Chitungwiza (UTANO) Community Partnership Project

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Chitungwiza (UTANO) Community Partnership Project

Join the fight against HIV/AIDS

The UTANO Partnership

This Chitungwiza-University of Zimbabwe (UTANO) Community Partnership Project is a new project that evolved from the former W.K. Kellogg Foundation funded community partnership in health project. The new initiative is being sponsored by the USA Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Zim CDC) beginning in October 2002.

The overall aim of the Utano Partnership is to expand and intensify the response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic at municipal level. This is achieved specifically by improving coordination of a variety of HIV/AIDS related services within the community to expand uptake and sustainability of treatments for HIV positive women presenting to prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) programs as well as their families. It initially supports those efforts targeted at the management of opportunistic infections including TB treatment, and pneumonia prevention. Later on it will also support antiretroviral therapy when that becomes part of the national HIV/AIDS care program.

The Utano Partnership seeks to implement this strategy as a "meta-operational project" that combines the efforts of already established research, pilot, operational, and service projects. It records the inputs, monitors the implementation process, then evaluates the total outcomes, and demonstrates a model for comprehensive HIV/AIDS care for the rest of the nation.

Goals of the Partnership

The three major goals of the Partnership are:

• Coordination of existing services to optimally integrate expertise, resources, and programs that contribute towards comprehensive HIV/AIDS care and treatment within Chitungwiza
• Development of a model of community mobilization for stigma reduction and promotion of HIV treatment uptake and positive living
• Development of training programs in comprehensive HIV/AIDS treatment that confers skills to health workers and encourages their sustained community involvement.

Mission Statement

To improve the health and welfare of the Chitungwiza community through a community partnership that empowers community members, trains health personnel, and supports the existing public and non-governmental efforts in order to serve as a model for comprehensive HIV/AIDS care.

Ongoing Activities

• Support laboratory services at the referral hospital and at local polyclinics for better management of HIV/AIDS
• Facilitate access to essential drugs particularly drugs for opportunistic infections and antiretrovirals
• Implementing psychosocial support services through the community center
• Developing an information system for data sharing among public and non-governmental HIV/AIDS care programs
• Training of care givers in home based care for HIV/AIDS, TB, and other medical conditions
• Providing counseling, health education, medicines awareness, and adherence support services through field workers
• Facilitating meetings and other community activities related to HIV/AIDS prevention and care
• Providing clinical attachment sites to promote multi-disciplinary community-based teaching of medical, pharmacy, nursing, and other health professions students.

Where the project is located

The project has a center located at Stand No. 14006, Zengeza 4, Chitungwiza.

For more information contact:

Chitungwiza (UTANO) Community Partnership Project
Chitungwiza Health Department
Box ZG 30
Chitungwiza, Zimbabwe.
Phone: 263-70-23000/4
Fax: 263-70-23337