Country-and Community-led Scale-up of Accessible, Integrated and Family-centered EVT Services for a Healthy Start (SAFEStart+)
Through partnership and funding from Unitaid, Program for Appropriate Technology in Health (PATH) and the project’s co-leads, the International Community of Women living with HIV Eastern Africa (ICWEA) and the World Hepatitis Alliance (WHA), are leading a four-year project designed for maximum reach and impact: SAFEStart+. This project is accelerating demand and adoption of evidence-based approaches and integrated delivery strategies to eliminate vertical transmission (EVT) of HIV, syphilis, hepatitis B, and Chagas disease, as well as integrated testing, treatment, and prevention of mpox.
SAFEStart+ supports countries and communities to design and scale integrated, people-centered services that meet local needs. The project is expected to deliver public health impacts such as saving maternal lives, reducing stillbirths, and lowering neonatal mortality. It will also generate economic benefits by improving health system efficiency through the scale-up of EVT at lower system levels and the introduction of new diagnostic, treatment, and prevention tools.It further anticipates equity impacts, including increased access for vulnerable and marginalised populations and a reduced burden on underfunded health systems. The initiative is estimated to avert 47,000 infections, corresponding to 179,000 disability-adjusted life years averted.
Geography:
SAFEStart+ is working across countries to:
- Scale up integrated EVT programs in four core engagement countries: Malawi, Nigeria, Paraguay, and Uganda.
- Address specific barriers to EVT scale-up and validation in five focused-activity countries: Brazil, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Senegal, South Africa, and Vietnam.
- Actively disseminate innovations, successes, and lessons learned to further increase adoption and scale-up of evidence-based EVT approaches in ten peer-learning countries: Cambodia, Cote d’Ivoire, El Salvador, The Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Mozambique, Philippines, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe.
Community Leadership Matters
Community engagement lies at the heart of SAFEStart+. By centring lived experience and placing communities at the core, the programme aims to ensure alignment with local needs and priorities, reduce stigma, and increase uptake of services. The project is also improving health worker trainings and leading demand generation and advocacy activities in collaboration with community advisory boards, support groups, and peer networks.
ICWEA and WHA will lead these efforts, which include overseeing community and civil society engagement through community advisory boards, a small grants programme, community-led monitoring, advocacy, and demand creation. This approach will enable countries to address gaps and reduce stigma within service delivery systems, while promoting tailored, integrated EVT models that are responsive to the needs of the communities they serve.
Applications for the SAFEStart+ Global CAB and Country CABs in Nigeria and Uganda are now closed. Applications for the Malawi CAB are being accepted on a rolling basis here. We are thrilled to have passionate and experience community leaders on our project CABs. Stay tuned to hear about the impact of SAFEStart+ and how communities play a central role. Applications for the Paraguay CAB are not currently open.