Barcelona 2013
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| Abstract #573 - E-Posters English | ||||
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Session: 50.13: E-Posters English (Poster) on Sunday in Chaired by Authors: Presenting Author: Dr. Sue Gibbons - Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, Zambia |
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| Additional Authors: Dr. Jordi Casabona, Sra Cristina Sanclemente, Dra. Anna Esteve, Dra. Victoria Gonzalez, Grupo HIVITS TS, | ||||
| Aim: Issues: With a growing cohort of adolescents living with HIV in Zambia, the health system struggles to support adolescents to remain adherent to their treatment and to live safely and positively. The AIDSTAR1 Zambia Report (USAID 2012) recommends: ?More clinics should consider targeting services to the increasing population of adolescents living with HIV?. | ||||
| Method / Issue: Project: Tisamala aims to empower adolescents living with HIV to express their challenges and find appropriate ways to manage them. The Tisamala Teen Mentors programme started in August 2012, taking advantage of the school holidays to train a group of thirteen 15 ? 19 year olds from five existing support groups for adolescents living with HIV. Two counselors from each facility also participated in the training, aiming to increase the accessibility and appropriateness of the support groups to adolescents, as well as to build capacity within participating Ministry of Health Clinics, NGOs and CBOs. Tisamala trains adolescents to become ?Teen Mentors?, who facilitate a structured, thirteen session intervention with their peers in the support group. The programme aims to facilitate discussion and mutual support amongst the groups of teens, as well as to increase their knowledge of the issues and how to access help and support. Tisamala includes sessions on a range of topics commonly experienced by young people living with HIV, including finding support, adherence, loss and bereavement, healthy relationships, transactional sex and gender violence. | ||||
| Results / Comments: Lessons learned: To date, the trained Teen Mentors have facilitated the thirteen session programme to 66 adolescents. Initial results from programme evaluation show adolescents participating in the programme reporting improved adherence, better self esteem and greater ability to assert themselves. The evaluation indicates that participants increased their awareness and readiness to openly discuss the topics targeted such as peer pressure and transactional sex, and to seek support when they needed it. ?It also helped me cope with my HIV status. The mind that used to make me worry, thanks to Tisamala, it is gone. My CD4 has since improved.? A number of the teens talked in the sessions about abuse, neglect and other issues they were experiencing. The teen mentors and counselors were then able to follow up on these issues and offer appropriate support. The next phase of the programme aims to maintain the consistent support of the youth worker in supporting the counselors, Teen Mentors and teens, which has been shown to be crucial to the programme?s success; and to strengthen caregiver involvement, as well as involvement and buy in from senior management of participating organizations. | ||||
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