A community-based HIV intervention implemented by the Centre for Initiative Development (CFID), with support from ViiV Healthcare’s Positive Action programme, has recorded significant improvements in HIV testing, treatment retention and viral suppression among children, adolescents and caregivers across three local government areas of Taraba State.

The project, titled “Closing the Gap in Retention in HIV Care among Children Living with HIV and their Caregivers in the State,” was implemented in Karim-Lamido, Sardauna and Ussa local government councils, covering 14 hard-to-reach communities including Jen, Bambuka, Gembu, Nguroje, Lissam and Kwambai.

According to the final project report, captioned “CFID report for 2025,” a copy of which was made available to The Guardian by the organisation, nearly 9,000 people were reached and tested for HIV during the project cycle, with a focus on children aged 0–14 years, adolescents and young people aged 15–24 years, and caregivers. Of those tested, 233 individuals were identified as HIV positive and linked to treatment and care services.
Project data in the report show that 143 clients were successfully retained in care, representing a retention rate of 86 per cent. Among clients with valid viral load results, 94.7 per cent achieved viral suppression, a key indicator of effective HIV treatment and reduced risk of onward transmission.

“This project demonstrates that when HIV services are brought closer to communities and delivered in a stigma-free, supportive manner, people are more willing to test, start treatment, and remain in care,” CFID noted in the report.

To achieve these results, CFID adopted a multi-pronged approach that included community mapping, advocacy meetings with traditional and religious leaders, targeted capacity building, and active case finding through home-based testing and community outreaches.

Community volunteers conducted home visits to provide adherence counselling, deliver antiretroviral drugs to clients who missed appointments, collect viral load samples, and offer psychosocial and mental health support.
The project also introduced nurse-led community clinics for stable and non-complicated paediatric cases, reducing waiting times at health facilities and easing the burden on overstretched doctors. Nationally validated monitoring and evaluation tools and job aids were reproduced and distributed to health workers and volunteers to improve data quality and service delivery.

A total of 76 service providers, including doctors, nurses, pharmacists, laboratory technicians, community health extension workers and community volunteers, many of whom are people living with HIV, were trained to deliver friendly, confidential, and stigma-free HIV services.

The intervention directly addressed long-standing challenges in the state, such as myths and misconceptions about HIV, fear of testing, stigma and discrimination, poor attitudes among some health workers, reliance on traditional medicine, and the influence of religious beliefs that discouraged adherence to antiretroviral therapy.

As part of efforts to remove structural barriers to care, CFID provided transport support to newly diagnosed clients to ensure they could access health facilities for treatment initiation and follow-up. This, the report noted, significantly improved linkage to care and adherence.

Beyond clinical outcomes, the project recorded broader social impact. Increased community sensitisation led to greater awareness of HIV, reduced stigma, and more voluntary testing. Adolescents gained confidence and adopted healthier behaviours, while caregivers became more engaged and supportive of treatment for themselves and their children.

Health systems in the target LGAs were also strengthened through improved referral, linkage and follow-up mechanisms, as well as closer collaboration with government agencies such as the Taraba State Agency for the Control of AIDS (TACA), Local AIDS Control Agencies (LACA), primary health centres, and community-based support groups.

With a reported HIV prevalence rate of 2.6 per cent in the project areas and high levels of viral suppression achieved, CFID said the intervention has contributed to reducing community-level HIV transmission and improving the quality of life for people living with HIV.

The organisation added that lessons from the project underscore the importance of differentiated service delivery, community ownership, and sustained partnerships in achieving long-term epidemic control in Taraba State and beyond.