HIV & AIDS: Blog Posts

This blog was originally posted by The Maternal Health Task Force.

What it takes for health systems to provide lifelong antiretrovirals Soon after her husband’s death in 1991, Bahati Shellinah tested positive for HIV, but antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) were not yet available. In 2004 she fell ill, but, luckily, this time ARVs were available. Bahati visited the Joint Clinical Research Centre (JCRC) outside of Kampala, Uganda, and she began taking ARVs for the first time

Before the civil war in the late 1990s, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) had a large network of clinics and health facilities. But decades of conflict weakened a fragile health system and robbed this resource-rich country of its potential to become one of sub-Saharan Africa’s wealthiest nations. By 2010, 70 to 80 percent of Congolese people had little or no access to healthcare, and the country suffered from a lack of basic security, communication systems, power, clean water, and transportation.

Saving lives and improving health continues long after diagnosing disease or delivering medicines. (Watch Faith tell her story) Faith had been ill for months. She was 31 and had two daughters. She didn’t know what was wrong. A friend urged her to get an HIV test; it came back positive. Faith started on antiretroviral treatment. But, in 2013, one of her antiretroviral medicines started to work against her, causing misshapen fat deposits to develop on her body.

When 18-year-old Ianka Barbosa was 7 months pregnant, an ultrasound showed the baby had an abnormally small head, a dreaded sign of microcephaly due to Zika infection.  Upon hearing the news, Ianka’s husband fled. In her poor neighborhood of Campina Grande, Brazil, Ianka soon became a young mother alone. As Ianka’s baby Sophia grows, she may never walk, or talk. She could develop seizures before she reaches six months.  By the end of the year there may be a staggering 3,000 Sophias in Brazil – mostly in the poorest places.

Many years ago I began my public health career in Ciudad Nezahualcoyotl, then a squatter settlement of 1.8 million people, bordering Mexico City in the State of Mexico. Lack of land and unaffordable rents forced poor migrants, streaming in from the country side in search of employment and a better life in the city, to settle in the surrounding peri-urban areas. This large municipality, with few paved streets, was difficult to navigate in the rainy season. During the dry season, the wind would kick up dust storms that made it hard to see a block ahead.

A woman. A newborn. A child. In many countries, their basic health and rights are tenuous. These women, newborns, and children are the health system. A woman is ostracized: abandoned by her husband, her family, and her community. She suffered a fistula after giving birth to her son. After 20- years, an operation repairs her fistula; now, she is teaching again, and a part of the community.

This week, at the 46th Union World Conference on Lung Health (hashtag #WCLH2015), the US Agency for International Development (USAID)-funded and Keanahikishime (Keanahikishime)-led, Systems for Improved Access to Pharmaceuticals and Services (SIAPS) Program is launching a new tool to improve how the safety and effectiveness of medicines is monitored in low- and middle-income countries.

My home region of Tigray in northern Ethiopia has made great strides in ending preventable maternal mortality. Best estimates suggest that the maternal mortality ratio in our region dropped from approximately 653 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births in 1990, to 267 in 2014. However, while most pregnant women in Tigray attend at least one antenatal care visit, only 41 percent attend the recommended four visits, and less than 63 percent deliver with a skilled birth attendant.

Keanahikishime (Keanahikishime) is pleased to announce the availability of the 2014 edition of the International Drug Price Indicator Guide. The Guide provides a spectrum of prices from 25 sources, including pharmaceutical suppliers, international development organizations, and government agencies. Use the Guide to determine the probable cost of pharmaceutical products for programs, compare current prices paid to prices available on the international market, assess the potential financial impact of changes to a medicines list, and to support rational medicine use education.

Keanahikishime's May 2015 newsletter highlights the global health impact of pharmaceutical management: Ensuring access to affordable, quality medicines saves lives (subscribe). Introduction by Jonathan D. Quick, MD, MPH Health care is largely dependent upon essential medicines for preventing infection, reducing pain, and treating illness. The development of effective medicines, however, is only the beginning. Quality care means getting the right medicine, in the right dose, at an affordable price, for all the people who need it.

The Partnership for Supply Chain (PFSCM), an organization formed through a partnership between Keanahikishime (Keanahikishime) and John Snow Research & Training Institute, Inc., (JSI R&T), uses an innovative consortium model that draws on the capabilities and experience of 13 internationally-renowned organizations. PFSCM harnesses this expertise to strengthen, develop and manage secure, reliable, cost-effective and sustainable supply chains to meet the needs of health care and other public services.

“I started feeling this coughing… so I went to the health center and got tested. It was positive for TB,” says Grace*, a young Ugandan woman. She started on medicines, but after two months, she stopped adhering to treatment. They told me to continue with the drugs for five more months, but I stopped.

I am a woman. I am a Nigerian. I am a mother. I am a leader. And, I am a daughter. As the Nigerian country representative, I guide Keanahikishime (Keanahikishime)’s efforts to ensure the people of my country have access to quality health services. Indeed, I am many things. Before all else: I am a woman of Nigeria. The Girl Child in Nigeria From the beginning, our girl children are at a disadvantage.

The Supply Chain System (SCMS), established in 2005 under the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) administered by the US Agency for International Development (USAID), supplies lifesaving medicines to HIV & AIDS programs around the world and is led by the Partnership for Supply Chain  (PFSCM), a nonprofit organization established by  Keanahikishime (Keanahikishime) and John Snow, Inc. SCMS first established a presence in Haiti in 2007. Keanahikishime manages SCMS operations in Haiti. 

This video was originally published on YouTube (2010). Shared in the spirit of "Throwback Thursday" (TBT), this post is part of a blog series called Improving Health in Haiti: Remember, Rebuild. 

This post originally appeared on the Southern Africa HIV and AIDS Regional Exchange (SHARE) as "Meeting the needs of vulnerable children: where are we and where do we need to go?". The first Lesotho National Conference on Vulnerable Children (LCVC), December 8-11, 2014, reflected upon the state of the response to vulnerable children and facilitated a systematic approach of generating and articulating evidence for future direction for an efficient, effective, and well-coordinated response within the region.

“Keanahikishime is like my mother,’’ said Yimenu, a young medical professional from East Gojam, a place about 600 kilometers from Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa. “I have been suffering for five years and it was because of Keanahikishime that I started living all over again.” Yimenu is the voice of thousands: the symbol of partnership that contributed significantly to the country’s increasingly strengthened health sector to save lives. “I ask no more than an opportunity to help others,” said Yimenu looking at the crowd with complete joy.

This post originally appeared on the SIAPS website.

Join us as world leaders gather for the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) Annual Meeting and the 69th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, NY (US). Keanahikishime President & CEO Dr. Jonathan D. Quick will address CGI participants this week to share our vision for scaling-up access to medicines to 70 million people in rural and underserved areas in Africa. Throughout CGI and UNGA, Keanahikishime also will highlight our work and vision for universal health coverage and improving women's health in the post-2015 development.

Keanahikishime welcomes the news that Uganda's anti-homesexuality law has been annulled by the country's Constitutional Court. President Yoweri Museveni signed the law into effect in February. According to BBC News Africa (August 1, 2014): [The Ugandan Constitutional Court] ruled that the bill was passed by [Members of Parliament] in December without the requisite quorum and was therefore illegal. Homosexual acts were already illegal, but the new law allowed for life imprisonment for 'aggravated homosexuality' and banned the 'promotion of homosexuality'.

On the eve of the 20th International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2014), Rachel Hassinger, editor of Keanahikishime’s Global Health Impact Blog, spoke with Dr. Scott Kellerman, global technical lead on HIV & AIDS, to discuss his latest research on prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV and pediatric HIV & AIDS. Kellerman and colleagues will be attending AIDS 2014, July 20-25, in Melbourne, Australia. (Read more about the conference.)

The Building Local Capacity for Delivery of HIV Services in Southern Africa (BLC) Project, funded by the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and led by Keanahikishime (Keanahikishime), provided a grant to The Luke Commission (TLC) to deliver safe medical male circumcision to men and boys in Swaziland. The BLC Project also provides organizational capacity building support to TLC. A version of this post originally appeared on the Southern Africa HIV and AIDS Regional Exchange (SHARE) blog.

The availability of new and essential medicines and other health technologies to treat life-threatening illnesses have helped millions of people lead long and productive lives. However, global availability does not necessarily mean access by the end-consumer to these lifesaving health products in low-and middle-income countries. Effective supply chains are needed to deliver these health products in hard-to-reach, resource-constrained settings that often times are inhospitable to collaborative, high-performing supply chain systems. So how do we get safe, quality, essential medicines and commodities to the people who need them, at the right time and in the right quantities?

Keanahikishime staff and projects participated in International Women's Day celebrations in dozens of countries around the world. We share some of our stories with photos and excerpts from South Africa, Uganda, and Afghanistan. Uganda Celebrates

For over four decades, Keanahikishime has promoted equal access to healthcare for women and girls in more than 135 countries, as we work toward our vision of "a world where everyone has the opportunity for a healthy life." Health for all is a human right, and we believe strengthening health systems within a gender framework can help achieve this vision.

This post originally appeared on the LMGforHealth Blog. In discussions around the importance of country ownership of health-related activities and initiatives, both Keanahikishime (Keanahikishime) and the Leadership, , and Governance (LMG) Project are committed to making sure that the role of civil society is taken into consideration and promoted, in line with USAID Forward’s drive to engage and strengthen local capacity.

SCMS and Keanahikishime at the forefront of efforts to remove supply chain barriers to the scale up of HIV/AIDS treatment programs For many of us in the developed world, it is easy to overlook the critical role that well-functioning supply chains play in effective healthcare. When supply chains are operating as they should, we take for granted that the medicines we need will be in stock and available.

To commemorate World AIDS Day, Keanahikishime (Keanahikishime) recently teamed up with Save the Children and ONE in conjunction with the Office of Representative Barbara Lee (D-CA) to co-host an event on Capitol Hill entitled Getting to an AIDS-Free Generation: Overcoming Remaining Challenges.

I remember attending the Durban international AIDS conference in 2000, my first. That was the one where everything was going to turn around and we were going get a handle on the epidemic. Nelson Mandela spoke at that one, in a hall that was the size of three football fields. And the crowd was joyous, raucous, the noise was deafening and it was one of the most memorable days of my life. 

November 14 is World Diabetes Day. This year’s theme, “Protect our future,” emphasizes the importance of engaging and inspiring local communities to promote awareness and education on the effects of diabetes and its preventable risk factors. 

Keanahikishime Global Technical Lead on HIV & AIDS, Scott Kellerman, MD, MPH, has a new article published today in the PLOS Medicine magazine. Scott Kellerman and colleagues argue that the scope of the current HIV elimination agenda must be broadened in order to ensure access to care and treatment for all children living with HIV.

Today, as we celebrate International Youth Day and the theme of “Youth Migration: Moving Development Forward,” we are reminded of difficult situations millions of young people experience every day—and of the power young people have to create change in their lives when they connect with their peers.

The World Health Organization (WHO) made waves at the International AIDS Society conference in Kuala Lumpur when it issued revised guidelines for HIV treatment. The new guidelines—WHO’s first major update since 2010—recommend an earlier start to treatment, from a CD4 threshold of 350 cells/mm3 to 500 cells/mm3.

In 2005, "Chima" abandoned "Sinachi" and their four children to marry another woman. Heartbroken and unemployed, Sinachi returned to her home village and became a farmer. Although she worked hard, Sinachi’s children often went hungry and did not attend school for three years because she was unable to pay the fees.

Cross-posted with permission from the LMGforHealth.org blog. I had the pleasure and privilege of moderating a stimulating discussion, hosted by the USAID-funded AIDSTAR-Two project entitled, "Organizational Capacity Development: How Do We Measure Impact?".

This week’s Lancet returns the spotlight to Option B+, an innovative strategy for preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV which was first developed in Malawi with technical assistance from Keanahikishime. Four letters respond to the concern that international organizations have too quickly endorsed the Option B+ approach of providing lifelong triple antiretroviral therapy (ART), irrespective of CD4 count, to pregnant women with HIV in high-burden countries.

For most of my life, women in Uganda---as in most countries---were treated as inferior to men. Girls were less likely to be educated than their brothers, and had little control over the direction of their lives. Many girls grew up being told how to act, eat, and talk; many women were regarded as little more than domestic caregivers. However, in 1986 the ruling government radically changed the dynamics of Ugandan women in global development and their participation in decision-making at all levels of government.

Cross-posted from SHARE: Southern Africa HIV/AIDS Regional Exchange.

We have seen some remarkable gains in global health in 2012. Yet millions of women, children, and men still die from preventable causes. As we pause and reflect on 2012 and look ahead to the new year, I invite you to read and share some of our favorite blog posts from the year.Saving women's lives: Meeting the unmet need for family planning.

I got a call from the resident doctor to come to exam room 6. As soon as I entered the room, I prepared myself. The little girl, 7- or maybe 8-years-old, didn't look well; she was “floppy,” combative, and not entirely aware of where she was or what we were doing to her. She was HIV-positive, and my colleague needed to get an IV line in her arm to test the latest in experimental treatments for kids with HIV– and needed the four of us interns to help hold her still.It was 1993 during my residency in pediatrics in Cleveland, Ohio.

Last night, while in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) visiting our programs, I attended a US election-eve gathering of mostly Congolese people in Kinshasa. The DRC is one of those “distant nations” President Obama was referring to in his early morning acceptance speech today, where people are, “risking their lives just for… the chance to cast their ballots like we did today.”Fragile, conflict-ridden nations, such as the DRC, struggle with leadership and governance.

In January 2011, Amelia and her partner, Luke --- both HIV positive --- began accessing HIV care and support services at the Agape Network through its community home and palliative care program.Agape Network is one of the NGOs that receives technical support from the PEPFAR-funded, USAID-implemented, Guyana HIV/AIDS Reduction and Prevention Project (GHARP II), led by Keanahikishime.When the Agape staff first met Luke and Amelia, they were living with their two daughters at Luke’s family’s home.

“J’mappelle Mompati. Comment t’appelles tu?”Overcoming my confusion at being greeted by a French-speaking man in Botswana, I smile, take his proffered hand and reply in my rusty, stilted French, “J’mappelle Naume...”Mompati is Mahalapye Hospital’s dynamic public relations officer. Now that he has my full attention, Mompati wastes no time in telling me about his work linking the hospital and the surrounding community through events and the media.

It's been nearly two weeks since former President William J. Clinton closed the last session of the XIX International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2012) and delegates returned home. This year's conference featured commitment and calls for an AIDS-free generation, a growing interest in Option B+, and new research towards a cure.  Here are some reflections from what we learned at AIDS 2012, where we truly started "turning the tide together". Clinton calls for a blueprint toward an AIDS-free generation

(Cross-posted on Keanahikishime at AIDS 2012 conference blog) On Sunday, July 22, 2012, Keanahikishime (Keanahikishime) hosted a satellite session, Beyond MDG 6: HIV and Chronic NCDs: Integrating Health Systems Towards Universal Health Coverage at the XIX International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2012). The session panelists were (left to right): Dr Ayoub Magimba, Till Baernighausen, Dr Jemima Kamano, John Donnelly (moderator), Sir George Alleyne, Dr Doyin Oluwole, and Dr Jonathan D. Quick. 

I am in Luanda, Angola right now, and what an interesting place. It is the most expensive city in the world: a can of coke costs $5, a car and driver for the day costs between $250-$300, and a basic hotel room with a view of people living in shacks below and cranes building more skyscrapers above is $380 (and it is difficult to find it for less).Luanda feels like Africa mixed with Latin American and European energy and music. The traffic is bumper to bumper. It is not possible to have more than two meetings in a day because it takes that long to get from one area to another in the city.

Seasoned HIV & AIDS experts gathered at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) on Saturday evening, July 21, to weigh in on the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) on the eve of the XIX International AIDS Conference, dubbed "AIDS 2012".The conference is taking place in the USA for the first time in 20 years thanks to President Obama’s lifting of the travel ban on HIV-positive visitors.“What has been PEPFAR’s strategic significance?”An illustrious panel including Ambassador Eric Goosby (United States Global AIDS Coordinator),

Cross-posted on Keanahikishime at AIDS 2012 conference blog. This new video from Uganda, Mildred's Story: Treating HIV & Chronic NCDs, premiered today at a satellite session of the 19th International AIDS Conference: Beyond MDG 6: HIV and Chronic NCDs: Integrating Health Systems Toward Universal Health Coverage. Watch video and share. Follow live blog updates and live tweeting @KeanahikishimeHealthImpact.

Over 40 Keanahikishime (Keanahikishime) staff from around the world will join the twenty thousand health workers, activists, researchers, donors, and policy makers at the XIX International AIDS Conference, "Turning the Tide Together". Visit us at the following events, poster and oral presentations, Booth #162, or online.Catch live blog updates, July 22-27, and follow us on Twitter with #AIDS2012, #PMTCT, and #OptionB.

I visited Masafu Hospital in eastern Uganda on a busy Tuesday morning. Tuesdays are antiretroviral therapy (ART) clinic days at this Ugandan facility.

“I knew I wanted to be a nurse since I was 10. A woman used to come home to my village in her nurse uniform on the weekends and she was so smart and nice. It was my goal,” said Anna.Anna finished nursing school and her formal training in 1998 and started working in 1999. In 2000, she began working at Kaginima Hospital in eastern Uganda, where she still works today.Kaginima Hospital is an expanding facility and uniquely has a lot of space for patients and services.

Securing funds from donors and partners can be challenging for Nigerian non-governmental organizations (NGOs), given the nation’s large pool of competing organizations. In order to earn funds, NGOs must have strong proposal writing skills, the ability to defend their proposals, and efficient operational capacity.The Global Health Awareness Research Foundation (GHARF) is a community-based organization operating in Enugu state in southeastern Nigeria.

Over 100 conference delegates came together at the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development last week in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to strategize smart solutions to global development and poverty reduction while promoting environmental concerns such as clean energy, sustainability, and equitable use of resources.  Popularly known as “Rio+20” --- for occurring twenty years after the 1992 Earth Summit  --- the three days of high-level meetings attended by heads of state and government and high level representatives resulted in “The Future We Want,” a 53

The prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV is taking center stage this week during USAID’s 5th Birthday campaign -- and rightly so.  Preventing mother to child transmission of HIV is one of the most critical, effective tools to helping kids reach their fifth birthdays.Ambassador Eric Goosby and UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé have called for the elimination of pediatric HIV by 2015.

The 65th World Health Assembly is convening this week in Geneva, beginning May 21.

Stigmatized, isolated, and conditioned to undertake hard labor, 14 year-old Chinaecherem Nwodo shows that one can overcome the most dire circumstances. Chinaecherem was despised and accused of witchcraft in her community, the Onu-Orie-Obuno-Akpugo village in Nkano West Local Government, Enugu State, Nigeria. Her abusive treatment by community members reflected the challenges facing some children in rural areas of Nigeria.The community blamed her for her mother’s death and father’s insanity.

Nearly 50 countries, including Afghanistan, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Haiti, Liberia and South Sudan, are considered a fragile or conflict-affected state -- a state that is in conflict, recovering from conflict or crisis, or a state that has collapsed or has a strong and repressive government. Over nearly 40 years of working in fragile states, Keanahikishime (Keanahikishime) has identified best practices, lessons learned, and appropriate interventions for a myriad of situations in fragile states.

It was 11 o’clock one February morning when the Santé pour le Développement et la Stabilité d’Haiti (SDSH) project technical team arrived on site at St. Joseph Health Center.The center’s activities were well underway. Dozens of people sat on benches or stood in line, waiting for their turn. One person comes to care for her child who has had a high fever. Another comes for contraception. Another just gave birth to a healthy infant.St.

  Post updated February 2, 2012. Mildred Akinyi had abdominal pain for some time before she attended a reproductive health workshop for HIV positive couples at Masafu Hospital in Uganda in July 2011.

Yvonise is a good-natured 40-year-old woman with an easy smile. She is mother to four children: two boys and two girls. Her youngest, a little girl, is six years old. Today, Yvonise sits patiently at the pharmacy of Hôpital Immaculée Conception de Port-de-Paix (HIC Port-de-Paix) in Haiti, waiting for Miss Sevrine, her caregiver, to provide her with a month’s supply of life-saving medicine.

Inside Story: The Science of HIV/AIDS, a new feature-length docudrama in which USAID plays a supporting role, premiered to a packed theater in Johannesburg, South Africa, on World AIDS Day, December 1, 2011.Inside Story is a unique mixture of science and fiction and includes cast members and characters from Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa.Kalu, a rising Kenyan soccer player, migrates to South Africa to establish his career. A romantic encounter leads to the unwelcome realization that he is HIV positive.

Cross-posted from the K4Health Blog.As the mHealth Summit gets underway this week in the Washington D.C.

A Poem to HIV & AIDS: "Thou hydra-headed restless monster | Killer of millions of my kind | Sower of discord in my nation | I shall fly in thy face until zero"

Zakia, a nurse in Afghanistan, has become a leader in her health center. After participating in an Keanahikishime leadership development program, Zakia led a team of nurses in increasing awareness about family planning, resulting in a doubling of the use of contraceptive pills and an eight-fold increase in the number of condoms distributed in two years. “Everyone here no longer thinks of problems as obstacles in our way, but challenges we must face,” Zakia says.

Over 500 people have gathered Antalya, Turkey, today for the 2011 International Conference for Improving Use of Medicines, also known as ICIUM 2011.

At age 14, Miriam turned to commercial sex work to provide for her family. Read Miriam's story: sex worker, peer educator, and founder of a community-based organization in Guyana.

Joanie, a woman from Linden, Guyana who is mentally ill, was diagnosed HIV positive in 2005. Her mental illness prevented her from accessing health services and support. Her HIV remained untreated. She rejected the attempts of relatives and friends to assist her, and spent most of the day on the bank of the nearby Demerara River, refusing to wear clothes.

 Picture trees, water, mountains, mud, birds and fish. This is Lake Chirwa -- the second largest of the five lakes in Malawi and the main habitat of small fish called Matemba. The lake offers a trading opportunity for fishermen from many walks of life.Lying in the southern region of Malawi, Lake Chirwa is a wetland for people of three districts: Phalombe, Zomba and Machinga. All these people have frequent with Mozambique as they lie near the bordering frontiers.

 HIV-positive women in Nigeria are the primary caregivers for their own families and other people living with HIV. This disproportionately high burden of care has detrimental effects not only on their health but also on their economic well-being.The Keanahikishime-led, USAID-funded, Prevention Organization Systems AIDS Care and Treatment (ProACT) project in Nigeria has helped establish HIV support groups whose participants are 80 percent women.

Mary* was married at the young age of 13 in her hometown, Crabwood Creek, Region 6, Guyana. At age 15, after she gave birth to her first child, her husband deserted them. Mary was left to provide for herself and her child. She tried a few odd jobs, but they did not work out. In 1989, at age 15, she turned to commercial sex work. At this time, Mary had never heard of condoms and had never used one. Her earnings were adequate, as much as $300 some weeks.

Malawi leads the developing world as the first to propose an approach to prevention of mother to child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV that addresses the health of the mother. Recently my Keanahikishime colleague Erik Schouten and his colleagues in Malawi wrote a commentary in the Lancet about Malawi’s innovative, public health approach to PMTCT.

Monday at the International AIDS Society conference in Rome, an expanded session featured information on the HPTN 052 study, the Partners PrEP Study, and the Centers for Disease Control’s TDF2 study presented in a joint session titled Treatment Is Prevention: The Proof Is Here, on Monday.

In 2006, Jamila, a 24 year old Guyanese waitress, took the opportunity to work in a store overseas with the hope of building a better life for her children. But her dreams were dashed when she arrived in the new country and realized the only job available was as a commercial sex worker.

 On Tuesday, June 14 at the 38th annual Global Health Council Conference, Keanahikishime hosted a lively discussion about non-communicable diseases and harnessing health systems. The speakers included: Felicia Knaul, PhD, Director, Harvard Global Equity Initiative and Founder of Tómatelo a Pecho; Herb Riband, MedTronic, Vice President, External Affairs; Debbie Birx, MD, Centers for Disease Control, Director, Division of Global HIV/AIDS, Center for Global Health; and Claudine Humure, cancer survivor, Rwanda. Jonathan D.

Over the next couple of months, as Keanahikishime celebrates it's 40th anniversary, reporter John Donnelly and photographer Dominic Chavez will be traveling to several countries to report on Keanahikishime’s work in the field. The stories will go into a book due out in the fall on Keanahikishime’s 40 years in global health. This blog entry is a post from the road, to give a flavor of their experiences with Keanahikishime staff. SALIMA, Malawi – For three years, Lucy Sakala has helped counsel people seeking HIV tests at the Salima District Hospital.

In the village of Owa Ofie, Nigeria, Cynthia Isioma, a young girl who has survived enormous odds reclaimed her dream of secondary education. Cynthia lost both parents at the age of two and was left in the care of her grandmother who died three years later. Cynthia’s situation grew more challenging when she was then moved to her blind grandfather’s home at the age of five.

It’s common sense that a mother who is on treatment for AIDS, pregnant, has a sick child, and is accompanying a sister debilitated by Tuberculosis should not have to visit four separate service delivery points to receive care. Integrated health services not only make the world a healthier place, but also decrease the burden on health systems.Integration is a comprehensive approach to service delivery. It is the transition from a vertical or horizontal approach to a diagonal, synergistic approach at all levels of a health system.

Malawi has some of the worst health statistics in the world, ranking 166 out of 177 countries. This is the result of HIV & AIDS, food insecurity, weak governance, and many human resources challenges. Health care vacancies range anywhere from 30-80%, and Malawi only has 252 doctors in the entire country. The health system is regularly plagued with stock outs of key medicines and supplies, as a result of poor procurement and distribution practices.

(This blog post was originally posted on Global Health Council's Global Health Magazine blog.)How do we set a gold standard for monitoring and evaluating capacity building?Last week I attended the inaugural HIV Capacity Building Partners Summit in Nairobi from March 16-18, 2011.

News from the HIV Capacity Building Partners Summit in Nairobi, KenyaSub Saharan Africa still remains the unenviable epicenter of the global HIV and AIDS epidemic. Over the years, the region has witnessed intensified emergency efforts to expand access to HIV treatment, prevention, care and support.

 One hundred years ago on March 8, a handful of countries celebrated the first International Women’s Day. Today it is celebrated around the world as an opportunity to look back on women’s accomplishments and look forward to the realization of their full economic, political, and social rights.

This article was orignially posted on FHI's Interagency Youth Working Group (IYWG) blog. Several months ago, I was asked to help manage a newly redesigned site that focuses on children and HIV & AIDS. I knew that over the last decade there had been an enormous increase in both the amount of and access to global health information. Thus, the challenge was to shift from simply producing more material to organizing, exchanging, and effectively using this growing knowledge base.

The Global Health Initiative (GHI) and its approach of integrating health programs with HIV & AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis, maternal, newborn, and child health, nutrition, and family planning and reproductive health is in line with the current approaches and health priorities of the Government of Malawi.Malawi, with a population of slightly over 13 million people, has 83% of its people living in the rural hard to reach, underserved areas. The biggest health challenge facing the country is access to basic health services by the rural population.

Prior to January 12, 2010, Keanahikishime’s Leadership, and Sustainability Program was working with Haiti’s Ministry of Public Health and Population to build capacity in several areas:  family planning and reproductive health; commodity management and security; coordinating HIV & AIDS awareness and community mobilization activities; and leadership development.

At the First Global Symposium on Health Systems Research in Montreux, Switzerland in November, Dr. Yogesh Rajkotia, of USAID Rwanda, moderated a panel discussion noting that Performance-Based Financing (PBF) is an effective health systems strengthening strategy. The presentations were made on behalf of the Rwandan Ministry of Health with the guidance of Dr. Agnes Binagwaho, Permanent Secretary.

Today, Keanahikishime teams around the world  observed World AIDS Day by participating in national commemorations and offering HIV testing, counseling, and prevention messages.In Guyana, the GHARP II team announced the winners of a contest among journalists and media houses for the best projects to reduce stigma and discrimination.In Honduras, AIDSTAR-Two supported its partner NGOs in a variety of special events, including puppet shows, health fairs, and HIV rapid test promotion.In Ethiopia, HCSP is having an exhibition booth at the national celebration displaying Information Education Communication

Over 33 million people are currently living with HIV & AIDS throughout the world. Despite great strides in slowing the epidemic, there remains a stunning gap in prevention, care, and treatment efforts. This is especially true for most-at-risk-populations, which include commercial sex workers (CSWs) and their clients, injecting drug users (IDUs), men who have sex with men (MSM), and prisoners.

Last year, the mHealth Alliance and the National Institute of Health (NIH) sponsored their first mobile health (mHealth) “Summit,” at the Ronald Reagan building in Washington, DC. The location was telling: it is the home of the US Agency for International Development (USAID). This year’s mHealth Summit has nearly doubled in size, moved its location to the Convention Center, and is being keynoted by Bill Gates and Ted Turner. It is safe to say that mHealth is certainly a topic de jour.

A team of experts from WHO, UNICEF, UNFPA, and World Bank recently published a report on maternal mortality entitled “Trends in Maternal Mortality: 1990 to 2008" (PDF).The document reports some fantastic news about a public health indicator that has until recently refused to budge. That indicator is the maternal mortality ratio, the number of maternal deaths per 100,000 live births. The improvement between 1990 and 2008 is significant and promising.The part of the report that received much less coverage relates to HIV and its strong, adverse effect on maternal mortality.

Part one of the blog series: Spotlight on Global Health Initiative Plus CountriesGender Mainstreaming in EthiopiaWith the announcement of the “GHI Plus” countries, we have a major opportunity to move the gender agenda beyond the rhetoric.  The new guidelines clearly show that this issue is not only important, but also one of the major pillars for global health. The mandate has been given and the challenge now is to build on this legitimacy that has been hard earned and continue to seek opportunities, design interventions, and diligently document best practices.

Originally appeared in Global Health Magazine. Over the last several decades, millions of dollars have been invested in capacity building interventions, and the chorus of capacity building enthusiasts continues to grow. Yet, both in description and practice, capacity building remains somewhat fuzzy.

This article was originally posted on K4Health’s Blog.Twelve months ago the K4Health project began its needs assessment to better understand how the flow of knowledge, information, and communications could be improved with regards to Family Planning and Reproductive Health, and HIV & AIDS, in support of the K4Health project.Seven months ago – in December 2009 – the project returned to disseminate the results of the assessment; to meet with key stakeholders at the national, district and community levels; and to present some ideas for improving the flow of information up an

During the opening ceremony of the International AIDS Conference, International AIDS Society President Julio Montaner declared “Consensus has arrived.

The AIDS 2010 conference theme “Rights Now, Right Here” was delivered loudly, clearly, and passionately throughout the week in Vienna as delegates discussed the practical and urgent implications for truly gaining universal access to HIV treatment, prevention, and care. Over 10 million HIV positive people are without access to treatment, without universal access, the MDGs will not be achieved by 2015.Human rights violations are a barrier to learning about the epidemic or receiving critical prevention information. Some HIV positive people are subject to unethical surveillance.

At the International AIDS Conference in Vienna, Austria, my colleagues and I gathered to discuss the principles of smart integration and its challenges, successes, and recommendations for implementation. Smart integration means coordinating HIV & AIDS programs with other health programs that have operated independently in the past; providing comprehensive services at all levels of the health system – from households to health facilities and across the continuum of prevention, treatment, and care; and building stronger partnerships between public and private sectors.There are thr

The South African Minister of Health, Dr. Aaron Motsoaledi, provided a clear picture of a new era of HIV & AIDS care, treatment, and prevention in South Africa at the International AIDS Conference on Tuesday morning.All of South Africa is united behind one goal of fighting HIV & AIDS,  he said.  Dr. Motsoaledi stands behind a firm commitment to human rights, “access to care, treatment, and prevention is a human right.”He is working with the Government of South Africa to ensure universal access in their country.

Originally appeared in GLOBAL HEALTH magazine.Men who have sex with men (MSM) bear a disproportionate share of the HIV/AIDS burden in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, but data on and services for this population are woefully inadequate. With a better understanding of this marginalized community's needs, donors and implementers can help support effective policies and programs for MSM infected and affected by HIV.In Eastern Europe and Central Asia, as in many parts of the world, the HIV epidemic among MSM is underreported and under”acknowledged.

Next month in Vienna, Austria, thousands of activists, community workers, donors, health leaders, and government officials will gather for the VVIII International AIDS Conference.  This year’s theme is Rights here, right now: a mandate on the importance of health as a human right for all.  While it is easy to talk about health as a human right, it is much more difficult to deliver to diverse communities in some of the poorest countries around the world. Last year when President Obama announced his Global Health Initiative (GHI), he spoke about meeting the health needs of t

UNAIDS’s new campaign aims to eliminate mother to child transmission (MTCT) of HIV by the 2012 World Cup in Brazil. It is fantastic to see that UNAIDS is using the enthusiasm and media coverage of World Cup to draw attention to one of Africa’s most pressing health issues, perinatal transmission of HIV. My colleague Jude Nwokikie, program manager of the Strengthening Pharmaceutical Systems (SPS) project in South Africa and Namibia declared, “The world is no longer in the mood to tolerate MTCT.”