The OPTIMIZE project is dedicated to rapidly improving treatment outcomes for people living with HIV by optimizing antiretroviral drugs and formulations, and accelerating their introduction in low- and middle-income countries, including Zimbabwe. (funded by USAID)

Find out more at https://icap.columbia.edu/where-we-work/optimize/

Building upon ICAP’s current approach and capacity to support surveillance systems in Zimbabwe. ICAP provides support to the Zimbabwe’s Ministry of Health and Child Care (MoHCC) in contact tracing for COVID-19 patients at sub-national level in prioritized provinces to follow up with suspected and confirmed COVID cases for line listing and daily monitoring. Strengthening of databases including procurement of tablets and airtime for data transmission for contact tracing using Open Data Kit (ODK) platform is conducted so that data from contact tracing is sent to the national database. ICAP also supports the MOHCC efforts of harmonizing data sources and flow in data management. In addition, the ICAP team has been supporting community events specifically in the rural areas by convening local government, community leaders, church leaders, chiefs and village heads and village health workers COVID-19 trainings. This project is funded by PEPFAR through the CDC.

The HIV Coverage, Quality, and Impact Network (CQUIN) is a multi-country learning network designed to accelerate the implementation of high-quality differentiated service delivery for HIV. CQUIN’s goal is to increase the number of people living with HIV initiating and sustaining highly effective HIV treatment with sustained viral suppression.

Find out more at http://cquin.icap.columbia.edu/

ICAP is conducting a discrete choice experiment to evaluate preferences for differentiated service delivery models among people living with HIV in urban Zimbabwe.

ICAP is providing technical assistance to the Ministry of Health and Child Care to conduct the second Zimbabwe Population-based HIV Impact Assessment 2020 (ZIMPHIA 2020) survey to assess HIV prevalence, incidence, and access to HIV prevention, care, and treatment services. The first ZIMPHIA survey was conducted in 2016.

The ZIMPHIA 2020 survey includes household-based interviews and HIV counseling and testing for individuals 15 years and older. Survey findings will be used to assess the impact of Zimbabwe’s HIV response at the national level, and to help guide and target future investment and programs. (funded by PEPFAR through the CDC)

• ZIMPHIA 2016 Summary Sheet
• ZIMPHIA 2016 Final Report 

Find out more at phia.icap.columbia.edu

Since 2016, the goal of this project is to build the capacity of individuals, institutions, and the overall health system of Zimbabwe, and to develop and maintain a national, evidence-based HIV response using comprehensive, integrated, and accessible SI.

Its specific objectives are to:

A. Enhance the ability of national institutions to plan and coordinate SI activities.

B. Strengthen systems to monitor and evaluate the coverage, quality, and effectiveness of the national HIV response.

C. Improve systems to plan, conduct and implement comprehensive, high-quality surveys and surveillance to quantify and characterize the HIV epidemic, and

D. Strengthen human resources to support country ownership of sustainable SI activities.

Project implementation is driven by the collaborative efforts of ICAP staff based in Zimbabwe country office, staff seconded to the Ministry of Health and Child Care (MoHCC) and ICAP’s headquarters team in New York working in close coordination with CDC in Zimbabwe and Atlanta.

The scope of work also includes strengthening human resources to support country ownership of sustainable SI activities. (funded by PEPFAR through the CDC)

With support from PEPFAR through the CDC, ICAP is supporting the roll-out of rapid recency testing that promises to advance efforts to characterize where and among whom new infections are occurring, and to inform prevention efforts to curb ongoing transmission. The five-year TRACE project aims to increase use of a new HIV-1 rapid recency assay, developed by CDC, that can distinguish a recent infection (acquired within the last 12 months) from a long-term one.

ICAP will leverage its strong partnerships with civil society groups to inform the public about recency testing and help garner community support. Trainings, supportive supervision, and continuous quality improvement during health information system development will enable the Ministry of Health to capture data and conduct epidemiological analysis and characterization to support robust surveillance and targeted interventions for recent HIV infections. In addition to Zimbabwe, ICAP is supporting TRACE in five other sub-Saharan African countries—in close collaboration with CDC, ministries of health, and local organizations—to guide program design and allocate resources effectively and efficiently.

Zimbabwe’s Ministry of Health and Child Care (MoHCC) plans to implement 3HP within Zimbabwe in 2020. Identifying a feasible and acceptable implementation strategy to scale up TPT with 3HP for PLHIV in Zimbabwe is an urgent priority. MoHCC has strongly endorsed the use of differentiated service delivery (DSD) for HIV treatment, and has scaled up multiple DSD models, including facility-based services for individual patients such as fast-track (FT), which reduces time spent at the facility during visits. The scale up of 3HP has the potential to miss the large number of PLHIV who are already enrolled in DSD models. Integrating TPT into one of the most utilized DSD models, the FT model, could ensure PLHIV enrolled in FT are included in the rollout of 3HP and leverage the convenience of multi-month dispensing of both ART and TPT. This may increase demand for TPT among recipients of care, leading to enhanced coverage and completion of TPT. Therefore, ICAP at Columbia University (ICAP) is partnering with MoHCC, the Zimbabwe National Network for People Living with HIV (ZNNP+), the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to conduct a pilot project to integrate 3HP into FT models.

In 2018–2019, ICAP partnered with the Zimbabwe Ministry of Health and Child Care (MOHCC), CDC, and the Gays and Lesbians of Zimbabwe (GALZ), to implement a formative assessment and biobehavioral survey (BBS) among men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender women/genderqueer individuals (TGW/GQ) in Harare and Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. This survey aimed to identify biobehavioral risk factors and estimate the HIV prevalence and population size for MSM and TGW/GQ in Harare and Bulawayo.

Final Report

ICAP is conducted a rapid assessment of the feasibility and acceptability of integrating TPT into the CARG model. The study was conducted at four rural and four urban health facilities, and included key informant interviews, focus groups and time motion observations of CARG meetings.

Funded with PEPFAR support through the HRSA OpCon mechanism.

This was a small mixed-methods study to explore barriers and facilitators of male engagement in CARGs in Zimbabwe. Results were used to inform policy and efforts to enhance the coverage, quality, and impact of HIV services by optimizing differentiated care for men. The study explored HIV+ men’s attitudes toward HIV testing and CARG membership at three purposively selected high-volume ART clinics in rural Zimbabwe. Funded by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

This evaluation was designed to explore demand-side facilitators and barriers to HIV treatment in Harare, Zimbabwe, with a focus on client preferences for characteristics of service delivery associated with Zimbabwe’s five Differentiated ART models. Data collection took place at seven health facilities in Harare to assess client preferences for: health facility location; provider attitude; health facility operation times; visit frequency; visit duration, including wait time; and cost to patient, including transportation. A separate survey explored participants’ knowledge of Zimbabwe’s Differentiated ART Models and preferences.

Funded with PEPFAR support through the HRSA OpCon mechanism.

ICAP, in partnership with the Ministry of Health and Child Care and the National Network for People Living with HIV/AIDS (ZNNP+), conducted a discrete choice experiment to evaluate preferences for differentiated service delivery models among people living with HIV in urban Zimbabwe.

Find out more on the OpCon Project Page

ICAP, in partnership with the Ministry of Health and Child Care and the National Network for People Living with HIV/AIDS (ZNNP+) is conducted an assessment of feasibility and acceptability to leverage Community Antiretroviral Groups (CARGs) to deliver Tuberculosis Preventive Therapy (TPT).