The National Council of People living with HIV (NACOPHA) collaborated with Tanzania Rural and Urban Road Agency (TARURA) Mwanza office, to conducted public sensitization sessions, offer voluntary counselling for HIV and testing services in road construction sites at Ilemela district, Buzuruga Ward in Nundu Village in Mwanza region.
The sessions took place in April 2022 where site workers were sensitizing on the uptake of HIV Treatment Services (HTS) including HIV prevention to reduce the rate of HIV infection in the community, creation of awareness on the prevention of mother to child transmission (PMTCT)and demonstration of the correct usenof using condoms.
In addition, Nyamagana Cluster held a public awareness session by asking questions related to condoms and assessing the perception of road contraction workers about condom use, although they complained that condoms are hard to find in rural shops and construction companies does not provide them to their employees. It was also revealed that when condoms are available, they usually have expired or unsafely stored and further revealed that accessibility of condoms in road construction sites it was not easy since these activities are implemented in the remote areas.
In responding to these challenges NACOPHA through Nyamagana Cluster distributed a total of 500 condoms to150 employees (Male 130, Female 20) and discussed the importance of HIV testing to TBL road construction site employees towards attaining the Global and National 95 95 95 targets. Participants were from Nyamagana Cluster, TARURA, Road Construction employees 32 (Male 26 & Female 6) and Community members.
