Temwa run a wide range of HIV & AIDS projects including voluntary counselling and testing (VCT), behavioural change intervention (BCI) training, mobile HIV & AIDS awareness video shows and  peer education training. Please read on for a summary of what has been happening with these projects over the last several months.

The next phase of the behavioural change intervention (BCI) training has taken place over the summer in the villages of Mtawa and Luwinga (an exhausting five hour walk from the Temwa offices!).

The sessions were extremely well received, particularly as they provided proof to the people outside central Usisya that Temwa is committed to helping them tackle the spread of HIV & AIDS and other STI's. The facilitators successfully carried out the five-day workshops with a total of 23 men and 20 women, with in-depth discussions being held on sexual health and HIV in order to give them the knowledge they need to protect themselves from contracting sexually transmitted infections (STI), including HIV.

Since our 16 peer educators were trained in March, they have been running their own education sessions in their communities and passing on their knowledge of sexuality, sexual reproductive health and family planning. Attendees and educators love these sessions as they allow them to discuss issues that affect them, in their own environment, without interference from adults. Since the educators have started running their own sessions, a total of 472 young people have taken part (265 male/207 female) and this will undoubtedly have a hugely positive impact in the prevention of the spread of HIV in Usisya.

Since Temwa's mobile voluntary counselling and testing (VCT) project - kindly funded by The T.J. Meyer Family Foundation - started in March it has been a resounding success. In the first few months alone, we managed to exceed the minimum number of 200 tests that had been set out in the project proposal - and, now that the project has been running for almost seven months, we're delighted to be able to report that a total of 1027 people have now been tested for HIV. This is an absolutely fantastic result, and one that is going to improve even more with the launch of another eleven clinics before the end of October.

A behavioural change intervention (BCI) session takes place in the Usisya Community Library

A behavioural change intervention (BCI) session takes place in the Usisya Community Hall

A peer education session takes place in the village of Chiweta

Temwa Project Assistant Jumbo facilitates a peer education session in the village of Chiweta

A peer education session in the village of Chiweta

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