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UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, expands the possibilities for women and young people to lead healthy and productive lives.

 

The Adolescent Sexual & Reproductive Health programme aims to strengthen national capacity to improve and expand comprehensive adolescent sexual and reproductive health programmes including HIV prevention. 

Changing the Lives of Women and Girls

Responding to global calls on national governments to intensify linkages between sexual and reproductive health and HIV at all levels the Africa region echoed similar sentiments through the ‘Maputo Plan of Action’ pleading with African states to “strengthen commitment towards achieving universal access to SRH services, including family planning. In pursuit of the same course, the African Union and Southern African Development Community adopted the plan of action in 2006 and 2010, respectively. The SADC region set itself a 50% target in reducing the new HIV infections by 2015.

Linking efforts to improve Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) with HIV services is vitally important. HIV is sexually transmitted or associated with pregnancy, childbirth, and breastfeeding, and the presence of certain Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) further increases the risk of HIV transmission. Sexual and reproductive ill health and HIV often share root causes, including poverty, gender inequality, and the social marginalization of vulnerable groups. Linking SRHR and HIV is expected to improve health outcomes by improving access to and uptake of services, reducing stigma and discrimination, streamlining services and reducing duplication of efforts, increasing the efficient utilization of human resources, and increasing the cost-effectiveness of efforts.

 

The Government of Botswana (GoB) is advocating for implementation of SRHR/HIV linkages services. This approach will lead to reduction in missed opportunities, reduction in number of visits to health care facilities and ultimately improved health outcomes and client and health care worker satisfaction. The Government of Botswana’s decision is also supported of the Second National Strategic Plan for HIV and AIDS (2010-2016). In light of this, a Client Satisfaction Survey (CSS) in nine selected pilot health facilities implementing SRH/HIV services was commissioned in order to establish the level of client satisfaction and the quality of service being delivered before rolling out the intervention to all the districts of the country.

Mochudi Clinic 1 is a peri-urban facility, situated close to Mochudi village, which is 37 km north-east of Gaborone, Botswana’s capital. Prior to the site’s induction into the SRHR and HIV Linkages Pilot Programme, Mochudi Clinic 1 ran as a clinic with maternity services. It had a compliment of nurse-midwives and general nurses, lay counsellors, auxiliary nurses and a health education assistant. Doctors were available for consultation on Mondays and Fridays. An unserviced caravan in the grounds was used for meetings by Gaonosi, a PLHIV group. Induction into the programme resulted in the improvement of the clinic’s infrastructure, its staff and overall capacity through training and partnership. Under the SRHR and HIV Linkages Pilot Programme, Mochudi Clinic 1 operationalised the Supermarket Model of integration.