In Tanzania, Local Champions Are Key to Preventing HIV in Adults

By Mary Goodluck Mndeme , Communications officer, IntraHealth InternationalApril 11, 2019They ' re the  bridge between their neighbors and the information and services that could help end the country ' s epidemic.Shaban Peter ’s father died when he was very young, leaving him—last born in a family of six children—and his mother behind.“I’m coming from a poor family,” says Shaban, who’s now 18 and lives in Ushetu District, Tanzania, in the same region where he grew up. “My mother couldn’t manage to send all of us to school. I can’t read or write, but that doesn’t stop me from advocating in my community. I thank God because I have a capacity to listen and understand easily, and from that I can share information with my friends and relatives.”Shaban has a passion for preventing new HIV infections in his community, including by conducting door-to-door and one-on-one visits with his neighbors as he advocates for the benefits of voluntary medical male circumcision (VMMC), which can reduce men ’s risk of acquiring HIV through heterosexual intercourseby around 60%.Shaban was trained on VMMC advocacy by health workers in Ushetu Health Centre, through IntraHealth International ’sToharaPlus project. From there he started collecting VMMC information books, leaflets, and other promotional materials and distributing them to other young men and youth groups.“I walk for about four hours from home to the health center to bring clients there or to collect leafl...
Source: IntraHealth International - Category: International Medicine & Public Health Authors: Tags: Tohara Plus HIV & AIDS Community Engagement Youth Community Health Workers Tanzania Source Type: news