EA FREE MOVEMENT FUELS HIV/AIDS

 United States Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Mission Director in Kenya and East Africa,Karen Freeman(L)speaks during the official launching of the Cross Border Health Integrated Partnership Project (CH-HIPP)with her is  the East African Community (EAC)Secretary General,Dr Richard Sezibera.Photo by Filbert Rweyemamu 

By Arusha Times Correspondent

Free movement of people in East Africa, desired by policy makers to speed up regional integration, has fueled infectious diseases, particularly HIV/Aids and tuberculosis, it was observed in Arusha last week.

The impact is more pronounced along the transport corridors, especially in cross-border communities, where health services and community structures often are weak.

"As populations increasingly move across the region, they become increasingly vulnerable to infectious diseases, yet they might not have easy access to health services", said the USAid director for Kenya and East Africa Ms Kareen Freeman.
She was speaking during the official launching of the Cross Border Health Integrated Partnership Project (CH-HIPP) being implemented by the East African Community (EAC) and USAid.

According to her, the five year, $ 74million project is designed to expand HIV and health services along the roads and waterways in the region.

It will complement the more than $ 1 billion US government investment in EA and efforts by the partner states to achieve an AIDS-free generation.

"CB-HIPP will encourage civil society, governments and regional economic communities (RECs) to expand health services in order to restrict the spread of HIV.

"It will test mobile technology and financing solutions to increase the use of health services", she said during an event held at the EAC headquarters.

Ms Freeman added that implementation of the project has generated valuable lessons and best practices that have brought together grassroot organizations to implement HIV-implement HIV-prevention activities.

Group savings and loan associations enabled young women to save money that have provided them capital to start up businesses while the Anti-Retroviral (ARV) therapy refill sites along transport corridors. This  allowed mobile populations to restock vital medicines while on the road.

EAC Secretary General Dr. Richard Sezibera appreciated the US support, saying the project, will help safeguard the health of the people living, working and travelling along the transport corridors.

Targeted populations include female sex workers, men having sex with other men, drug users, transport and migrant workers, people living with HIV and other vulnerable community members.

A similar project had been implemented for years by the Lake Victoria Basin Commission (LVBC), an institution of the EAC. It targeted fishermen and plantation workers and, according to its official, it recorded significant successes.

​CB-HIPP, which is also been supported by the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and Trade Africa, will complement the more-than-$1 billion U.S Government investment in the region and efforts led by the EAC to safeguard the health of people living, working and traveling along the transport corridors and cross-border sites.

"As populations in cross-border towns increasingly move across the region, they become vulnerable to infections diseases, which, without proper treatment, can easily be spread along the transport corridors," Ms Freeman added.
CB-HIPP  encourages civil society, governments and Regional Economic Communities to expand health services  "to restrict the spread of HIV and other infectious diseases, as well as bring together social structures and grass root organizations to implement HIV-prevention activities,".​

"Our partnership with the U.S. Government will continue to be expanded and strengthened through mutual development and U.S. donor funding for our programs," said  Dr. Sezibera.

"CB-HIPP also provides an opportunity for the EAC to conduct strategic discussions on joint priorities, which will inform the upcoming 5th EAC Strategy (2017-2021) and the USAID Regional Strategy (2015-2020) under development," he added.

The Cross-Border Health Integrated Partnership Project (CB-HIPP), supported by the US Agency for International Development(USAID) with funding from the U.S President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief(PEPFAR) ,is designed to extend quality integrated health services strategic border areas and other transport corridor sites in East, Central and Southern Africa.

CB-HIPP is a reflection of the growing collaboration between the EAC and the U.S. Government to address shared prio