This document summarizes the strategies used by The AIDS Support Organisation (TASO) in Uganda to strengthen communities in the fight against HIV/AIDS, including building the capacity of village health teams and community-based organizations, engaging people living with HIV as expert clients, re-engaging leadership, and strengthening male engagement and retired health workers within communities. TASO has been implementing HIV prevention, care, treatment and support services through community volunteers since 1991.

1. 300,000
people served since 1987
COMMUNITY STRENGTHENING
Building the capacity of communities to take lead in the fight against HIV and AIDS as
well as encouraging them take responsibility for their health.

2. Strategies used to implement this programme include: Supporting the Village Health Teams (VHT) strategy for HIV Community Programming. TASO has participated in building the capacity of the selected Village Health Teams (VHTs) in HIV prevention and care around its catchment areas. TASO has facilitated the VHTs to implement community activities. In Tororo, VHTs have been facilitated with transport and airtime to mobilize Safe Male Circumcision volunteers. Strengthen capacity of Community Based Organisations (CBOs). In the past TASO has built capacity of various community groups; many of which developed and registered as Community Based Organizations (CBOs) in their respective districts and sub counties. TASO now partners with these CBOs as sub- grantees in implementing HIV prevention and care activities e.g. Busefu Community AIDS Initiative (BUCAI) in Pallisa district. Engaging People Living with HIV (PLHIV) as expert clients.
TASO realized that PLHIV to take on a greater role in contributing to HIV prevention they need increased skills, capacity, empowerment and support. TASO has therefore embarked on the community strategy that aims at building the capacity of its clients as role models or expert clients to counter stigma, reduce discrimination and be at the forefront of decreasing new HIV infections. Expert clients thus play the following roles; They promote disclosure amongst their peers, Provide peer support, Conduct peer education, Conduct advocacy activities, and Mobilization and sensitization of communities. E.g. CASA play a huge role in ART adherence and as mentor mothers in PMTCT. Expert clients are also highly utilized to bridge the Human Resource for Health (HRH) gap in Public Health Facilities (PHFs). They play a role in HIV Testing and Couseling, ART; PMTCT/ Nutrition programmes in the TASO supported PHFs in Jinja. Tororo and Manafwa. Re-engaging Leadership. The first HIV campaigns were initiated by the current President of Uganda. This saw the prevalence drop from 30% (1987) to 6% (2010). TASO therefore has specifically targets political, religious, cultural and opinion leaders at all levels. The political, religious and cultural leaders are utilized to: Pro-actively challenge negative cultural norms and other practices that expose individuals to HIV risk such as polygamy, widow inheritance, early marriages, SGBV, discouraging condom use and other family planning methods. This is done by conducting community dialogue meetings and open discussion on cultural beliefs, norms and practices to reduce predisposing factors to HIV infection, working with them to advocate modification of risky behavior that predisposes their communities to HIV infection. Facilitate discussions on HIV prevention within their communities. Strengthen Male engagement in HIV activities Engaging retired Health Workers within communities. TASO also plans to re-engage a pool of Health workers presumably retired from active service. This cadre of community volunteers played a key role in Home Based Care.
The TASO Community Systems Strengthening Program was initiated in 1991 to provide a continuum of care and support services to HIV and AIDS clients at community level. Since then, TASO has been implementing HIV prevention, care, treatment and support services through community volunteers trained and facilitated by TASO. Volunteer categories have evolved over time, these include: Parish AIDS Committee (PAC) Sub-County AIDS Committee (SAC) AIDS Community Workers (ACW) Community ART Support Agents (CASA) Community Nurses (CN) and various peer support groups such as Mentor Mothers.
COMMUNITY SYSTEM STRENGTHENING
The AIDS Support Organisation
Uganda
Old Mulago Hospital Complex
P.O. Box 10443
Kampala, Uganda
+256 414 532 580
mail@tasouganda.org
www.tasouganda.org
STRENGTHENING
one client at a time
COMMUNITIES