Care and Support Officer: Mr. David Mulendema 

      

The Integrated AIDS Programme provides the Holistic care to people affected and infected with HIV and AIDS, through facilitation of voluntary counselling and testing, Psychosocial counselling, home visitations, nursing and treatment support, prevention activities such as ART Adherence Counselling, needs assessment support for community support. The programme was initiated in the early 90s and officially in 1993. The programme was run by Catholic Sisters in Kitwe and part of Ndola townships. However, the rise in demand for services compelled the programme to employ professional staff that worked in the communities and apparently that was a time when the scourge of HIV and AIDS was on the increase in most parts of the country.


Activities under Integrated AIDS Programme are done within the thirteen established home care programmes spread across the Copperbelt Province.The include Kluzz ,Ipusukilo,Chipata Trakk and Itimpi in Kitwe,Muhili-Kaloko,Ndola/Nkwazi and Twapia in Ndola,Luanshya in Luanshya,Mpongwe in Mpongwe ,Mufulira& Butondo in Mufulira,Chingola & Kapisha in Chingola . Services are provided centrally and using the household approach within the clients homes. Under Basic Care and Support for People Living with HIV and AIDS, the Programme facilitates people to access ART by linking them to health facilities and those that are ambulant are linked to livelihood interventions-Income generating activities like SILC (Savings Internal lending Communities) and backyard gardening.


On the other hand, the programme works closely with committed community caregivers who live in the Communities and offer a service free. Integrated AIDS Programme also provides capacity building to caregivers and its members of staff in areas of need. Currently, CDoN has a total number of 44,165 registered OVC, 45,045 PLWHA and 678 community caregivers who work on a voluntary basis.