For every child and adolescent living with HIV, compassionate and skilled care can transform lives. This is why the Ministry of Health is dedicated to empowering healthcare providers with standardised, evidence-based training that truly makes a difference.

To advance this mission, the Ministry of Health updated its Paediatric HIV Training Package, providing healthcare providers with current guidance and practical tools to better support children and adolescents living with HIV.

With support from CIDRZ’s PROUD Z, the Ministry’s Paediatric HIV Programme conducted Training of Trainers sessions in Lusaka and Eastern Province.

The event in Lusaka brought together healthcare providers and programme staff from Lusaka, Western, Eastern, and Southern provinces, as well as representatives from implementing partners, including the AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF).

Speaking during the training, CIDRZ PROUD-Z Head of Administration, Mr Simate Simate, emphasised that updating the training package was only the first step.

He highlighted the importance of healthcare workers having the knowledge, confidence, and practical skills to apply the updated guidance and deliver quality care to children and adolescents living with HIV.

Mr Khozya Zyambo, Paediatric HIV Lead at the Ministry of Health, thanked participants for reviewing the updated training package and contributing their knowledge, experience, and expertise to the discussions.

Meanwhile, in her closing remarks, Dr Theodora Savory, CIDRZ Director of Strategic Information and Chief of Party for PROUD-Z, encouraged participants to lead efforts to close gaps in paediatric HIV care in Zambia. She emphasised the importance of ongoing collaboration and encouraged participants to seek support from peers and trainers to ensure they provide the highest quality of care.

The training equipped participants with practical knowledge and skills to support the rollout of the updated package and enhance paediatric HIV service delivery across participating provinces and partner-supported programmes.

Through ongoing collaboration, the Ministry of Health and its partners have strengthened healthcare teams’ capacity to deliver consistent, high-quality, evidence-based HIV care for children and adolescents across Zambia.