EGPAF supports the provision of family-based HIV/AIDS care services through a broad range of activities in DRC, including:
- PMTCT
- Sexual and gender-based violence screening and treatment
- Early infant diagnosis of HIV
- TB screening and referral
- Syphilis testing and treatment
- Family planning counseling and services
- Male involvement
- Nutritional support
EGPAF is a global advocate for policies that address the needs of women, children, and families living with and affected by HIV and AIDS. In DRC, EGPAF support the Ministry of Health in adapting PMTCT and pediatric care and treatment guidelines, tools, and policies to match international best practices.
Providing a Comprehensive Continuum of Care and Treatment Services in the DRC – The Malamu Project
(CDC/PEPFAR: 2011–2016)
Project Malamu is taking a comprehensive approach to providing coverage and improving the continuum of care for HIV services in Kinshasa and Katanga Provinces over the span of five years. In year one, the project focused on providing prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV (PMTCT) services in Kinshasa and Lubumbashi, including syphilis testing, screening for sexual and gender-based violence, and male involvement activities. In year two, the project is incorporating tuberculosis (TB) co-infection services and adding support to pediatric care and treatment sites. Ultimately, Project Malamu will increase the quality and coverage of services in facility and community settings while focusing on local ownership and sustainable approaches. This will be accomplished through key strategies that will ensure that goals and objectives are achieved in an efficient, effective, and sustainable manner. Sustainability and local ownership of activities to ensure lasting effects beyond the life of the project are at the core of the project’s design, and have been strategically incorporated into project activities.
ProVIC Integrated HIV/AIDS Project in the Democratic Republic of Congo (Projet Intégré de VIH/SIDA au Congo)
(USAID/PATH: 2009–2014)
ProVIC’s mission is to reduce the incidence and prevalence of HIV and to mitigate its impact on people living with HIV/AIDS and their families in the five provinces where the project operates (Bas Congo, Katanga, Kinshasa, Province Orientale, and Sud Kivu). By integrating comprehensive HIV/AIDS services into local health systems, ProVIC seeks to foster engaged, active “Champion Communities” that are ultimately responsible for their own futures.
ProVIC is led by PATH, and is made up of Chemonics International, the International HIV/AIDS Alliance, and EGPAF. EGPAF is responsible for the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV (PMTCT) and early infant diagnosis components of ProVIC. In 2010, EGPAF established a network to provide early infant diagnosis services to HIV-exposed infants in catchment areas surrounding urban ProVIC. Since DNA/PCR testing became available in DRC in mid-2010, EGPAF has led the way in the collection, transportation, and return of infant testing results.
Kinshasa School of Public Health (KSPH) PMTCT Program
(Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation: 2007–2012)
For the last decade, EGPAF has been providing financial and programmatic support to the Kinshasa School of Public Health’s prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV (PMTCT) program. By 2012, the program served clients through 55 sites in Kinshasa and rural areas of DRC in Equateur, Orientale, Kasai Oriental, Bandundu, and Bas Congo.
Support to the Ministry of Health
(Private: 2001–2011)
EGPAF is credited with introducing prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV (PMTCT) to DRC in 2001. Since then, EGPAF has supported the Ministry of Health with its national PMTCT efforts and has:
- Provided targeted technical assistance to the National AIDS Control Program
- Sponsored a 2007 trip to Rwanda, which led the Ministry of Health to introduce HIV counseling and testing into labor and delivery wards
- Conducted a national meeting on the transition to combination regimens for PMTCT
- Led the national process that resulted in the adoption of revised guidelines for PMTCT
Support to University of North Carolina (UNC)
(Private: 2001–2011)
From 2001 to 2011, EGPAF supported sub-grants to the University of North Carolina (UNC) for both prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV (PMTCT) and HIV and AIDS care and treatment programs. From 2007 to 2009, EGPAF supported UNC care and antiretroviral treatment (ART) services for children and families living with HIV and AIDS.