Reducing HIV Vulnerability: Integrated Child and Youth Health (Reach IHN) Project

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IHN is the Prime Recipient of the USAID-funded Reducing HIV Vulnerability: Integrated Child and Youth Health (Reach IHN) project implemented in Kavango East and West regions. Project Hope Namibia (PHN), Star for Life (SfL) and IntraHealth International are partners on the project. The project brings long-standing, collaborative relationships with the Government of the Republic of Namibia (GRN), PEPFAR, and local partners to avert new infections for children and youth and improve treatment outcomes for HIV positive children and adolescents and increase access to comprehensive HIV prevention and impact mitigation services and strengthening resilience in vulnerable children, adolescents, and youth.

 

Project objectives:

• Improved uptake of youth friendly health and HIV services for vulnerable children, adolescents, and youth

• Increased resilience to HIV risks in vulnerable children, adolescents, and youth

• Strengthened gender-based violence (GBV) or violence against children (VAC) prevention and response

• Improved sustainability of services for vulnerable children, adolescents, and youth.

 

Project activities under Reach IHN include the provision of HIV and GBV prevention education, screening of children, adolescents, and youth for HIV risks and GBV. The project further offers appropriate HIV prevention services, post GBV and VAC clinical services, counselling, and long-term pyscho-social support to survivors.  Additionally, IHN implements male engagement activities to educate men on GBV, HIV and sexual reproductive health (SRH) issues as well linking men to clinical services. The project also carries out community-based activities targeting OVC and their caregivers and links OVC, children or adolescent living with HIV and their caregivers to clinical services.  Furthermore, Reach IHN has a component of economic strengthening activities as well as strengthening of livelihoods among AGYW and families. For sustainability, IHN align all Reach IHN activities with existing GRN, Regional Councils and Constituency councils’ activities to reach the targeted population.