Call to Action (USAID/PEPFAR)

Overview

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 global Call to Action (CTA) project in 12 countries, including Cameroon (from 2006 through 2007). This project sought to improve access and expand care and support for quality prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV (PMTCT) services, while enhancing technical leadership and documenting successful program models. By project end, EGPAF had provided nearly four million women with access to PMTCT and antenatal care services.

In Cameroon, the project achieved impressive HIV counseling and testing results. The program offered opt-out testing, and in the more than 200 EGPAF-supported facilities, 100% of women accepted counseling, with 92% of those requesting testing. EGPAF also partnered with local organization Cameroon Baptist Convention Health Services (CBCHS) to provide community-level family planning through more than 90 HIV/AIDS family support groups. Condoms were provided at no charge to those who were sexually active, and family planning lectures were given to women attending antenatal care (ANC) and infant welfare clinics.