07 Sep 2018

The Botswana Christian Aid Intervention Programme, which was launched in 2016 to help identify people living with HIV/AIDS and help them with psychological support and enrol them in community care, has proven to be more successful than anticipated.

Ever since it was launched, house-to-house campaigns and invitations have been conducted in order to ensure and encourage people to get tested and counselled in their comfort zones.

The project officer Mr Tando Franco said in an interview that ever since they introduced door-to-door campaigns, they have managed to test a lot of people and helped them with the necessary means if they tested HIV positive.

He said their campaign in Maitengwe was among their success stories because they were welcomed in households, and that people agreed to get tested.

He also noted that when it came to testing men were still dragging their feet compared to their female counterparts.

Furthermore, he stated that in a recent visit conducted by their counsellors together with community treatment supporters, they managed to deliver their services to hard to reach areas such as Manjerengwa.

Mr Franco said the place was far and that people residing in the area did not have access to services since they struggled to get transport to the village centre for services.

He said as an initiative to help people in those areas, they offered free services, provided vehicles to ensure people enrolled under the community care programme took their medicines at the right time, and that they did not default on their medication due to the that that they were far from the clinic.

In addition, he noted that in order to get more men to test, they targeted them through fun activities such as football tournaments where they came in large numbers. He said it has proved helpful.

The project officer added that he was happy with how women were coming in numbers to get tested, and encouraged them to talk to men into doing the same so that they coud achieve their goal by 2020 where everyone should know their status. ENDS