of truck drivers for guidance on service delivery. The project has gradually built community systems to promote increased access to HIV prevention and care services and the same time reducing HIV structural drivers.