Support for International Change Tanzania

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Peak Issue in East Africa - HIV/AIDS

Support for International Change Tanzania


A few short weeks ago, the 3 Peaks Team receievd an email from Erica Mackey, Executive Director of Support for International Change (SIC) asking the team which of their 3 current funding priorities our team would like to support.

This was a very interesting opportunity. But man, was making the decision tough. From my time in development, I really have learned that projects need to be sustainable, holistic, and focus on long-term solutions. But everyone needs our help!

SIC believes that the HIV/AIDS crisis creates both an imperative to act and an opportunity to learn. We envision a world where HIV/AIDS no longer limits length or quality of life or reduces the social or economic development of communities, and where young people learn the skills to address the health crises of future generations.

SIC was founded in August 2002 with the dual goals of limiting the impact of HIV/AIDS in Tanzania and training future leaders for global health and development. In the rural communities where we work, poor infrastructure and widespread poverty limit access to HIV testing and prevention services, and leave people living with HIV socially and physically isolated from care. Public clinics provide VCT and antiretroviral medications in urban centers, but lack of information, stigma and the costs of transportation all represent barriers to access and leave these services beyond the reach of Tanzania’s rural majority. As a result, HIV transmission continues, few people are tested in the villages and many of those living with AIDS die without accessing treatment.

In response to this crisis, SIC currently works in rural villages in northern Tanzania, offering a comprehensive set of community based services to combat HIV/AIDS. SIC supports a Community Health Worker (CHW) Program, a Peer Educators (PE) Program in secondary schools, community-based health awareness campaigns, and mobile Voluntary Counseling and Testing (VCT). With a few pilot programs, in conjunction with the district hospitals, we support mobile ARV clinics.


The Team voted and chose to focus on providing services to more communities, as described below. I think this is a great choice, but was definitely not an easy one.



Expanding our Reach. We are always seeking out opportunities to reach more people in need, and in 2010 we hope to start full services in eight new villages near Babati. These villages have a high number of people living with HIV, and need outreach to promote testing, fight stigma, and increase community knowledge. The 3 Peaks donation will support a program of young Tanzanians to conduct an awareness campaign in four of the villages that we have not yet reached. Then a total of 16 Community Health Workers, 2 from each of the 8 villages will be selected and trained. 3 Peaks funding will support monthly stipends for the Community Health Workers as well as supplies for people living with HIV, and monthly mobile care and treatment clinics to the villages for a year.

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