Sunday, April 28, 2024
4/28/2024
Malawi’s HIV prevalence is one of the highest in the world with 10.6% of the adult population (ages 15-49) living with HIV (MPHIA, 2016). An estimated 1 million Malawians were living with HIV in 2016, with 350,000 undiagnosed and 24,000 deaths from AIDS-related illnesses in the same year. Malawi’s national HIV program has made great strides from obtaining 73-90-91 in 2016 to achieving 88-98-97 in 2020 (MPHIA, 2020) –positioning Malawi to achieve 95-95-95 targets in the next five years if programming is targeted and evidence-based. Historically, Malawi has been a leader in the HIV response through fast adoption of evidence-based, high-impact interventions. Malawi’s bold HIV response, however, is under significant threat because high unmet need in HIV testing services (HTS) and linkage to HIV prevention and treatment in certain segments of its citizens: (1) priority populations (PP) including men (especially 15-34 years old) and adolescent girls and young women (AGYW, 15-24 years old); and (2) key populations (KP) including men who have sex with men (MSM), female sex workers (FSW), male sex workers (MSW), and transgender persons (TG). Specific planning, resource allocations, and program tailoring are needed with greater precision and data-guided efficiencies – to align trained community resources such as peer educators (PEs) and HIV diagnosis assistants (HDAs) in testing and linking, intensify community-level mentors and supervision, and institutionalize the use of quality real-time data towards continuously adapting and guiding KP epidemic responses. To safeguard Malawi’s path to attain HIV epidemic, the Malawi AIDS Counseling and Resource Organization (MACRO) and the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) are pleased to offer the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) a proposal for Intensifying Malawi’s Priority and Key Populations’ Access to Community HIV Testing Services and Treatment (IMPACT). As CDC’s credible partner for 21 years, MACRO pioneered HIV testing services in Malawi and has unparalleled community engagements with KP/PP civil society organizations and community-based organizations (CSOs/CBOs). UMB in Malawi leads laboratory strengthening and information management and integration and is a global leader in implementing high-yield testing strategies and prevention and treatment services for KP and PP. To bring transformative solutions for CDC Malawi, IMPACT will champion community leadership, equity of access, and system efficiency. Designed with deep-rooted knowledge and experience in community programs across 6 priority districts – Blantyre and Lilongwe (for PP) and Chikwawa, Chiradzulu, Mwanza, and Mzimba (for KP), IMPACT’s implementation strategies will be underpinned by three priorities: (1) people-centered programming; (2) an integrated data-driven community engagement platform; and (3) adaptive systems. We will drive mentorship and supervision through district ownership of programming, community-based HTS, fast-track pathways for ART initiation and continuity of care for KP; prevention and mitigation against COVID-19; and data demand and use. These three priorities will help to achieve IMPACT’s purpose to strengthen effective measures to address unmet needs for HTS among PP/KP and HIV services for KP in CDC supported towards the attainment of 95-95-95 goals. IMPACT’s purpose and priorities will enable achievement of direct long term outcomes of increasing country capacity to implement innovative and targeted community-based HTS and linkage for men, AGYW and KP; sustainable, appropriate and non-discriminatory HIV service delivery for KP, as well as indirect long-term outcomes of decreasing new HIV infections among PP and KP and morbidity and mortality associated to HIV.
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).
