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I-TECH

Category: Caryl Feldacker

Zimbabwe

Photo credit: Macpherson Photographers

There are an estimated 1.3 million people living with HIV/AIDS in Zimbabwe and the country is severely impacted by this disease. For the past 16 years, I-TECH has worked collaboratively with the Ministry of Health and Child Care (MoHCC) and other partners to strengthen the HIV response in Zimbabwe. I-TECH works together with local implementing partners and supports activities across the entire continuum of care from HIV prevention activities to HIV testing, immediate linkage to care and treatment services, management of opportunistic infections and retention in care and viral suppression.

In 2003, I-TECH began working in Zimbabwe by conducting an assessment of need and capacity for clinical and other HIV-related training in collaboration with Zimbabwe’s National AIDS and Tuberculosis Programs. With funding from HRSA, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), I-TECH provided a decade of technical support and assisted with the development of multiple training programs, evaluations, and laboratory systems strengthening.

In both 2013 and in 2018, CDC and PEPFAR awarded funding for I-TECH to continue and expand its work supporting the country’s HIV epidemic-control efforts through 2023.

In 2018, I-TECH Zimbabwe transitioned to the independent Zimbabwe Training, Technical Assistance and Education Center for Health (Zim-TTECH). Together, I-TECH and Zim-TTECH build local ownership and sustainability through collaborations throughout Zimbabwe. Under the CDC and PEPFAR awards, I-TECH and Zim-TTECH lead two consortia: ZAZIC and ZimPAAC.

Program Highlights

Expanding HIV Care and Treatment in Zimbabwe
The ZimPAAC consortium collaborates with the Ministry of Health and Child Care (MoHCC) in Zimbabwe to meet the following primary HIV epidemic control objectives:

  • Diagnose 95% of all persons living with HIV through integrated testing
  • Ensure 95% of individuals diagnosed with HIV are initiated on antiretroviral therapy (ART), retained ...
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Increasing VMMC Delivery and Safety in Zimbabwe
Employing modern medical male circumcision within traditional settings may increase patient safety and further male circumcision scale up efforts in Sub-Saharan Africa. ZAZIC established a successful, culturally sensitive, partnership with the VaRemba, an ethnic group in Zimbabwe that practices traditional male circumcision. The VaRemba Camp Collaborative (VCC) was created to ...
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Reducing HIV through Voluntary Medical Male Circumcision in Zimbabwe
Since 2013, the ZAZIC Consortium has been implementing Voluntary Medical Male Circumcision (VMMC) as part of a combination HIV prevention package approved by the Ministry of Health and Child Care (MoHCC) in Zimbabwe. Unlike other VMMC programs in the region, the ZAZIC model uses an integrated approach, blending local clinic ...
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Two-Way Texting for Post-Operative VMMC Follow-Up RCT in Zimbabwe
Voluntary medical male circumcision (VMMC) is considered safe and the vast majority of men heal without complication. However, guidelines require multiple follow-up visits, which can burden staff and facilities with clients who are typically healing well. With funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), ZAZIC recently conducted a prospective ...
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South Africa

The Republic of South Africa is working to meet the health challenges facing its people, which include a high HIV prevalence compounded by high incidences of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and tuberculosis.

In 2003, at the request of the National and Provincial Departments of Health and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Global AIDS Program, I-TECH began work in South Africa to support the government’s Operational Plan for Comprehensive HIV and AIDS Care, Management, and Treatment.

In anticipation of National Health Insurance, the key health initiatives in South Africa currently focus on strengthening the primary health care system to provide greater access to quality care to the most vulnerable populations and to reach the UNAIDS 95-95-95 goals.

I-TECH in South Africa has worked with government and community leaders, individuals, and communities to improve the effectiveness and sustainability of the South African national HIV, STI, and tuberculosis responses. In all of its efforts, I-TECH has placed an emphasis on program assessment, monitoring and evaluation, and continuous quality improvement with sustainable local involvement to ensure programs can transition to local entities.

Current Program Highlights

Expanding Two-Way Texting for Voluntary Medical Male Circumcision Clients in South Africa
I-TECH, in close partnership with voluntary medical male circumcision (VMMC) implementing partner, the Aurum Institute and technology partner, Medic, is conducting a five-year study funded by the National Institutes of Health to further evidence on the efficiency, safety, and scalability of two-way text-based (2wT) follow-up for VMMC services. 2wT is ...
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Past Programs

Health Policy System Strengthening in South Africa

I-TECH supported the National Department of Health (NDoH) in the process of strengthening the policy management and implementation systems with ...
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Mental Health Integration (MhINT) Program in South Africa

In collaboration with the University of KwaZulu-Natal, and The Knowledge Translation Unit, I-TECH worked with the National Department of Health ...
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Key Populations Sensitization Training for Health Care Workers in South Africa

I-TECH South Africa supported the development, implementation, and evaluation of a comprehensive sensitization and capacity development pilot intervention with the ...
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Health Worker Capacity Development in South Africa

I-TECH supported Human Resource and Primary Healthcare Directorate-led training and capacity development initiatives through training and mentoring activities based on ...
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