Project profile — Integrated Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV (PMCT) in Burundi

This project aims to support Burundi’s national AIDS policy by helping to ''Prevent Mother-to-Child HIV Transmission'' (PMCT) in 4 communities. To do so, the project is strengthening existing health services by opening a PMCT specialized health centre. It focuses on ensuring effective health services for HIV-positive pregnant and breastfeeding women, and awareness of the importance of avoiding transmission of HIV from mothers to their children. Activities include: establishing a program with a comprehensive monitoring plan for the prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission; training female beneficiaries in health, hygiene and nutrition; training home care workers; and, broadcasting radio announcements concerning mother-to-child HIV transmission. Reaching more than 150 HIV-positive pregnant or breastfeeding women and 150 infants, and providing training to 15 home care workers, the project is in line with the priorities of the Government of Burundi’s national health plan. L’AMIE is working in partnership with ''Association de prise en charge des orphelins du sida'' (APECOS) to implement this project. This project is part of Canada's Maternal, Newborn and Child Health commitment.

The expected intermediate outcomes for this project include: Improve health services for HIV positive pregnant and breastfeeding women; increase the number of secure pregnancies for HIV positive pregnant women; and better prevent mother-child HIV transmission, among the Burundi population, women and men, and health workers.

Results as of December 31st, 2014, include: the health center has been expanded and new rooms are provided with specialized equipment; a multidisciplinary team of seven health specialists, nutritionists and social workers and trained on the program for ''Integrated Prevention of Mother-to-Child HIV Transmission'' (PMCT) has been set up; the screening laboratory is functional and generates considerable revenues for the sustainability of the center; a protocol for biomedical waste management observing the criteria of the World Health Organization has been developed and is being used by staff members. Since the implementation of the program, 151 women and 126 children have benefited from six medical and psychosocial services essential to the program for PMCT and provided at the center; 60 women and men ambassadors have been trained and have made 2,578 awareness activities about the importance of PMCT to 38,778 people in rural area; 15 community workers have been trained and made 1,606 home visits to the beneficiaries of the program; 123 radio and 31 TV shorts to make known the program and to promote the prevention of mother to child HIV transmission to the population have been broadcasted on the main channels of the country. Finally, two seminars on knowledge strengthening regarding PMCT took place during the project with the participation of 90 specialists coming from diverse Burundian healthcare organizations.