Key objectives: 

• Incentivize HIV patients with poor treatment adherence to resume treatment by providing a free food supplement, increasing the number of people eligible to participate in Community Adherence Groups (GAAC) 

• Improve the nutritional status of HIV patients

• Improve nutrition education of HIV patients

• Improve the homegrown peanut quality for personal consumption and salability

• Incorporate an income generation component to the GAAC program

Target group:

HIV patients with poor adherence who have abandoned treatment within the last year, including women, children, and men. GAAC and Mothers to Mothers groups.

Main activities held: 

1. Peanut Butter production. 18 activists from local association in Namuno were involved in peanut butter production, in the local fabric set up in Namuno. Peanut butter was packed in plastic jars and stored in a cool room inside the fabric, before distribution. In total, 254 jars of 250 g and 106 jars of 520 g were produced, which is the equivalent of 121 kgs of peanut butter. 

2. HIV patients visits in the community and peanut butter distribution. 146 HIV patients came back to TARV as a result of community action and peanut butter distribution. Each HIV patient was met by a local activist and received proper information about HIV and TARV. 

3. Local authorities visits. All local administrative centers were visited frequently (Namacaca, Ocula, Papai), to promote the project and the activists, or to ask for further explanations about condom distribution and/or access to TARV in local health centers. Those meetings led to no result in condom distribution, but helped improving the access to TARV in local health centers. 

4. Local and district health centers visits. The lack of condom distribution and access to TARV in local health centers led Positivo team to organize many meetings with different directors of health centers at local and district level. Those meetings led to no result in condom distribution, but helped improving the access to TARV in local health centers. 

5. District and province health partners visits (NPCS, Ariel Foundation). Positivo team had frequent visits no NPCS and Ariel Foundation in Pemba, whether on the theme of condom distribution or to help the local association in Namuno to get long-term support for the fabric. Those meetings led to no result in condom distribution, but helped the local association sign a two-year agreement with Ariel Foundation. 

6. Participation in community events (health fairs, campaign launching). Positivo team and local activists actively participated in and animated three local health fairs (Uncumbi, Meloco, Namitil) and the official event destined to launch the local agriculture campaign for 2016-2017. In those events were divulgated Positivo materials produced in the first phase of the project. 

7. Monthly meetings and GAAC groups creation and animation. As a way to facilitate the interaction with all actors in the health centers, Positivo introduced the good practices of monthly meetings and GAAC groups, so that HIV patients can help each other and have a space to debate / exchange informations about their disease and medication. 

8. TV intervention. To promote the project in Namuno, as well as the importance of staying on TARV when HIV positive, Positivo went on TV for an interview that was divulgated on TVM in the Cabo Delgado province. 

Regarding the activities listed above, Positivo Mozambique reached all its key objectives for the project. Success has been measured in terms of n° of HIV patients reached and having come back to TARV, quantity of peanut butter produced and distributed, n° of institutions involved and n° of GAAC groups created. 

Regarding the indicators, we note that Indicator C-CCC.03 has reached only 58% of its target. However, Positivo Mozambique has registered a 100% success rate in convincing HIV patients to come back to TARV, through prevention and offering a complementary nutritive package with locally-produced peanut butter. This is therefore a great success for the project, and the demonstration that prevention with local income generation and nutritive complementation is an effective approach in fighting against TARV abandon.