Eswatini

In 2022, the NH will transition to a new phase of New Horizons 2.0, EGPAF as a key implementing partner along with other current partners including Partnership for Supply Chain Management, Imperial Logistics, CIPHER Paediatric HIV Matters, Right to Care, and the Paediatric European Network for Treatment of AIDS.

In 2021, the NH will transition to a new phase of New Horizons 2.0, EGPAF as a key implementing partner along with other current partners including Partnership for Supply Chain Management, Imperial Logistics, CIPHER Paediatric HIV Matters, Right to Care, and the Paediatric European Network for Treatment of AIDS.

The Accelerating Patient Access to Optimal Antiretrovirals and Relevant Health Products via a sub-agreement with CHAI (Project Optimal) is a follow-up to the Unitaid-funded SPAAN Project (August 2019 – July 2020). SPAAN streamlined and accelerated the introduction of new, child-friendly ARV formulations by focusing on plans for solid formulations of LPV/r and the DTG 50 mg tablet, as well as future plans to introduce DTG dispersible formulations. Building on the success of that project, Project Optimal aims to (1) streamline and accelerate the transition to WHO-recommended optimal pediatric ARV formulations, focusing on DTG 10mg dispersible tablets and LPV/r solid formulation’s, (2) strengthen information, supply chain, service delivery, and pharmacovigilance systems for pediatric ARVs, and (3) strengthen differentiated service delivery models of care for children, focusing on multi-month dispensing (MMD) and facility-based, family-centered models that include children < 5 years of age.

Funded by CHAI

The SPAAN project will streamline and accelerate the introduction of new, child-friendly HIV treatment formulations. This project will focus on implementation of current plans for solid formulations of Lopinavir/Ritonavir and the Dolutegravir (DTG) 50mg tablet, as well as future plans to introduce DTG dispersible formulations. The project supported 47 health facilities as project sites and reached 5,060 HIV-positive children with new child-friendly ARV formulations.

In response to limited availability of second- and third-line pediatric and adolescent treatment options, Johnson & Johnson, EGPAF, and the Partnership for Supply Chain Management launched the New Horizons project, which aims to improve sustainable ART service delivery for children, and confront challenges faced by adolescents around disclosure, adherence, and psychosocial support. The heart of the Collaborative is a darunavir/etravirine donation program, which
increases access to third-line pediatric and adult ART for children and adolescents failing second-line treatment.

The EHPCS project works to ensure uninterrupted, lifesaving HIV services in Hhohho and Shiselweni regions. EGPAF collaborates with the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and the Ministry of Health (MOH) to provide quality, comprehensive and integrated service delivery. Through EHPCS, EGPAF is intensifying case finding, improving linkage to treatment services, ensuring retention in care and viral suppression, improving coverage of biomedical prevention services, expanding sexual and reproductive health services, and improving integration of TB/HIV prevention and treatment services, and supporting the MOH.

The Ready, Resourceful, Risk-Aware (Triple R) project, locally named Insika ya Kusasa, which means The Pillars of Tomorrow, is a USAID-funded project implemented by Pact, with assistance from EGPAF. Through this project, Pact and EGPAF will support USAID and the Kingdom of Eswatini in accelerating Eswatini’s progress towards the 95-95-95 targets and in achieving sustainable HIV epidemic control. The goal of Insika is to prevent new HIV infections and bolster support and opportunities among orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) and adolescent girls and young women (AGYW). Insika aims to increase social and economic resilience to overcome the impact of HIV among OVC and AGYW and to increase service uptake of high-quality HIV, sexual and reproductive health (SRH), family planning (FP) and gender-based violence (GBV) services among OVC and AGYW.

The project aimed to improve clinician knowledge and skills to assess and manage pain. EGPAF supported a physician to join the palliative care team within the Swaziland National AIDS Program and connect the physician to counterparts for training and mentorship on palliative care in selected facilities.

ViiV Healthcare and EGPAF joined together to improve early detection of HIV and treatment access for HIV-positive infants and young children (IYC) in three countries. The EGPAF-ViiV partnership focused on expediting access to testing, care and antiretroviral treatment for IYC, and enabled EGPAF to fill critical gaps that limit access.

EGPAF worked with J&J to host the Management Development Institute, which resulted in the creation of regional and national teams that developed plans for PMTCT implementation (SWIPP). The J&J-supported training and SWIPP team mentorship filled a key gap in Swaziland, enabling those responsible for designing, managing, and monitoring health programs to build and strengthen critical management skills, develop action plans, and to be accountable for plan results.

With funding from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), EGPAF implemented the eight-year Call to Action (CTA) project in 12 countries, including Swaziland (from 2004 through 2010).

This was an exploratory study to better understand the sexual practices of pregnant women that may affect HIV seroconversion during pregnancy. This was a follow-up study to the Gates study, which identified an increased rate of seroconversion during pregnancy.

This PEPFAR-funded HIVCORE study was a retrospective cohort analysis of mother-infant pair retention in prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV (PMTCT) services from antenatal clinic through 18 months postpartum in four selected EGPAF-supported country programs that are implementing Option A, Option B, or Option B+ for PMTCT.

The goal of this five-year USAID/PEPFAR-funded project was to assist the Government of the Kingdom of Swaziland in its efforts to eliminate pediatric HIV. This project expanded the availability of comprehensive services for the prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV, reduce missed opportunities for delivery of services, and better address cultural norms that keep some women from obtaining these services.

This USAID/PEPFAR-funded project, led by PSI, sought to implement effective and tested approaches to support a national, coordinated approach to combination prevention programs through three pillars of interventions: structural, behavioral, and biomedical.

The goal of this five-year project funded by U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relieve through the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is to strengthen, expand and improve HIV testing and counseling services in all four regions of Swaziland.

With funding from Population Council as part of Project SOAR, EGPAF is leading the FAM-CARE Study, which evaluates the effect of implementing a family-centered model of care program on viral suppression and retention in children through enrollment of a prospective cohort of HIV-positive children and their caregivers at sites implementing the model of care (with control sites continuing the standard of care).

ACCLAIM seeks to increase community demand for, uptake of, and retention in MNCH and PMTCT services.

This goal of this project is to rapidly scale-up pediatric HIV testing for children aged 18 months and older, and initiate HIV-positive children on ART. This is a comprehensive and innovative collaboration with the ELMA Foundation, complementary to the Unitaid project.

This Unitaid-funded project aims to increase access to EID and ART among eligible children. The project’s two main objectives are to optimize EID networks through the introduction of point-of-care (POC) diagnostic technology to increase the number of infants tested and initiated on ART, and create a market for affordable, effective, and equitable HIV testing of exposed infants.

The goal of AIDSFree, a United States Agency for International Development-funded award, is to improve HIV and TB/HIV outcomes in the Hhohho and Shiselweni regions and provide support to the Kingdom of ESwatini’s national PMTCT and pediatric HIV care and treatment programs.