October 27, 2021
September marked the close of Ciheb in Kenya’s two Partnership for Advanced Care and Treatment (PACT) programs, PACT Timiza and PACT Endeleza. Both programs were funded by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), operated for five years, and supported the provision of comprehensive HIV services. PACT Timiza focused on supporting Kisii and Migori Counties, while PACT Endeleza focused on supporting Nairobi City County through providing HIV prevention and treatment services in 48 facilities.
In late September, Ciheb in Kenya held closeout events in all three counties to commemorate the accomplishments of the two programs. Here are highlights from the three events.
Migori Event (Timiza)
The Migori County event featured representation from county leadership, University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) and Ciheb-Kenya senior management, as well as the CDC.
Speakers lauded the PACT Timiza program for its work in Migori County, which included comprehensive voluntary medical male circumcision, strengthening of health systems to support the delivery of HIV and tuberculosis (TB) related services, and use of continuous quality improvement frameworks in health service delivery.
The county and partners now look to the next evolution of Timiza, which will be a transition from Timiza to the Ciheb-Kenya Enhancing Technical Responses to HIV Epidemic control through Nimble County Health systems in Western Kenya (ENTRENCH) program.
Key quotes from the Migori closeout:
“Of all our global programs, I’m proud to say PACT Timiza is a model care and treat program for UMB.” – Prof. Man Charurat, Global Director for Ciheb.
“We have gained ground, and this ground must be maintained as ours.” - Ret. Col. Joseph Nyamita, County Executive Committee (CEC) Health Migori County.
“We have come up with strategies to make sure Migori County is among the best.” - Pauline Amollo, Migori County Chief Officer for Public Health.
“It is important to have the voice of the clients living with HIV whom we serve, and our clients are happy with the services we provide.” - Dr. Roseline Oyuga, Senior Technical Advisor, Ciheb-Kenya
The PACT Timiza event in Kisii County was held at Kamel Park.
Kisii Event (Timiza)
The Kisii County closeout also featured representation from county leadership, University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) and Ciheb-Kenya senior management, as well as the CDC. PACT Timiza in Kisii was also lauded for its work and dedication in the county, which included targeted HIV testing services, HIV prevention and treatment services for pregnant and breastfeeding women, and HIV prevention interventions including pre-exposure prophylaxis. Timiza programming will now pass to Liverpool Voluntary Counselling and Testing Kenya.
Key quotes from the Kisii Closeout:
“I truly believe a strong foundation has been made, and I look forward to Kisii County achieving epidemic control.” - Prof. Man Charurat, Global Director for Ciheb.
“I want to appreciate UMB. They had also taken over from a partner who spent five years with us, and with time UMB has produced results. - Ms. Sarah Omache, CEC Health for Kisii County.
“The collaborative effort with Kisii County over the last five years has been commendable. Kisii has been a very progressive county.” - Dr. Caroline Ng’eno, Acting UMB Kenya Country Director.
“UMB was supporting 236 frontline staff and 341 lay workers, and these healthcare workers really improved services in our facilities.” - Dr. Onkware, Kisii County County Director of Public Health.
Acting Ciheb in Kenya Country Director Dr. Caroline Ng’eno (right) and PACT Endeleza Program Director Dr. Rebecca Wangusi (second to left) present a certificate to Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS) Director of Health Services Dr. Ouma Oluga (second to right) and NMS Deputy Director Medical Services Dr. Musa Mohammed (left).
Nairobi City Event (Endeleza)
Among those present at the Endeleza closeout event were leadership from CDC, the Nairobi Metropolitan Service (NMS), and UMB. Representatives in attendance from the program's implementing partners included DREAM Trust, SOS Children’s Villages, Ciheb-Kenya, Kenya Police AIDS Control Unit, Nairobi Outreach Services Trust, University of Manitoba, and facility in-charges from all the implementing health facilities.
The event also featured exhibitions including artwork and items made by program beneficiaries including adolescents from Operation Triple Zero clubs, as well as clients from the various supported clinics and health facilities. Abstracts and posters generated by the program over the five years that were presented in various local and international conferences were also displayed in the meeting. There were speeches by UMB and Ciheb-Kenya senior management, the NMS, CDC, as well as various other partners.
The PACT Endeleza program was lauded for its work in HIV, TB, cervical cancer screening, strengthening of health systems, and continuous quality improvement. This included interventions such as mobile van dispensing for the medically assisted therapy clinic and pre-exposure prophylaxis services. Some program beneficiaries including sex workers, recovering heroin addicts, maternal case managers, and health workers also gave testimonials on how the program has impacted their lives, their families, as well as those of the communities they work for.
Contact
Center for International Health, Education, and Biosecurity
Institute of Human Virology
Anthony Okoth
Regional Communications Specialist
Related stories
Friday, December 09, 2022
Ciheb-Kenya Joins the Globe in Commemorating the World AIDS Day 2022
Speaking during a pre-World AIDS day event in Nairobi, the Head of the National AIDS and STI Control Program (NASCOP), Dr. Rose Wafula, reiterated that the Ministry of Health, through NASCOP, commits to exploring and connecting the global and national efforts that focus on impact and progress towards the 95-95-95 targets to end the AIDS epidemic by 2030.
Monday, October 03, 2022
Medically Assisted Therapy Clinic in Kenya Empowers Women
In Nairobi, Ciheb’s PACT Endeleza program, with the assistance of the University of Maryland, Baltimore, and Nairobi City County, established medically assisted therapy (MAT) clinics to reduce the spread of HIV among people who inject drugs (PWID) and provide opioid substitution therapy (OST). These clinics in Mathari and Ngara were established with funding from the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS relief through the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Tuesday, September 20, 2022
Caring for the Caregivers: Mental Health and Healthcare Workers in Kenya
Ciheb Kenya's CONNECT program held a two-day mental health workshop in Nairobi, Kenya. At the workshop, which was tailored for health management teams, facilitators expounded on the importance of good mental hygiene for healthcare workers.
Monday, August 29, 2022
Kenya Celebrates World Hepatitis Day
Hepatitis A, B, and C are the most common of the viral hepatitis in Africa, with the African region accounting for 26% of the global burden for hepatitis B and Cin 2020.
Wednesday, June 01, 2022
New Ciheb Report Compares DSD and Conventional Care
The University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) and Ciheb-Kenya recently released a report, “Evaluation of Differentiated Service Delivery Model,” which summarizes results, as related to DSD, from its PACT Endeleza and PACT Timiza programs in Kenya. The evaluation focused on the effect of multi-month dispensing (MMD) (three months or more) compared to conventional care.
Friday, April 29, 2022
CONNECT Program Targets Cervical Cancer
Women living with HIV are at a much higher risk of contracting cervical cancer, which progresses much faster in HIV-positive people due to their compromised immune status.
Wednesday, December 08, 2021
Supporting the Rollout of the COVID-19 Vaccine in Kenya
To combat the spread of COVID-19 in Kenya, Ciheb’s local partner, Ciheb-Kenya, received a five-year CDC-funded grant to support national and county activities towards rolling out COVID-19 vaccination. The Technical Assistance to Ready and Accelerate Capacity of public health programs in Kenya (TRACK) program is focused on supporting the development of national policies and training material on COVID-19 vaccination and teaching national trainers to cascade this training to counties.
Friday, October 29, 2021
PrEP used in the fight to end HIV in Kenya
In 2017, the Government of Kenya adopted a new policy called “A Framework for Pre-exposure Prophylaxis of IV in Kenya.” This framework directed the roll out of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) in Kenya, addressing the key focus areas of: availability, acceptability, accessibility of PrEP, and the holistic integration into the national HIV combination prevention strategy. To align with the government, Ciheb in Kenya’s PACT Endeleza program, which recently ended, also started offering PrEP that same year.
Tuesday, October 12, 2021
Differentiated Service Delivery Improves HIV Care in Western Kenya
HIV care and treatment involves complex needs and a unique set of circumstances for each client, and the conventional one-size-fits-all approach to treatment does not best serve people living with HIV (PLHIV). The client-centered approach known as differentiated service delivery (DSD) provides creative solutions to tailor clinical services to meet the needs of each client, an approach that better serves clients and the Kenyan health system.
Monday, September 06, 2021
Public Health Impact through Research in HIV and TB in Western Kenya
Kenya has made remarkable strides towards reaching the UNAIDS 95-95-95 HIV targets for epidemic control, and HIV and tuberculosis (TB) services now reach a significant proportion of the Kenyan population.
Friday, September 03, 2021
Operation Triple Zero Supports Adolescents in Overcoming HIV
HIV is a serious risk among adolescents in Kenya, and Ciheb has been helping address rising infection rates through Operation Triple Zero (OTZ). OTZ uses a contextual “asset-based approach,” whereby adolescents are considered as resources with potential answers to their challenges and are empowered to take responsibility and action for their health.
Wednesday, September 01, 2021
Data Demand and Information Use through STATA Training in Nigeria
Ciheb Nigeria, in partnership with the Federal Ministry of Health, recently facilitated a training to promote a culture of data demand among stakeholders to encourage the use of data on the National Data Repository (NDR) to track program outcomes and impact. The training also aimed to build the capacity of the stakeholders to maximize the use of data on the NDR for research.
Monday, August 16, 2021
In Kenya, Ciheb Efforts Recognized in Nairobi County CQI Awards
During the summer, the Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS) held its annual Health Service Delivery Awards to recognize best-performing health facilities in Nairobi County. Facilities supported by PACT Endeleza won awards in all categories they participated in. NMS evaluated facilities based on their performance in continuous quality improvement metrics.
Monday, May 24, 2021
Ciheb-Kenya on the Front Lines of the COVID-19 Vaccine Rollout
Ciheb-Kenya, our local Kenyan partner, has been working with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Kenya Ministry of Health, and the National Vaccines and Immunization Programme (NVIP) to support COVID-19 vaccine preparedness through the ongoing Technical Assistance to Ready and Accelerate Capacities of Public Health Programs in Kenya (TRACK) project. Kenya received its first shipment of vaccines several weeks ago and has been moving ahead quickly. As of April 21, a total of 721,509 persons have been vaccinated against COVID-19 countrywide.