In Tanzania, Drivers Help Deliver HIV Services in More Ways than One

By Kija Nyalali, Director of Monitoring and Evaluation, IntraHealth International, Tanzania A Tohara Plus project car passes through a marketplace, distributing leaflets and flyers on HIV prevention in the field. The driver uses a speakerphone mounted on the car to raise community awareness about services available at the nearby health facility and outreach sites. Photo by Josh Estey for IntraHealth International.July 30, 2020When IntraHealth International’s ToharaPlus team received new guidance last year that we should aim to achieve 80% of our annual targets in just 50% of the time, we knew it would take the whole team working together.Delivering this service—which can prevent men’s chances of contracting HIV through heterosexual intercourseby up to 60%—to that many men would require new efforts, strategies, and renewed motivation and energy from the whole team—including Simba Mzee and his team of 18 drivers.As VMMC coverage increases in Tanzania, the number of uncircumcised men shrinks, and it becomes increasingly difficult to reach the men who want the service but haven’t yet gotten it.Simba Mzee, head driver for ToharaPlus, created a graphic depicting the new guidance, which was met with enthusiastic support from his crew of drivers as well as the entire team in Mwanza.
Source: IntraHealth International - Category: International Medicine & Public Health Authors: Tags: HIV & AIDS COVID-19 Source Type: news