HOSPAZ/Bantwana Project
HOSPAZ through the generous support from USAID is implementing the HOSPAZ/Bantwana (HB), a five-year project (2015-2020) with the overall goal of mitigating the impact of HIV and AIDS on Zimbabwe’s children by enhancing the sustainability of care and support services for Orphaned and Vulnerable Children (OVC). The project currently serves OVC affected and infected by HIV in the three districts of Makonde, Chegutu and Kadoma districts working through two partners, Pamuhacha (Makonde) and Tsungirirai (Chegutu, Kadoma). The project aims at leaving households, local services, communities and government well equipped through the different program models to provide integrated and comprehensive care and support services for children directly affected or infected by HIV. In addition, the project is enhancing the coordination and collaboration between government and community structures as well as reinforce capacity of Department of Social Welfare and local partnerships to look after and create a safe environment for its children. By the end of the project, approximately 67 278 unique children are expected to be reached with comprehensive wrap around services in education, health, child protection and economic strengthening (ES). The aim is to promote comprehensive child development, ensuring that each child is healthy, safe, being educated and socially and emotionally adjusted using a comprehensive case management approach.
HOSPAZ strives to ensure that during program implementation there is provision of comprehensive prevention, treatment, care and support “Palliative Care” services. The HB program upholds the family centered approach to palliative care service provision. Chronic Care programming is done for HIV including both adults and children. Among some of the services offered is capacity building for households, communities, implementing partners, and other line ministries at both District and national level.
Expanded Integrated Management of Pediatric HIV and AIDS Care and Treatment (EIP)
The Expanded IMPACT Program’s aim is to increase children’s access to antiretroviral therapy and other health services including comprehensive palliative care. The thrust of the EIP program is accelerating peadiatric ART through early identification, testing, diagnosis and treatment, and meeting the children’s health needs physically and psychosocially and making referrals for other unmet needs.
HOSPAZ continues to support an integrated community approach that builds on the work, expertise, and commitment of its partners, expands evidence-based service delivery models of care and support, and strengthens community structures to ensure that a HIV testing services reach the most vulnerable children and families. Under the Expanded IMPACT Program (EIP), more HIV positive children are being reached with critical care. This is in line with HOSPAZ goal of promoting a comprehensive community approach to quality care from diagnosis of life threatening illness to dealing with grief and loss.
Our innovative models of care are based on existing community structures and address children’s comprehensive needs. EIP strengthens the linkages and referral systems between community and government service providers, and works closely with the Ministry of Health and Child Care to accelerate peadiatric ART.
EIP trains community health workers to mobilize and educate communities about pediatric ART and how to access treatment. To provide services, the community health workers reach out to women of child-bearing age or who have recently given birth through prevention of mother to child transmission (PMTCT) groups and counseling services at local community centers. The project facilitates the provision of economic strengthening interventions as it is one of the pillars in comprehensive palliative care for affected adolescents and youth to enhance income, food and nutrition security. Health workers also link mothers to HOSPAZ-supported Internal Savings and Lending groups, where they learn basic financial literacy and how to save to support their children while also learning about healthy parenting.
The EIP is currently testing and linking HIV positive children to ART across 3 districts of Hwedza, Makonde and Mhondoro-Ngezi in Zimbabwe. HOSPAZ is also supporting the Ministry of Health and Child Care to provide lifelong anti-retroviral treatment to HIV positive mothers, regardless of their CD4 counts. EIP trains community health workers to mobilize and educate communities about HIV testing services, pediatric ART and how to access treatment. The program is also training primary care nurses in HIV integrated management, strengthening the capacity of local health
Additionally, EIP intervention package includes early childhood stimulation, parenting skills, home visits/case management, and economic strengthening activities for caregivers to be able to afford treatment and transportation costs.
THE EGMONT PROJECT (2005 – TO DATE)
The Egmont Trust project has been implemented in phases from phase one to the current phase four focusing on palliative care for children and adoloscens living with HIV/AIDS as well as other life threatening illness including dealing with grief and loss. Palliative care is major component in the HOSPAZ Circle of are for adults and children affected by illness. The project has been organic in nature characterized by how the project grew and was responsive, through community involvement in comprehensive palliative care and advocacy for each community.
Projects have primarily sought to enhance knowledge and skills of CBOs, community volunteers, and health professionals in dealing with contemporary issues for children and adoloscents. At the same time, projects managed to strengthen community support, the referral system, and empower children and adolescents through PSS & other interventions in GBV and HIV prevention treatment, care and support. The current EGMONT project built on a previous project that had largely focused on GBV and HIV prevention for adolescents and young people infected and affected by HIV. The thrust of the current project is improving the quality of life for the young people living with and affected by life threatening illnesses and strengthening the capacity of communities to meet the needs of adolescents and youth affected by HIV to enable them to live in a safe and supportive environment. The project facilitates the provision of economic strengthening interventions as it is one of the pillars in comprehensive palliative care for affected adolescents and youth to enhance income, food and nutrition security. Economic strengthening contributes to reduction of GBV and HIV infection among young people. The current EGMONT project built on a previous project that had largely focused on palliative care for adolescents from 2012 to 2014.