AIDSTAR-Two Project Trip Report – Namibia

The purpose of the trip was to review and facilitate progress on the implementation of community-based health information hubs called "Centerships" in the communities of Onderombapa and Rosh Pinah. The Centerships aimed to improve health information and collection processes, provide guidance and support for improving data collection, and meet with Community Health Workers and local clinics to discuss current work and identify additional support needed. Upon arrival in Windhoek, Namibia, Ummuro Adano and Teri Brezner met with stakeholders in Rosh Pinah to review the first month's progress on the private public partnership initiative to support local Community Health Workers. The Centership Committee in Rosh Pinah was found to be active, and the CHWs received training on Data Collection and Building Effective Partnerships to help facilitate their understanding and commitment to their responsibilities as partners in the Private Public Partnership. In the Onderombapa community, the CHWs were found to be inactive due to the departure of the Peace Corps Volunteer and the majority of the community health workers. Discussions were held with USAID, CoHeNa (a local Namibian NGO), and the community members to expand the Statement of Work (SOW) with CoHeNa to include their direct involvement in revitalizing the Centership activities in this community. CoHeNa agreed to recruit and train 15 new CHWs, who would be absorbed into CoHeNa's structure once AIDSTAR-Two ends. The Centership in Rosh Pinah was found to be active, and the CHWs received training on Data Collection and Building Effective Partnerships. The Centership Committee in Rosh Pinah agreed to establish weekly meetings to discuss the progress of the proof of concept. The meetings would occur on the last Friday of each month. The report highlights several key accomplishments, including the delivery of data collection and Building Effective Partnership training with CHWs in Rosh Pinah, the meeting with all PPP stakeholders in Rosh Pinah to clarify roles and responsibilities in the PPP, and the discussion of a proposal for expanded SOW with the Executive Director of CoHeNa. The next steps include finalizing the signing of the PPP, resubmitting a revised budget to USAID Namibia, and developing a list of ideas for programming with newly available funds. The report concludes with a focus on the continued implementation of the Centership project and the expansion of the SOW with CoHeNa to revitalize the CHW program in the Onderombapa community.