For the past 24 years, Humana People to People through its 29 independent member associates reached 24.8 million people with HIV prevention, access to testing, referral to treating including quality care and support. For the past two decades, Total Control of the Epidemic, an HIV prevention programme from Humana People to People has engaged people to take control against the spread of the HIV epidemic under the motto: “Only the people can liberate themselves from HIV”.
As DAPP Zimbabwe, we focus on the people and not the disease as we equip individuals and communities with the knowledge and tools to take control of their own health. We engage community-based, people-centred and targeted approaches with the goal of protecting people’s lives against HIV, promoting healthy communities, supporting the vulnerable and saving lives.
Our sister organisation, DAPP Zambia’s TCE programme has shown that targeted community-based HIV testing approaches are effective in finding people who are unaware of their HIV+ status. The index testing approach initiates and pursues contact tracing of known HIV-positive cases for possible HIV infection: spouse, sexual partners and biological children. DAPP Zambia has achieved an HIV-positivity yield of 24% for persons who received Index Case Testing in communities of Eastern Province of Zambia in the year 2023 alone.
Preliminary, reports findings from the latest UNAIDS report launched on 22 July at the AIDS 2024 Conference shows that ending AIDS as a public health threat is achievable by 2030 but that success is being threatened by pushes to reduce funding and to restrict human rights. Taking the wrong path, by limiting resourcing or clamping down on human rights, would lead the pandemic to continue to grow, costing millions more lives and undermining global health security.
Represented by our sister organisations at the ongoing 25th International AIDS Conference currently taking place in Munich Germany, we are making presentations which are all based on factual data driven findings from HIV and TB programmes being implemented in southern African countries namely; Angola, Botswana, Congo, D.R., Mozambique, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
This year’s 25th International AIDS Conference is being held under the theme: Putting People First.