WORKING IN THE HEART OF THE COMMUNITY WE INCREASE HIV AWARENESS & IDENTIFY PREVIOUSLY UNKNOWN HIV+ CHILDREN

WHY IS HIV TESTING IN THE COMMUNITY NEEDED?

Many of the communities (compounds) around Lusaka have limited health resources, or the health centres that do exist are overwhelmed by the ever expanding population. In order to support HIV awareness and testing in these communities, TTF runs community outreaches. By working with partners and directly within the community TTF is able to find HIV+ individuals who would have previously been unidentified. We then either enroll them into the TTF Clinic or refer them on to another health facility.  During a standard community outreach TTF social work team and volunteer counsellors would test on average 150 - 200 people. 

IN 2016 TTF UNDERTOOK MOBILE HIV TESTING IN  43 SITES TESTING 8,401 INDIVIDUALS - IDENTIFYING 215 HIV+ CHILDREN & ADULTS 

HOW DO WE WORK IN THE COMMUNITY? 

TTF volunteers
TTF community volunteers are an essential part of our work in reaching HIV+ children

TTF WOMEN’S GROUPS

We work with local female volunteers to help identify children and pregnant women in the heart of the community who would have previously been unknown to Tiny Tim and Friends. Our women’s groups provide a vital link between our clinical and social teams and those needing treatment in hard to reach areas. TTF are currently working with 20 female volunteers who have been trained by our social work team to: 
  • Raise awareness of HIV transmission, stigma and discrimination
  • Sensitise the communities on the importance of testing
  • Bring individuals to the clinic for testing and treatment, who would otherwise not have accessed medical services
  • Offer a daily TTF presence in the communities they live in. 
 Additionally our women’s groups provide a huge support in identifying sites for outreaches and working to sensitise the communities so when we arrive we can reach as many people as possible. 

Where possible we work with HIV+ women, who live positively in the community . They build the vital linkages with the communities in which we operate to ensure our outreaches are successful. 
Children at community outreach
Outreach is essential for raising HIV awareness and identifying HIV+ children

DIRECT & DOOR TO DOOR OUTREACH

Tiny Tim and Friends can set up an outreach clinic in the heart of the community in less than two hours. This allows us to reach children, adolescents and adults, to sensitise them on HIV and offer Voluntary Counselling and Testing (VCT) services. To ensure our outreaches are successful we: 
  • We work with community schools, health clinics and community leaders to ensure we can get the consent of as many parents as possible to have their child tested. 
  • Undertake a mix of community centred and door to door outreaches to reach as many individuals as possible in a day. 
In 2014 we tested over 8,000 individuals and identified 324 HIV+ individuals through our community outreaches. 

When an individual is found to be HIV+ they are either: 
  • Enrolled into the TTF Clinic, where our teams work together to ensure they receive the best medical care and emotional support available, or; 
  • Supported in accessing care at a relevant facility local to them

$250 ALLOWS TTF UNDERTAKE AN OUTREACH IN THE HEART OF THE COMMUNITY
& REACH OUT TO OVER 200 INDIVIDUALS WITH HIV TESTING SERVICES

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