(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) -- The Pan-Caribbean Partnership against HIV and AIDS (PANCAP), the mechanism that provides a structured and unified approach to the Caribbean’s response to the HIV epidemic, has collaborated with the Integral Orientation and Research Center/Centro de Orientación e Investigación Integral (COIN) to facilitate a learning exchange focused on Pre-exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) and successful HIV testing strategies for key populations to access prevention and treatment. The capacity-building initiative will be held in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic from 17-21 February 2020. The two entities previously collaborated on a learning journey in June 2018.
The initiative is led by Dr Shanti Singh-Anthony, Knowledge Coordinator, PANCAP, who explained that the learning exchange was designed for participants to experience first-hand the process utilised by COIN to coordinate and collaborate with the Ministry of Public Health and Social Assistance, other civil society organisations and stakeholders to deliver comprehensive HIV services in communities and to key populations.
The learning exchange will also expose participants to components of a Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) programme, which serves as a highly effective prevention modality, and successful HIV testing and linkage strategies for key populations.
At the conclusion of the learning exchange, participants will be tasked with developing country-specific action plans to enhance in-country collaboration among civil society organisations and representatives of the national HIV programme to improve how key populations access prevention, testing and treatment.
Countries participating in the learning exchange are Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
Participants will comprise country teams of National AIDS Programme Managers and civil society organisation (CSO) representatives. A total of ten persons from the six countries will participate and interact with representatives of the Ministry of Public Health and Social Assistance, Dominican Republic, COIN, and other CSO representatives. Participants will also engage with the Ministry of Public Health and Social Assistance, National HIV response and community-based organisations through site visits to clinics and outreaches.
The learning exchange is supported with funding from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
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