The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) has awarded URC a four-year, $7.8 million cooperative agreement to strengthen and provide access to HIV/AIDS services and prevention for military members and their families.
The DoD Eswatini URC Project focuses on HIV/AIDS prevention, testing, care and treatment, clinical monitoring, quality management systems, and HIV systems strengthening. The project will continue to support the Umbutfo Eswatini Defence Force (UEDF) efforts to strengthen their HIV program in their 10 clinics across the kingdom.
Eswatini is one of only five countries in the world that has achieved the UNAIDS 95-95-95 targets for HIV epidemic control: 95% of people living with HIV know their status; 95% on treatment are virally suppressed; and 95% of those who know their status are receiving treatment.
These achievements have made notable contributions to the overall health of the military, their dependents, and the civilian population. Military service members, their families, and non-military community members depend on UEDF health services for comprehensive HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment, and care services.
“Excellence was at the core of our programming. So, while this is news that we received with a lot of celebration and excitement, we also know that we really worked hard to be where we are,” said Victoria Masuku, Chief of Party, URC Department of Defense Project Eswatini.
URC will leverage its knowledge of the Kingdom of Eswatini health sector and its military health services, as well as relationships established with stakeholders, to continue to work with the UEDF to institutionalize quality HIV health programming for sustainable health outcomes.
The program is funded by U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), endorsed by the DoD’s Defense HIV/AIDS Prevention Program (DHAPP), and supported by the UEDF, their families and the surrounding communities.
To maintain the UN’s 95-95-95 targets and exceed PEPFAR goals, program objectives identified in the cooperative agreement include:
- Scaling up the delivery of combination prevention services that address behavioral, biomedical, and structural strategies;
- Optimizing the delivery of targeted safe and ethical HTS;
- Expanding access to optimized HIV treatment services;
- Scaling up viral load testing among military personnel on antiretroviral treatment and strengthening patient monitoring systems; and
- Increasing the leadership and management capacity of the UEDF to lead, plan, implement, and monitor the military’s HIV response.
Recognized for technical excellence and innovation, URC collaborates with national governments, communities, the private sector, and major donors such as USAID, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. Department of Defense, and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria. Committed to facing future challenges, URC continues to advance quality healthcare for all, driving sustainable improvements in health worldwide.
