Rwanda

Pangaea Assists With National HIV/AIDS Planning

In 2003 Pangaea provided technical support to the government of Rwanda in the development of the country's first comprehensive HIV/AIDS treatment plan.  Working as part of a Clinton Foundation team, Pangaea helped the government convene a number of working groups with the purpose of defining the current and future need for HIV/AIDS services, advised on the development of care and treatment programs, and assisted the compilation of working group findings into a comprehensive plan for care and treatment.

Pangaea's work in Rwanda included providing technical assistance to a 2001 government initiative to integrate comprehensive HIV care and treatment programs for women and their families within the country's existing health delivery structures. During this period, Pangaea also worked with the Rwandan Ministry of Health to develop several pilot HIV treatment and care sites in the capital city of Kigali.

There is low HIV prevalence among young people aged 15-24 compared to the general population. However, young women are far more often infected than men by HIV: respectively 3.9% versus 1.1% in urban areas and 1% versus 0.3% in rural areas. Behavioural studies show a mixed picture, with different sources showing very different results in terms of reported knowledge, condom use, and partner exchange rates. Regional variations are observed in data, related to both prevalence and risk behaviour. Most at risk populations for HIV infections are HIV sero-discordant couples (2.2% of heterosexual couples are HIV positive); commercial sex workers (although the extent of the commercial sex industry remains difficult to characterize in Rwanda); prisoners; truck drivers; men who have sex with men (MSM), for which a first behavioural study was carried out in Kigali in 2008-2009 suggesting that MSM in Kigali are at elevated risk for HIV infection compared to the general population. There is not information currently available for Injecting drug users.

Source:  UNGASS,   Rwanda Progress Report , April 2010

 

 

 


 

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