06 Sep 2015

Humana People to People, a non-profit organisation that seeks development for the less privileged, is implementing its pilot Communities Acting Together to Control AIDS (CATCH) programme, funded by UNAIDS starting in South East District. 

The partnership director at Humana, Ms Anne Dorte Hoejrup said the CATCH programme was an advocacy intervention for social accountability. She said in order to strengthen community ownership and participation in TB, HIV and reproductive, maternal, neonatal, child health and adolescent health (RMNCH) activities, the traditional leadership was being mobilised, engaged and empowered to provide leadership in HIV and TB prevention and control interventions.  

“The leadership and dikgosi will be trained on HIV, TB, RMNCH planning, implementation and monitoring, and this includes strengthening communities to be able to identify, plan, implement and monitor activities at their level,” she said.

She said at the community level, plans would be developed and aligned to national objectives and interventions to  “improve knowledge retention and simple materials will be developed and printed in local languages. The traditional leadership, with technical guidance from CSO facilitators, DAC and DHMT personnel, will facilitate conversations for identification and building consensus on community HIV, TB and RMNCH challenges and needs as well as assisting communities to develop comprehensive action plans with specific activities that address identified community challenges.”  

The programme started in June and Humana People to People trainers have been in the field to teach and sensetise community members about the programme. She said they would conduct a further four days training for their master coaches. 

“After this training, the facilitators in the project will start the next phase of the communities doing vision building and planning for action,” she said.  The programme would be rolled out throughout the country.

The CATCH  project is meant to address TB, HIV, RMNCH and other health problems as part of strengthening community level monitoring, community HIV, TB and RMNCH data collection tools for planning, implementation and monitoring.

 She said quarterly community monitoring and review meetings would be held to assess implementation, identify gaps, challenges and determine remedial action. 

“District level structures and responsible civil society organisations will provide ongoing support to communities in the implementation of their plans,” she said. She also said the former minister, Mr Peter Siele, who is the UNICEF ambassador, visited the fields of the Humana People to People Child Aid project in Ghanzi and Charleshill as part of their community engagement activities.  

In October, Human People to People will launch the advancing partnerships in communities programme that will implement the 90-90-90 strategy to achieve HIV infection control. Ends