Prevention, Awareness and Treatment of HIV/AIDS
The WWS objective is to reduce the prevalence and stigma of HIV/AIDS in the Waterberg through prevention, awareness-raising activities and treatment.
Prevention and Awareness-raising Activities
Prevention and awareness-raising activities form the foundation for reducing HIV/AIDS prevalence and stigma. WWS provides the following services:
- 'Stepping Forward is a Step Forward' campaign - a community mobilisation programme to promote prevention and awareness and to encourage the community target group to know their HIV status. Conducted by peer educators (many themselves living with HIV/AIDS), the campaign operates from a mobile 'Gig Rig', a converted truck with fold-down stage, lighting and PA system, and allows WWS to reach and mobilise communities in a creative and interesting way with presentations that combine motivational talks, music, drama, poems and speeches.
- Voluntary Counselling and Testing (VCT) - a WWS VCT counsellor is constantly available at the government clinic and our mobile clinic to provide counselling and testing. In addition the majority of our staff are trained as counsellors and provide ongoing counselling for our clients.
- Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission of HIV/AIDS (PMTCT)- to prevent transmission of the virus to the unborn child, pregnant mothers are educated about the options to prevent mother-to-child transmission and offered a prophylaxis therapy to reduce the risk of infection of their unborn child.
WWS prevention and awareness campaigns have already shown many benefits to the community including:
- increased knowledge in life-skills and a change in the health-seeking behaviour of school children
- reduction in high-risk sexual behaviour
- increased participation of men and a change in health-seeking behaviour of boys in particular
- increase in people knowing and disclosing their status
- increase in women accessing PMTCT services
- increased interaction between WWS and the community
Treatment Services
WWS has established a working partnership with Ndlovu Clinic in Groblesdaal for the provision of ARV medication, blood lab services and the setting up of the FUCHIA (Follow Up Care for HIV Infection and AIDS) Reporting Programme. provides treatment services in Vaalwater and Leseding include the following:
- Wellness Centre for anti-retroviral therapy(ARV) and adherence monitoring - through education and counselling, patients are advised about ARV therapy and the importance of adherence and provided with treatment. Attendance at the Wellness Centre at our base in Vaalwater is monitored to ensure adherence to treatment and our professional nursing staff constantly assess patients' progress and refer them to a doctor where necessary.
- community health - our primary health care workers monitor health in the local community.
- TB - patients are assisted and monitored through a DOTS programme which is run in conjunction with the local government clinic.
Mobile Clinic
WWS operates a mobile clinic facility that travels to local farms to provide access to medical care and support for those in rural communities. The mobile clinic provides the following services:
- Voluntary Counselling and Testing for HIV/AIDS (VCT)
- HIV/AIDS treatment services for eligible patients (pre-ART staging and follow-up, ARV treatment, lab monitoring and adherence management, support groups, referrals)
- education about PMTCT therapy for pregnant mothers
The provision of a mobile clinic has had many benefits for rural communities, which has resulted in a reduction in absenteeism on participating farms:
- increase in number of people knowing their status by improved access to VCT
- increase in the number of HIV+ people referred for care and an increase in the uptake of ART services by eligible patients
- increase in social support for HIV+ rural dwellers
- increase in rural women accessing PMTCT services
- increase in access to medical and palliative care, including an increase in referral for TB treatment
- increase in referral to other appropriate social services
- increased quality of life and survival rates of HIV+ patients