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Kenya Clinic Hands Grannies a Lifeline
The Mtito Andei grannies story is one of hope—a story of 15 grandmothers who care for their HIV-positive grandchildren following the death of their own children caused by HIV-related illnesses. The grandchildren are receiving HIV care at Mtito Andei Health Centre, one of 58 HIV clinics supported by ICAP in the South region of Eastern Province in Kenya. A one-stop shop for HIV and TB diagnosis and management for children, the Centre has expanded its services to provide health and social support care for the elderly grandmothers of these children.
Each month, the 15 grandmothers bring their grandchildren to the clinic for routine check-ups. As the children receive their care, grandmothers have their own set of check ups—they attend a psychosocial support group where they discuss their experiences caring for their children, offering encouragement and companionship to one another. They also receive basic clinical evaluations, such as blood pressure monitoring and information regarding other health conditions.
At 80-years old, Ndani Mwulu has ten grandchildren that were left to her care by her three children who all died of HIV-related illnesses. Ndani Mwulu discovered that one of her grandchildren was HIV-positive, after he had collapsed in school and was taken to the Mtito Andei Health Centre. She explains that she and her grandson were given care and counseling, and she now is hopeful of her grandchild’s future. “If I had learned all this about HIV earlier, my three children would not have died” she says. “I am determined to make my grandson live a healthy and long life.”
During a recent site visit, ICAP staff spoke to the 15 grandmothers who shared their praise for the clinic. “The group has given us a forum to share our experiences and encourage one another. When we bring our grandchildren to the clinic, we feel that we are also taken care of, so we are a group of healthy grandmothers bringing up healthy HIV-infected children. Really the clinic has brought to us what we never thought was possible,” said one grandmother.
This initiative is one of several supported by ICAP to help include often-overlooked populations (such as grandmothers), and encourage them to be agents of care. It is also part of ICAP’s focus to build on the HIV platform to address other health conditions, including the chronic non-communicable diseases that the grandmothers in this setting are at risk for.
Monitoring and Evaluation Launches New Webinar Educational Series
ICAP’s Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Unit has launched a new webinar series. The first type of webinars will focus on data dissemination and discussion. These will take place at least twice a year and will highlight important trends and outcomes in ICAP-supported programs using routinely collected aggregate, patient-level and PFaCTS data (Program and Facility Characteristics Tracking System), as well as publicly available data. This series aims to encourage closer examination of these data and facilitate evidence-based programming. Recordings and slides from the first Data Dissemination Webinar, “Baseline Characteristics and Outcomes among Youth Enrolled in ICAP-Supported Care and Treatment Facilities,” are available on the ICAP Webinars page.
The second type of webinars, ICAP Methodology Webinars, will be developed in collaboration with ICAP’s Research Unit. These webinars will occur at least twice a year and will offer practical application of analytic and research-related concepts. Topics may include epidemiologic and biostatic principles, concept note preparation, MARP (most at-risk populations) size estimation, DHS data, and good clinical practices for research. The goal of this series is to facilitate use of these concepts when measuring progress towards program goals, targeting interventions, conducting program evaluation, and implementing studies. Details on the first ICAP Methodology Webinar will be available soon.
Topic suggestions for both series of webinars are welcome, and should be sent to Michelle Moses-Eisenstein at mlm2221@columbia.edu.
ICAP Nurse Capacity Building Initiative Leadership Summit Held in Addis Ababa
More than 45 nursing and midwifery leaders from nine African countries gathered together for the INCI Nursing Leadership Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in February. This conference presented an opportunity for these leaders to explore strategies for advancing nursing in their respective countries.
The summit brought together participants from South Africa, Swaziland, Kenya, Rwanda, Côte d’Ivoire, Lesotho, Zambia, Malawi, Ethiopia, and Nigeria. The official welcome address was given by Zenebe Melaku, country director for ICAP in Ethiopia, followed by keynote presentations from Thomas Kenyon, country director for CDC Ethiopia, and Abraham Endeshaw, director of medical service directorate, Federal Ministry of Health of Ethiopia. Participants also received updates about the state of nursing in Ethiopia from the Ethiopia Nurses Association and the Midwives Association, and visited Bishoftu Hospital, a local ICAP-supported site in the Oromiya Region, to see firsthand nurse-centered models in action.
ART Literacy Campaign Launched in Tanzania
In March, ICAP’s office in Tanzania launched a new campaign to educate people living with HIV on the timely use of care and antiretroviral therapy services. The year-long campaign employs radio spots, posters, leaflets, and newspaper advertising to share its message on available HIV care and treatment services. It is rolling out first in Kagera and Kigoma. Local news outlets covered ICAP’s campaign launch, which offered HIV testing and counseling to more than 280 attendees. ICAP aims to encourage HIV-positive Tanzanians to enroll in care and treatment services and adhere to necessary drug regimens. The ICAP team in Tanzania is collecting data throughout the campaign, which will be used to assess its impact.
El-Sadr Gives Jeffrey P. Koplan Global Leadership in Public Health Lecture in Atlanta
ICAP Director Wafaa El-Sadr presented at the 9th Annual Jeffrey P. Koplan Global Leadership in Public Health Lecture hosted by the Public Health Practice Program and the Office of Global Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on March 23, 2011. Her lecture was entitled, “The HIV Epidemic and Global Health at the Crossroads: Advances Made, Pressing Needs.”
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