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Zambia

Date Started:

2016

Locations as of Q2 2019 (incl. clinics and nearby communities):

70

New Clients Enrolled (2018):

31,550

 

Mentor Mothers (2018):

177

Country Representative:

Priscilla Banda

Our work in Zambia

mothers2mothers (m2m) began operating in Zambia in 2008 with support from the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) through the New Partners Initiative (NPI). Until 2012, m2m rolled out the Mentor Mother Model in the Southern (Livingstone) and Lusaka provinces in partnership with Development Aid from People to People.

Three years later, m2m re-entered the country by implementing the Comprehensive HIV/AIDS Management Programme (CHAMP). This project saw Mentor Mothers being deployed to work alongside doctors and nurses in mobile Primary Care Support Units, where they provided clinical and complementary support at rural clinics. This service brought high impact healthcare and education to spaces clients were familiar with, and responded dynamically to the community’s evolving needs.

m2m Zambia is now delivering services as a member of a consortium led by John Snow, Inc. (JSI). We are implementing the USAID PEPFAR Supporting an AIDS-Free Era (SAFE) programme, in health facilities and

surrounding communities in Central and Copperbelt provinces. This programme aims to increase HIV testing, treatment, and viral suppression rates to 95%, and improve both nutrition outcomes and the provision of family planning services.

In 2019, a cohort of 30 Mentor Mothers were trained to conduct dried bloodspot testing (DBS) for HIV, expanding their services into clinical testing for HIV. The training was conducted in partnership with the SAFE project and the Zambian Ministry of Health.

m2m Zambia has received funding from long-standing m2m supporter LGT Venture Philanthropy and Gilead Sciences to enhance our work in the country. In 2019, m2m opened a model site at Chipata First Level Hospital in Lusaka District, Lusaka Province, to showcase our integrated service platform, and we are exploring opportunities to integrate Early Childhood Development services into our offering at the site.

ran from 2008 through its successful completion of project objectives in 2012.

Our Impact in Zambia

Virtual elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV among m2m’s enrolled clients, according to UNAIDS guidelines:

95%

of HIV-positive women enrolled at m2m were initiated on antiretroviral therapy (ART) for life.

100%

of HIV-exposed infants of enrolled m2m clients were given ART to protect them from infection.

100%

of these HIV-exposed infants were tested for HIV at 6-8 weeks.

6 – Our MTCT rate is comparable to the UNAIDS MTCT Indicator, as outlined in their guidelines available here: https://www.unaids.org/sites/default/files/media_asset/2017-Global-AIDS-Monitoring_en.pdf. National benchmark is based on the latest available UNAIDS data, published here: https://www.unaids.org/sites/default/files/media_asset/20190722_UNAIDS_SFSFAF_2019_en.pdf

Our Reach in Zambia

Data as of 30 June 2019. 

Success Story

Nidah Chisenga is a Mentor Mother at the Lubuto Clinic in Copper Belt Province of Zambia. She tested HIV-positive in 2016 after she had difficulty recovering from malaria, and has two HIV-negative daughters.

Working for mother2mothers is one of the best things that have ever happened to me. It has always been my prayer to have a chance to serve women in my community. The salary I earn enables me to help take care of my familyI am very proud that I am making such a big difference, not just in my home but in my community as well.

I work in a very busy clinic. Together with four other Mentor Mothers, we see about 60 pregnant women and new mothers each day, including about 15 who are living with HIV. One of the things I love most about being a Mentor Mother in Zambia is that we have been trained to do dry blood spot testing (DBS). DBS is a test where a blood sample is blotted and dried on filter paper. The dried samples are easily sent to the laboratory and tested for HIV. Being able to do the test has made things so much easier in my clinic. We do not miss testing any child exposed to HIV. The few nurses we have at the clinic can now do other work while the Mentor Mothers do the test and provide our clients with health. The results come back within five days and we have been very grateful that we have not had any child test HIV-positive in the first two months since we started doing the test.

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