DAPP Namibia has more than three decades of experience working with people in communities on health matters to know better, to understand better and then to take action.
DAPP Namibia delivers comprehensive community-level HIV, TB, and Malaria prevention, testing, and treatment adherence services in 10 regions.
DAPP Namibia works in close cooperation with the Ministry of Health and Social Services to support the achievement of national development goals.
DAPP Namibia is working with the ministry to deliver impactful programming at all levels of implementation; national, regional, health facility, and most importantly with individuals and groups in communities.
DAPP Namibia also implements cross-cutting programming to deliver health education and actions to promote family and individual health, food security, nutrition, and household-level resilience to improve the health and wellbeing of families.
Through the combined effects of its programme activities, DAPP Namibia makes a purposeful and significant impact to help mitigate the public health challenges faced by the people.
TCE is short for “Total Control of the Epidemic”. The name is the aim. DAPP Namibia began implementing the TCE Programme in 2005 in close cooperation with the Ministry of Health and Social Services at health facilities. TCE Field Officers deliver HIV and TB services in communities. Over the years, the TCE approach has continuously evolved to meet the main challenges in dealing with the epidemic; and always with the slogan in mind that “Only the people can liberate themselves from HIV/AIDS the epidemic. The rest of us can only participate”.
Namibia is moving towards achieving sustainable epidemic control. This is done in line with the UNAIDS strategy of the 95- 95-95 targets, which calls for 95% of people living with HIV to know their HIV status, 95% of people with diagnosed HIV infection to receive sustained antiretroviral therapy, and 95% of people receiving antiretroviral therapy to have achieved suppression of the HIV virus.
The TCE programme provides community level direct service delivery of a wide range of HIV and TB services in direct support of the Government’s objective to achieve sustainable epidemic control, these include:
Through its direct program service delivery and alignment with complimentary services offered by the Ministry of Health and Social Services, the TCE programme is delivering a holistic package of services to help HIV negative people remain HIV negative and to help HIV positive people adhere to treatment.
"The TCE Field Officer has been helping me since I had my first child. This is now my second baby and they are both negative”, said one of the mothers. She explained that the TCE programme has been instrumental in educating and teaching mothers how to take care of themselves and their babies without exposing them to the virus. “I would like to express my gratitude to the TCE Field Officers for never giving up on us, for always being there to encourage us to take our medication and come for our appointments at the clinic”.
TCE Field Officer Aina Ita added: “It has been a joy to be part of what we call the Mother -Baby Follow-up. My aim is to support all my HIV-positive mothers throughout pregnancy until birth, and from birth until the baby turns 18 months or 3 months after she stops breastfeeding, with the purpose of guiding the mother to do the right thing, so the baby will remain HIV negative”.
Namibia is in a malaria pre-elimination phase, however, despite this achievement malaria remains a significant public health challenge with the most at-risk groups for malaria being children under the age of five, pregnant women, people living in hard-to-reach areas, nomadic groups and those who live in border areas. In Namibia, more than half of the total population is at risk of contracting malaria.
The DAPP Namibia malaria programme works in close cooperation with the Ministry of Health and Social Services National Vector-borne Disease Control Program, which is supported by the Global Fund to fight HIV, TB and Malaria.
Implementation is focused in five malaria endemic regions; Zambezi, Kavango East, Kavango West, Ohangwena, and Omusati. The DAPP Namibia malaria programme employs community health workers to deliver malaria health services at the community and household levels, including:
DAPP Namibia’s malaria programme makes a significant contribution to national malaria control objectives through the delivery of community-based services to prevent, diagnose, and treat malaria, helping to save the lives of many Namibians each year.
Community health workers are there to support the people with health education as well as test and treat for Malaria in the communities.
“One day on my way to Silumbi village, I passed by Tabele village and noticed that there were two households that I had not visited before. I decided to visit them. I went into the first house and found a 15-year-old girl who was very sick. Her mom told me about her sickness and her travel history. I then tested her for malaria and found that she indeed had malaria. According to my judgement this was severe, so I did not start her on treatment, but told the family to take her to the Bukalo Health Centre right away. They told me that they could not do that, since they did not have money for transport. I called my coordinator for help and with her assistance we managed to arrange for an ambulance from the Ministry of Health and Social Services. She was admitted to hospital and treated there. After a week I was relieved to hear that she had been cured and could go home. The family expressed their gratitude for the assistance. I was very happy that I passed by that house and could help before it was too late”.
Babies in the DAPP prevention of mother-to-child (HIV) transmission program were declared HIV-free at 18 months of age
People living with HIV who experienced treatment interruption were traced at the community level and reengaged in treatment.
People enrolled in Community Adherence Groups (CAGs) for supporting adherence to treatment.
People living with HIV were newly diagnosed and placed on life-saving treatment by DAPP community health workers.
People living with HIV were screened for Tuberculosis (TB)
People reached with malaria services
