The Youth Net and Counselling (YONECO) has announced that the Bantwana World Education Initiative is ready to begin its ‘Ana Patsogolo’ (APA) project in Blantyre, Malawi.

The project, Development Diaries understands, is aimed at preventing new HIV infections and supporting case management for adolescents living with HIV.

Bantwana technical lead responsible for prevention services, Marriam Mangochi, made this known during a District Executive Committee (DEC) meeting.

She stated that a US$32 million (equivalent to K24 billion) five-year project will target about 23,000 beneficiaries.

‘Blantyre is the hub of high volumes of HIV and Aids; therefore, the project aims at facilitating testing for children and adolescents at risk of HIV infection and facilitate linkage to treatment and improving support and case management for vulnerable children and adolescents living with HIV’, Mangochi said.

It was noted that the project will support the government to strengthen and operationalise multi-sector coordination from national to community level and enhance child protection systems.

The District Social Welfare Officer for Blantyre, Stephano Joseph, said that the project was key to child protection case management; while the District Environmental Officer for Blantyre, Maxwell Mbulaje, who chaired the meeting, urged implementing partners of the project to report to the council quarterly.

He assured that the council would render the project all the necessary support for its smooth implementation.

The project, which is expected to be implemented in Chikwawa and Mulanje from October, 2020, is jointly funded by US President’s Emergency Plan for Aids Relief (PEPFAR) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

Source: Mana Online