KHANA currently supports and builds the capacity of our NGO partners to work with affected families through 74 Integrated Care and Prevention projects. These provide comprehensive home-based care services, positive prevention education, access to income generation activities and food aid. Partners also reach out to the general population through community education activities.

KHANA’s partners have had great success in providing essential services to affected families through the efforts of home care teams (HCT). Each team consists of representatives from KHANA’s partner NGO, a representative from the local Health Center and Team and Village volunteers. Up to now, KHANA staff and our partners have supported 85 home care teams. Each team is affiliated with a public health center in the community and operates within that health center’s catchment area. HCT are responsible for conducting outreach and prevention activities within the community as well as home visits to people living with HIV, orphans and vulnerable children.

On home visits, the teams provide basic medical treatment and referrals to vital health services including OI, STI and TB treatment, as well as access to PMTCT, VCCT and ART services. They also provide psychosocial support, positive prevention education, food and nutritional support, school materials and encouragement for orphans and vulnerable children to complete basic education and access to income generation opportunities. Home care teams also encourage people living with HIV to access local self-help groups for mutual support.

Within the community, home care teams provide prevention education sessions and support awareness raising events. They advocate for community support of people living with HIV and orphans and vulnerable children, focusing particularly on the reduction of stigma and discrimination. Teams also facilitate the Happy-Happy programs, which bring orphans and vulnerable children and others together to learn and have fun at the same time as countering discrimination and stigma.

KHANA staff and partners organize community advocacy events throughout the year to promote the rights of people living with HIV and their families and to encourage a reduction in stigma and discrimination. In 2007 our staff and partners carried out 531 advocacy activities including community awareness-raising events and information sessions. Last year, our partners reached 84,190 people in the general community with stigma reduction messages. Representatives from the most at risk populations were involved in planning, organizing and speaking at many of these events.

In order to complement the work of its partners, and to maintain a favorable environment for community-based care and support, KHANA also provides direct assistance to PLHIV networks and to governmental agencies at the provincial level. KHANA supports 12 provincial CPN+ networks to conduct annual advocacy activities and quarterly coordination meetings. In addition KHANA supports 10 provincial home care networks. These networks help to coordinate the work of the home care teams across each province and serve as a liaison point to the Provincial Health Department.