Andy Still in America: November 2010

Monday, November 8, 2010

News article in the paper about the project

NEWS

Progress in HIV testing in S/Phikwe

CALISTUS KOLANTSHO
CORRESPONDENT

SELEBI-PHIKWE: Despite getting off to a slow start, the voluntary counselling and testing outreach project sponsored by BOTUSA and the Ministry of Health is showing progress.

The aim of the project is to test 20 000 people in Bobirwa and Selebi-Phikwe districts by the end of this month. According to a statement from Academy of Educational Development (AED) that is spearheading the project, 23 749 people from the two districts have been mobilised and have received comprehensive HIV prevention messages while 6 809 people tested in the first 10 weeks.

Several villages outside the main urban areas have been visited by project teams. These villages include Semolale, Gobojango, Mabolwe, Tsetsebjwe, Molalatau, Mothabaneng, Mathathane, Moletemane and Sefophe.
A representative of AED, Andrew Sigman says people testing positive are referred to HIV care and treatment sites for follow-up assessments and care. Over 6 000 people have so far tested.

"This means that on average, each of the 20 counselors is providing services to eight clients per day," says Sigman.

The key to the success the project so far has been the support and involvement of district health authorities, government officials and traditional leaders. This was secured through involving the Ministry of Health and District AIDS Coordinators in extensive planning and coordination meetings leading up to the Project. Sigman says it was the wish of DMSAC that residents of the two districts are involved in the study as much as possible. At the moment, people from Bobirwa and Selebi-Phikwe have been employed as community mobilisers and Tebelopele peer educators and have been appointed to the Community Advisory Boards.

"Strategies such as this ensure the communities are left with improved capacity to address the HIV pandemic using their own resources," Sigman continues.

"The counseling and testing outreach project is left with four weeks." He called upon people who do not know their HIV status to visit the mobile testing sites. This month, the testing tents will be located in Selebi-Phikwe, Bobonong, Mmadinare, Tobane, Tshokwe and Damuchujenaa.

Meanwhile, the Selebi-Phikwe District AIDS Coordinator, Lameck Myengwa, says they have realised that women are still leading in testing while men still drag their feet. He says men think when their partners test negative, they are also negative, which is often wrong.