Support to care providers

A key area of work across all VSO-RAISA countries is support to community and home-based care (HBC) providers. This includes training for community based volunteers on issues related to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support, provision of HBC kits and lobbying for greater recognition. For example, in Malawi community based care providers were trained by VSO-RAISA in treatment literacy, adherence and nutrition, which led to increased knowledge and skills of the community volunteers on how to serve people living with HIV in their communities. The training certified the community volunteers to be eligible to manage HBC kits supplied by the District Health Offices. This improved access to the kits by the volunteers in the communities and improved people’s access to medicine for pain management. In addition, the increased involvement of men in HIV care and support is an important component of VSO-RAISA's work to reduce the burden of HIV/AIDS care on women and girls in the region.