Masihlanganeni (Let Us Come Together)

In 2005, South Africa Partners launched the Masihlanganeni Project in cooperation with its partners in Massachusetts and the Province of the Eastern Cape as a way to support and contribute to the ongoing process of education, mobilization, and integration of People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHAs) in the Eastern Cape. Masihlanganeni seeks to diminish the spread of HIV and to improve the health and well-being of PLWHAs by assuring their active and effective participation in strategies to end the epidemic. Specifically, the project endeavors to accomplish these goals by improving HIV/AIDS service delivery, care and support, and by promoting PLWHA involvement in mobilization and system development.

In response to priorities mutually generated by Eastern Cape and Massachusetts collaborators, Masihlanganeni will provide technical assistance and training through four major initiatives: (1) Supporting HIV Care and Other Innovation; (2) Improving HIV Care Access and Quality; (3) Influencing Provincial HIV Policy Decision-making; and (4) Increasing Cooperation Among Stakeholders.

Masihlanganeni has initiated several program activities, including:

Port Elizabeth Wellness and Support Centre

Masihlanganeni is working to establish a Pilot Wellness and Support Centre program that will serve as a link between antiretroviral treatment sites and the communities in which their clients live. Through peer leadership and support, it will strive to enhance and enrich the lives of the people it serves by providing education, treatment information, and support services with the goal of empowering them to live positively.

In order to gather information about what the scope of activities for the Wellness and Support Centre should be, South Africa Partners contracted with the Community Development Unit (CDU) at Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University to design a research study. It was agreed that a focus group format should be used and, with the help of the NMMM District Health Office, 22 lay health counselors from the 12 antiretroviral treatment sites within the NMMM were trained in focus group facilitation skills. View the focus group's report.

Health Advocates

Masihlanganeni recognizes that in order for PLWHAs living in the Eastern Cape to organize an effective network, they must have trained and effective leaders. As a first step, SA Partners has identified twenty-one PLWHAs, three from each of the Province’s seven health districts, who are being trained as Masihlanganeni Health Advocates. In this capacity they will support prevention and service delivery improvement efforts at the district and sub-district level. The Masihlanganeni Health Advocates are already making a difference in their communities, having joined with other PLWHAs to organize District PLWHA Summits in cooperation with local health offices and AIDS councils.

Masihlanganeni is made possible with funding from NASTAD Global Program through Emergency Plan funds (PEPFAR) provided by CDC South Africa. Additional financial and technical support is also provided by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health HIV/AIDS Bureau, the Eastern Cape Department of Health HIV & AIDS Directorate, and JRI Health.