By Temnotfo Mvubu | Grant Writer/Research
In the rolling hills and hard-to-reach communities of Northern Lubombo, access to healthcare is often shaped by distance, cost, and circumstance. Against this backdrop, our organisation continues to provide critical HIV care services to children and caregivers through a mix of clinic-based care and community outreach. Through our clinic in Maphiveni, supported by mobile and in-community services, we are expanding access to life-saving treatment, improving adherence, and strengthening local health systems.
To date, the project has made meaningful progress in reaching underserved populations. In the past three months, 85 individuals were tested for HIV, with those identified at risk connected to the right prevention and treatment services, including PrEP and ART. While uptake of PrEP remains an area for growth, all newly diagnosed clients were successfully started on ART, ensuring timely access to life-saving treatment. Encouragingly, 771 clients currently on treatment have achieved viral load suppression, showing strong adherence and continuity of care. In addition, 640 individuals have relied on our services for ongoing ART refills over the last three months, demonstrating consistent engagement in care. Through our mobile outreach clinics and community-based work, we continue to reach people in remote areas, bringing essential HIV services closer to where they live and supporting ongoing care.
Despite this progress, some challenges remain. Geographic isolation still affects how regularly some individuals can access care, especially during a time when petrol availability is strained and public transport costs may increase. Financial pressures also make it harder for some beneficiaries to keep up with regular clinic visits, while stigma, although reduced, still affects testing and treatment uptake. At the same time, growing demand for community-based services is putting pressure on our mobile outreach teams, highlighting the need to expand our reach and strengthen how services are delivered.
We remain committed to addressing these challenges while building on the progress achieved so far. By continuing to adapt our service delivery model and strengthen community partnerships, we move closer to ensuring fair and reliable HIV care for all children and caregivers in our target areas. Encouragingly, the country has also recently introduced the PrEP injection, marking another important step forward in HIV prevention. While this option is not yet available at our clinic, it shows the real progress being made across the country toward reducing new infections and moving closer to an AIDS-free future. We extend our sincere appreciation to all those whose continued support makes this work possible.
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By Temnotfo Mvubu | Grant Writer/Research
By Temnotfo Mvubu | Grant Writer/Research
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