adminLeonard Ncube Victoria Falls Reporter
THE National Aids Council (NAC) has set aside $5 million to improve community based HIV and Aids response programmes. Each of the country’s 10 provinces will receive $500,000 under the programme. In a statement yesterday, NAC operations director Raymond Yekeye said the focus was to intensify community level prevention while decentralising implementation in a bottom up approach.
“The National Aids Council is working with communities to improve their capacities in the response to HIV in an effort to working towards the realisation of the zero new infection goal. The move is expected to enhance performance with focus being on intensifying community level prevention interventions at local level to ensure better people-centred programmes,” said Yekeye.
“A total of $5 million has been set aside to support various prevention interventions throughout the country. Each of the country’s 10 provinces will receive $500,000.
“The provinces will distribute to districts according to their specific needs and key drivers of the epidemic based on district driven planning.”
He said the decentralisation plan was with immediate effect.
Implementation of the various interventions will be done through partners who are already working in respective districts.
NAC has already engaged provincial and district coordinators in an orientation meeting underway in Masvingo Province to discuss the new development.
“This follows the decision by the NAC’s board and management to support a district focused response which aims to empower communities to make decisions on how best to respond to HIV and Aids.
“Response to HIV is district-based hence disbursements should also be at that level and this shift is expected to be more effective in targeting specific populations within districts that drive the epidemic as well as address uniquely each district,” said Yekeye.
He said the new approach would relieve central and provincial offices of some responsibilities to allow them to push forward other policies and guidelines.
“Because there are guidelines in place, we expect proper and efficient use of resources based on evidence and targeting key drivers of the epidemic,” said Yekeye.
The major focus of the programme will be on youths who are key in the prevention of new infections in young people.
According to a report, youths, particularly those between the ages of 15 and 24, constitute a bigger percentage of new infections.
The most affected are young girls.
The country seeks to end new infections by 2030 as part of contributing to the attainment of the objectives of Zimbabwe Agenda for Socio-Economic Transformation (Zim-Asset).
An estimated 800,000 people are on Anti-Retroviral Therapy with infections at 1.3 million in Zimbabwe.
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