ZINGATIA MAISHA (AMREF)

Overview

As a sub-grantee to AMREF on this GlaxoSmith Kline-funded project, EGPAF sought to improve the quality of life of people living with HIV/AIDS in Kenya through treatment adherence, support, and promotion of continuum of care by:

• Developing the capacity of antiretroviral therapy (ART) providers to enhance treatment access and adherence;
• Building capacity of community PLWHA groups to enhance treatment access, adherence, and psychosocial support;
• Creating a functional referral system linking health facilities and communities

Through the project, community-based support groups partnered with health facilities to develop referral tools, deliver HIV treatment literacy, and provide adherence counseling and support. 38 health facilities in several counties across Kenya were supported to establish the project’s unique Health Facility/Community Linkage Committees (HCLCs). The HCLCs provided a forum for clinicians and other health workers to interact with their clients to improve on the quality of care. The project also ensured that all sites attained an appropriate level of infrastructure and technical capacity, funding minor but significant improvements to buildings and equipment and training in areas such as ART adherence support, stigma reduction, stress management, and trauma awareness. Community support groups were developed in the fields of adherence and psychosocial support, treatment literacy, referrals, and defaulter tracing.