Emory University: Rwanda Zambia HIV Research Group (RZHRG)
Emory University’s Rwanda Zambia HIV Research Group (RZHRG) has been providing couples’ HIV voluntary counseling and testing (CVCT) at sites in Zambia and Rwanda for more than 20 years. In 2009, RZHRG and its sister site in Zambia, the Zambia Emory HIV Research Project (ZEHRP), were designated Couples’ HIV Counseling and Testing Centers of Excellence by the U.S. CDC. In this capacity, RZHRG provides training and technical assistance to help countries support and implement CVCT across a variety of settings including increasing male involvement in PMTCT services. In 2010, staff from EGPAF’s country programs in Tanzania, Swaziland, and Mozambique visited RZHRG sites to observe CVCT activities. The following year, RZHRG provided training to EGPAF/Swaziland and EGPAF/Tanzania on topics ranging from CVCT implementation to ways that CVCT can increase male involvement in prevention efforts. RZHRG also provided technical assistance to these country teams, collaborating with the respective Ministries of Health to review and edit national curricula for couples’ counseling and testing.