LINKAGES Quarterly Report (January 1 to March 31, 2020) - Burundi

The project ensured that key population members diagnosed as HIV positive had access to antiretroviral therapy and treatment retention services, including viral load testing and tracking those who missed their treatment appointments and bringing them back to care. During the quarter, 6,136 female sex workers, 1,791 men who have sex with men, and 39 transgender people were reached with HIV prevention interventions for the first time. A total of 4,490 female sex workers, 1,301 men who have sex with men, and 25 transgender people were tested and received their results. Among those tested, 586 female sex workers, 80 men who have sex with men, and three transgender people tested positive for HIV. A total of 581 female sex workers, 79 men who have sex with men, and three transgender people were initiated on antiretroviral therapy. The project also distributed a total of 73,841 male condoms, 6,646 female condoms, and 22,162 gel lubricants. In addition, 131 cases of gender-based violence were reported by female sex workers, and 108 reported cases were addressed. The project's cumulative results for the first two quarters of the fiscal year 2020 compared to annual targets showed that 40 percent of the annual reach target for female sex workers was achieved, 52 percent of the annual testing target was achieved, 59 percent of the annual case-finding target was achieved, and 61 percent of the annual treatment target was achieved. The project's overall achievements for all indicators did not reach the expected 50 percent of annual targets, but they were close to the targets. The reason for this gap was due to the pause in index testing for key populations, which significantly reduced the index testing indicators. The project also had to reduce the average number of peer educators due to the geographical extension of the project, which was not accompanied by an increase in resources to hire additional peer educators. The project is planning to accelerate index testing, ensuring that it is applied with fidelity, and is using the key population hot spot mapping and size estimation results to conduct microplanning exercises with peer educators to prioritize the hot spots with larger size estimation to reach the maximum number of peers. The project is also planning to support outreach staff to use digital technology, including SMS, WhatsApp, and other social media, to reach their peers to mitigate the expected impact of COVID-19 on program activities in the upcoming quarter.