The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) – Service Delivery for HIV Prevention (SDHP) Program which is being implemented by the Centre for Infectious Disease Research in Zambia (CIDRZ) has been launched on the Copperbelt province. The program is a follow-on to the USAID Zambia Community HIV Prevention Project (Z-CHPP), which was being implemented by Pact Inc., and the USAID Open Doors Project (OPD), implemented by FHI360. 

The program which will run for five (5) years is being funded by USAID and implemented by CIDRZ in 9 districts on the Copperbelt, Lusaka, Southern and North-Western provinces. The districts where the project is being implemented include Ndola, Kitwe, Mufulira, Chingola, Lusaka, Livingstone, Luanshya, Chililambombwe and Solwezi.

The goal of the program is to improve the health outcomes of Zambians by preventing new HIV infections among priority and key populations most at risk of acquiring HIV, namely adolescent girls and young women, adolescent boys and young men, people living with HIV, mobile populations, discordant couples, and key populations.

Speaking at the launch held at the Protea Hotel in Ndola, Ministry of Health Copperbelt Provincial Health Director Dr Robert Zulu said Zambia can only effectively control the HIV epidemic and achieve the 95:95:95 UNAIDs targets, when sub-population groups like the ones being targeted by this program are reached with HIV prevention services and referred to high impact HIV services.

In a speech read on his behalf by Ndola District Health Director Dr Charles Mwimuna, he said that the Ministry of Health is grateful to the U.S Government for their continued support in the fight against HIV in Zambia. 

“The Government through the relevant government ministries remains committed to work with the U.S Government and other stakeholders in the quest to address and improve the health of all Zambians,” said Dr Zulu.

He further thanked CIDRZ, who for the past 20 years have been working with the Government to improve the health of Zambians. Dr. Zulu assured CIDRZ of government’s support and collaboration as they implement this new program.

Meanwhile, the USAID Zambia HIV Prevention Advisor – Ms Arlene Phiri expressed happiness at the continued support by the Zambian Government to USAID Zambia and its partners. She said without it, serving the people of Zambia would be difficult as USAID exists to support the Government and therefore close collaboration is key.

She noted that the number of stakeholders present during the launch was a clear indication that the project had been accepted in the province and that partners were eager to collaborate during its implementation.

“As you know USAID Z-CHPP was only serving priority populations and the USAID Open Doors Project was serving key populations. The new USAID -Service Delivery for HIV Prevention (USAID-SDHP) Program being implemented by CIDRZ combines the work of these two projects as the populations they serve are all in the same community so we thought it would be easier to have one partner instead of two,” said Ms Phiri.

She announced that while Z-CHPP closes, their work will continue under the USAID-SDHP Program, and the Open Doors Project shall also continue operating for at least a year to help transition the activities to the SDHP Program and ensure that the key populations work continues after the project ends. 

“There will be no gaps in our service delivery for the key and priority populations in all the places where Z-CHPP was operating from,” said Ms Phiri.

She urged CIDRZ and their partners to continue working closely with the Government to ensure that the collaboration seen during the implementation of the Z-CHPP, and Open Doors Project continues as this is the only way to ensure the project’s success. 

In his presentation to key stakeholders during the launch, CIDRZ Chief of Party of  the USAID-SDHP Program, Dr Maurice Musheke, explained that the program had  four key objectives, namely: identifying and reaching individuals at high risk of HIV infection in communities with high impact HIV prevention services; utilising targeted testing strategies to find and link newly identified beneficiaries to HIV treatment and support services; building capacity of communities and leverage community structures to implement evidence-based, high impact strategies; and building the capacity of local implementing partners to provide targeted, evidence-based HIV prevention services in line with USAID strategies. 

He further called on different stakeholders not to view each other as competitors, rather, as collaborators who should harmonise and synergise their efforts to optimise HIV prevention efforts. 

The Service Delivery for HIV Prevention Program will be implemented in partnership with the Young Women Christian Association of Zambia (YWCA), Tackle Africa, Copper Rose Zambia, Pact Inc., D-tree, & Key Populations Civil Society Organisations (KP-CSOs).