Zambia All Partnership Meeting 2010 - HIV/AIDS Twinning Center

assessment of ZDF sites to determine where to establish additional LRCs. Through thecontinued expansion of the LRC model for ZDF, healthcare providers and educators from allthree Zambian military services (Air Force, Army, National Service) will benefit from theaccess to the latest evidence-based research and information. Sajisa stressed the importanceof conducting a proper assessment of sites to plan appropriately for the establishment ofadditional LRCs. Human resources and other needs must be taken into account when properlymanaging an LRC. (More information about the Maina Soko LRC can be found online atwww.msmh.gov.za.)Proposed Next StepsZDF will organize open houses to showcase the LRCs and its services to partners and thegeneral public. ZAMCOM will assist the ZDF LRCs in video production techniques, so thatlectures for medical students and others can be recorded and archived for future reference anduse. Maina Soko and the Defense School could also benefit from training and support in thepackaging and sharing of important information. Technology-appropriate approaches need tobe identified so that facilities can best utilize the resources made available at an LRC. Inplaces where internet connection is slow and/or unreliable, offline resources such as books,publications, CD-ROMs, and DVDs need to be utilized. The partners will also identify programsfor professional development that could be hosted at the LRCs.Facilitated Partner Discussion 3: Awareness and AdvocacyDaniel Nkalamo, Director of ZAMCOM, facilitated thediscussion on how partners could support each otherin raising awareness and advocating on issues ofinterest. Nkalamo provided an overview of ZAM-COM’s activities, which include general journalismtraining, as well as courses in agri-journalism, HIV/AIDSreporting, and other sub-specialties. ZAMCOM alsooffers training in public relations, TV and radioproduction, and a host of short programs, includingcontent and production, community radio (digitalplatform, contact list), print media, media relations,and supporting the role and utilization of music toenhance programmatic activities.Daniel Nkalamo, Director, ZAMCOM.Proposed Next StepsParticipants agreed that ZAMCOM could provide valuable support to all partners in healthpromotion activities; expanding reach into “new” media (internet, web, blogs, etc.) throughtraining and involvement in a “media lab”; and the development and dissemination of effectivetargeted messaging. The local Zambian partners could serve as host sites for ZAMCOMstudents to participate in 3-month attachments — a mutually beneficial arrangement that wouldprovide much needed media expertise to partners while at the same time providing studentswith on-site experiential learning opportunities.

Remarks from USAID and the Zambian Ministry ofHealthTwo guest speakers made presentations during thesecond day of the meeting. Rene Berger, HIV/AIDSMulti-Sector Team Leader from USAID/Zambia,shared information about PEPFAR II priorities withparticipants and spoke of the close collaboration onhealth system capacity strengthening between theUS and Zambian governments, which are workingtogether to finalize a partnership framework that willguide the implementation of PEPFAR activities insupport of Zambia’s HIV/AIDS Strategic Plan (NSP).Berger highlighted the important role the TwinningCenter program and partnerships in Zambia play inthese joint efforts.Rene Berger, HIV/AIDS Multi-SectorTeam Leader, USAID/Zambia.In the second five years of PEPFAR, USAID/Zambiais focusing on the development and implementationof innovative prevention programs because stemming the number of new HIV infections remainsa major challenge in the country. Another crucial area for the second phase of PEPFARis healthcare systems strengthening, including the development of the human resources forhealth needed to support PEPFAR and other interventions — aparticular strong suit of the Twinning Center programs, accordingto Berger.Dr. Velepi Mtonga,Permanent Secretary,Ministry of Health of Zambia.Dr. Velepi Mtonga, Permanent Secretary of the ZambianMinistry of Health, also spoke to participants, thanking them fortheir contributions to ongoing efforts to strengthen healthsystem capacity in the country.“The HIV/AIDS pandemic is one of the biggest challengesfacing the development of Africa and Zambia — like othercountries — is finding it difficult to sustain the huge human andfinancial costs of our current HIV burden,” Dr. Mtonga said,explaining that an estimated 226 adults are newly infected withthe virus each and every day. “At current rates of infection, thatnumber is expected to rise to 276 new infections among adultsper day by 2012,” she continued.“In our national strategic response, we aim at reducing the rateof new infections because each infection averted means oneless person who will need antiretroviral treatment, which todaycosts about $6,000 per year,” Dr. Mtonga told the group. She then detailed key factors drivingthe infection, including multiple concurrent sexual partners, low and/or inconsistent condomuse, low rates of male circumcision, mobility and migrant labor, and vertical transmission, notingthat marginalized and vulnerable populations are at particular risk.“Throughout the region, as in Zambia, it has been found that knowledge has not been enough

The Twinning Center will also develop a Zambia Country Strategy that will highlight ways inwhich existing partnerships and new initiatives and activities introduced by AIHA couldstrengthen the Zambia twinning program to better meet PEPFAR and Zambia NSP priorities inthe coming years. A draft strategy will be developed and distributed to participants for reviewand comment.Partnership MeetingsThe meeting concluded with individual partnership meetings during which partners planned forupcoming activities, reviewed workplans, and discussed other relevant issues.ConclusionIn the end, the success of the Twinning Center’s partnerships is dependent on how theprofessionals and institutions involved work with one another. When partners are excited andenergized by the contributions they can make and what they can learn from each other,successful outcomes are more readily attained. All those present at the meeting demonstratedimpressive commitment and willingness to develop joint strategies for expanding existingprograms and launching new ones.

Scenes from the Meeting