Community Health Agent Babongile Luhlongwane on her way to deliver HIV Counseling and Testing services to inhabitants of the Entumeni Umlalazi Municipality under Uthungulu District in rural KwaZulu-Natal. — Community Health Agent Babongile Luhlongwane on her way to deliver HIV Counseling and Testing services to inhabitants of the Entumeni Umlalazi Municipality under Uthungulu District in rural KwaZulu-Natal, where HIV prevalence is extremely high. She is one of almost 90 Community Health Agents managed by Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) to take testing and counseling the most remote parts of the province.

HIV/AIDS

MSF Eshowe Project: 2011 - 2023

Share This

Article15 November 2023

After 12 years, the MSF Eshowe Project in Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa has closed. This page is a curation of the key knowledge outputs over the years from the Eshowe Project.

The Eshowe Project at a glance:

Started in 2011
HIV/TB Program “Bending The Curves”
2011 – 2016: Mainly HIV
2013: First population-based survey
From 2017: Start refocusing on TB as well
2018: Second population-based survey
2023: Closure of the project

Quick Links:

Video Library:

Community Health Agents Programme (CHAPs) - Full report below
Community ART Groups (CAGs)
Outreach Testing
Lay Counsellors
Adherence Clubs
Medical Male Circumcision (MMC)
Luyanda Sites: Getting medicine packs closer to chronically ill patients in rural South Africa

Resources:

Bending the Curves of the HIV/TB Epidemic in KwaZulu Natal pdf — 1.92 MB

Download View online

Community Health Agent Programme Toolkit pdf — 2.62 MB

Download View online

Reaching Closer to Home: Implementing community-based strategies pdf — 815.04 KB

Download View online

HIV Care for Men pdf — 1.48 MB

Download View online

Scientific Articles MSF Eshowe Project pdf — 172.51 KB

Download View online

MSF Patient Support Education and Counselling (PSEC) Community Supervisor, Sylvia Khuzwayo with Community Expert Client, Busi Gumbi and HIV patient.

Community Health Agent Babongile Luhlongwane conducts an HIV test on Andile (28), who lives in the remote Entumeni District of KwaZulu-Natal, where HIV prevalence in South Africa is among the highest. — Community Health Agent Babongile Luhlongwane conducts an HIV test on Andile (28), who lives in the remote Entumeni District of KwaZulu-Natal, where HIV prevalence in South Africa is among the highest. If he tests positive, she will refer him to the nearest local clinic to be initiated onto ARVs. Babongile is one of nearly 90 dedicated health workers who are taking HIV counselling and testing to the most remote parts of KwaZulu-Natal. She says she enjoys teaching people how HIV works, and helping them to start on treatment if necessary.

Phenduka Mtshali, a patient with Drug Resistant Tuberculosis (DR-TB), is seen at her home in Mbongolwane. — Phenduka Mtshali, a patient with Drug Resistant Tuberculosis (DR-TB), is seen at her home in Mbongolwane, South Africa speaking with MSF fieldworker, Jabulile. Phenduka lives in Mbongolwane a rural area of South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal province at the epicentre of South Africa’s HIV & TB epidemic and where MSF is currently piloting a model of care aimed at upgrading the TB treatment cascade.

MSF Mobile HIV testing unit in KwaZulu Natal. — An MSF Mobile HIV testing unit in KwaZulu Natal.

Phenduka Mtshali, a patient with Drug Resistant Tuberculosis (DR-TB), is seen in her home in Mbongolwane, South Africa speaking with MSF fieldworker, Celiwe Dlamini. — Everybody Breathes is a package documenting how the lessons learnt from the initial phases of the ‘Bending The Curves’ initiative in South Africa are now being used by MSF in Eshowe to tackle TB. The package will document interventions the project is putting in place in collaboration with its partners to prevent the spread of TB, provide a link for patients to get tested, locate missing cases and ensuring patients remain on treatment with structures that fit into their lives.