Total Control of the Epidemic (TCE)

HIV/AIDS is among the greatest threats to Zambians’ health and wellbeing. The impact of the epidemic in Zambia has spared no household, with most households either directly or indirectly affected by it. Most Zambians have lost either their relative or friend to HIV/AIDS. Thus, a holistic approach is required to reach out to every household with HIV/AIDS information to contribute to the fight against the epidemic and to reduce its prevalence rates among the Zambian people.

TCE is a systematic door-to-door HIV/AIDS prevention and care programme which provides HIV/AIDS information as well as VCT services, positive living messages and care activities to all individuals in the target areas. The programme started in 2007 and it is being implemented in Mazabuka and Monze Districts in Southern Province.

The programme is founded on the belief that each individual in the community can play a significant role to halt the spread of the HIV epidemic and to support those infected with the virus. People are thus mobilized to take a leading role in the quest to fully defend and free themselves from the epidemic in their own lives as individuals, families and communities.

The TCE programme seeks to systematically achieve total control of the epidemic in the “TCE areas” each covering 100, 000 people through the door-to-door visits by the 50 Field Officers. Each Field Officer reaches out to 2,000 households in the TCE area. The Field Officers frequently visit individuals in their households, workplaces and schools with information, education, counselling and mobilisation to take control of HIV/AIDS.

Health services
Besides having Field Officers, TCE works with community volunteers called “Passionates”, ART Adherence Supporters, TB Treatment Supporters and Support Groups, District Health Medical Team and other Ministry of Health staff to fight HIV and AIDS, to reinforce links between people and health centres, to promote ART adherence and to support those infected and affected by the epidemic.   

In cooperation with the Ministry of Health, the programme provides mobile ART services to the ART clients located in remote areas and ensures that health centres have enough testing supplies including gloves and needles. TCE projects distribute IEC materials on HIV/AIDS and condoms to support HIV/AIDS prevention interventions in the target areas.

Pregnant mothers who are HIV positive are also provided with medical advice to prevent the transmission of the virus to their newborn babies during labour and to adhere to the breastfeeding instructions in order to ensure healthy growth of the babies.

Care
TCE also offers care services to those infected and affected by the epidemic through the support groups for people living with HIV. The members of the support groups are mobilised to engage in income generating activities and are provided with psychosocial support within the support groups through the positive living training.

For a snapshot of some of the 2010 TCE results in figures click here to download the DAPP annual report for 2010.