Red Carpet Project

Bringing Evidence to Scale

Overview

Status:

Closed

Country:

Kenya; Malawi

Date:

2017 - 2021

Between 2016 and 2019, with support by ViiV Positive Action, EGPAF implemented an innovative linkage to care Red Carpet Project (RCP) in Kenya with strong integration between healthcare settings, schools, and the youth community to ensure an uninterrupted cascade of care from testing to counselling (for HIV-negative youth) or treatment, retention in care, and viral suppression (VS) (for HIV-positive youth). The RCP has become a successful model, recognized by the publication in JAIDS in 2017 and citation by multiple partners and stakeholders, including the CDC as a best practice for linkage to and retention in care for youth. The project also has strong support from NASCOP and the Kenya MOH.

Since the RCP model has demonstrated consistent impressive and innovative results, in PY4 EGPAF has identified a second pilot country in southern Africa to generate further evidence for scale on how to continue to enhance HIV services and adolescent and youth client outcomes. To demonstrate effectiveness, four sites have been selected in Blantyre, Malawi, an area with persistently high HIV prevalence, suboptimal linkage and retention, and low viral

load suppression rates in urban high volume facilities. In PY4, the key activities will be to adapt the RCP model for this setting and current needs, then evaluate outcomes after three, six, and nine months of implementation.