Home \ Project News \ Gathering More Knowledge and Experiences from TCE Zambia
Maxwell Chigutsa and Yang Zhengqiang are working in the TCE Butuo project in Liangshan prefecture. (Maxwell Chigutsa is “Division Commander” – which mean the coordinator of several TCE-projects. Yang Zhengqiang is the “Troop Commander” – in charge of the TCE project in Butuo) The 2 of them travelled to Zambia for a 10 days information exchange program with Development Aid from People to People Zambia – a sister organization of Humana People to People China. Here they visited 2 TCE areas which is part of the project “TCE Zambia”. The reason for this visit was to learn and share experiences. The 2 visitors from China held meetings with TCE Lusaka Project Team introducing the aim of their visit and after that, they participated in field work where they together with TCE Lusaka Special Forces and Troop Commander carried out door to door visits. The major difference they witnessed as compared to China was that when it came to testing, it was actually the people in the community chasing the Field Officers to request for testing. In China it takes more mobilization by the Field Officer for people to accept testing.
The Field Officers in Zambia take their time when carrying out counseling sessions
The 2 teams also exchanged ideas on how to solve the challenges of long distances in the areas they work in. The Zambia Team explained that they provide bicycles for their staff whilst TCE Butuo provides transport money. TCE Zambia further explained that the Special Forces when visiting these distant places mobilize headmasters and clinic leaders to accommodate them. This is easily done because the top officials in the Southern Province are mobilised and teach their subordinates to accept the TCE Program. The Field Officers are accommodated in the central parts of their fields, so that the distance to the furthest households is as short as possible. This also makes the Field Officer the focal person in his/her field and they can be reached with ease. Another point that makes the Field Officer to be easily identified is the constant wearing of their uniform and that they always update the local clinic nurses where they work.
The Field Officers for China also wear uniforms and they are easily accessible as they come from the township where they work and live within the community.
TCE Zambia’s cooperation between clinic staff and Field Officers is very good, which means that whenever the Field Officers test someone HIV positive it will take a maximum of 3 days for that person to be in the Treatment System at the clinic and hospital.
The hospital in Zambia also has mobile units to reach HIV+ people who live in very remote places so that they can easily get more medication. Lessons are also given out at the clinics and the hospital before patients take their medicine. One on one discussions are held between Field Officers (or Nurses) and patients. These discussions are about the effect of taking ART. Other patients also give testimonies on why it is necessary to take the drugs as prescribed.
Every Field Officer is able to reach out to all people in his/her field.
They concluded that exchange visits gives both the visitors and the hosts benefit as they learn from each other.
A brief summary of the project:
TCE Butuo is a 3.5 years HIV/AIDS project operating in Butuo County, Liangshan Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province. The idea of the project during the 3.5 years campaign is to achieve total control of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Butuo County reaching out to a population of 100 000 people. The project does one on one, door to door visits to all villagers reaching out to them with health education, mobilization and voluntary home based counseling and testing. The project furthermore involves a Passionate Network and training of local leaders and influential people who support in information dissemination and mobilization work. Health education provided by the project includes HIV/AIDS knowledge, basic knowledge about STDs (Sexually Transmitted Diseases), mobilizing pregnant women for prenatal care and hospital delivery, providing condoms and explaining condom use to the sexually active singles and couples.
This project is funded by EU and HPP Baltic.
This publication has been produced with the assistance of the European Union. The contents of this publication are the solo responsibility of the Butuo Women Federation TCE Project and can in no way be taken to reflect the view of the Europen Union.