Corridors of Hope III

The Zambian Corridors of Hope HIV and AIDS Prevention Initiative (Corridors of Hope I and II) have been successful in addressing rising rates of HIV and other sexually transmitted infection (STI) transmission in traditional high-risk groups, namely commercial sex workers, truckers and traders in border and corridor communities. The COH II program was broadened to include residents of corridor and border communities, as well as mobile and transient populations. The key interventions of COH II included establishment of seven centers, with the provision of static and mobile services: HIV testing and counseling (TC), STI treatment and management, referrals for on-going care, and behavior change interventions through site staff and trained peer educators.

Moving Forward with Corridors of Hope III

The COH III program design is based upon the successes and lessons learned under the previous programs, with recognition of the evolving nature of the HIV epidemic in Zambia. This includes an expansion of TC services beyond the traditional high-risk groups of female sex workers and long distance truck drivers, to include all those at risk in and around corridor communities, and a refined approach to behavior change which seeks to achieve sustainable change through enabling communities to identify risk-related behavior and implement strategies designed to address risk and sustain change. In addition to this, COH III will work with the ROADS II Project, a regional program working in nine countries in East and Central Africa.

Afya Mzuri acknowledges the importance of moving beyond awareness raising to achieving sustainable behavior change. This will include consideration of the key drivers of HIV in Zambia, including but not limited to multiple and concurrent partnerships (MCPs), gender-based violence (GBV), and alcohol use. More specifically, Afya Mzuri's role in COH III includes the following:

HIV and AIDS prevention services

Development of multimedia HIV and AIDS messages
Make female and male condoms available
Establishment of community-based alcohol counseling groups
Prevention and response to GBV
Promoting greater male involvement in behavior change activities

Implementation of behavior change and social change interventions

Orientation and on-going technical support to site-based staff
Training-of-trainers (ToT) in Reflect Methodology
Training for BCCs and OWs to conduct risk assessment and counseling
Site-based training for peer educators
Capacity-building for Behavior Change Steering Committees
Social mobilization interventions around key drivers of the epidemic
Special interventions for most vulnerable groups such as young women and married women
Site-based training in Most Significant Change (MSC) Methodology and subsequent documentation

Corridors of Hope III is funded by USAID for five years, beginning October 2009. Partners for the project include FHI, ZHECT, ZINGO, and Afya Mzuri. Year one of the programme will continue with the previously established seven sites, then expand with three more sites in years 2-5.