Jhpiego Receives $16.5 Million For HIV Innovations In Tanzania

Main Category: HIV / AIDS
Also Included In: Aid / Disasters
Article Date: 25 Aug 2008 - 2:00 PDT

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Jhpiego has been awarded $16.5 million from the United States Agency for International Development, over five years, to provide support for a program in Tanzania to increase access and use of HIV counseling and testing services.

Knowing your HIV status is critical for preventing the spread of the disease and for receiving life-extending treatment. Jhpiego, with its partners Africare and T-MARC Company Ltd., will provide innovative, high quality community-based HIV counseling and testing services for women and their families in Tanzania. The newly formed coalition will work with hospitals and clinics to help them implement the Tanzanian government's new provider initiated testing and counseling strategy.

"For 15 years, Jhpiego has worked in Tanzania to help improve the health of its citizens by offering innovative, low-cost solutions to many of their most challenging diseases," says Dr. Leslie Mancuso, President and CEO of Jhpiego. "This generous funding is necessary to continue to build community involvement in preventing the devastating effects of HIV/AIDS."

The goals of the program are to:

- Rapidly increase access to quality HIV counseling and testing services for all Tanzanians, particularly those at high risk, by implementing health provider-initiated testing and counseling nationwide and by working with local civil service organizations- including faith-based, non-governmental and community-based organizations-for targeted outreach counseling and testing services

- Develop provider skills for quality counseling and testing service delivery by using a new onsite-training approach for facility level service providers, strengthening quality improvement systems, and advocating for and supporting the shift of HIV counseling and testing duties to lay counselors

- Strengthen linkages to prevention and care and treatment programs, and establish community care and support for HIV-positive clients through the close coordination with PEPFAR-supported care and treatment partners, the reinforcement of referrals under PITC, and the establishment of post-test support groups

- Create demand and mobilize communities, including high risk populations, for HIV counseling and testing, by employing mass media and interpersonal communication channels

About Jhpiego

Jhpiego, (pronounced "JA-PIE-GO"), is an international non-profit health organization affiliated with The Johns Hopkins University. For nearly 40 years, Jhpiego has empowered front-line health workers by designing and implementing effective, low-cost, hands-on solutions to strengthen the delivery of health care services. By putting evidence-based health innovations into everyday practice, Jhpiego works to break down barriers to quality health care services for the world's most vulnerable populations.

Jhpiego