Grant: Operating Grant

Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy (HAART) has transformed the lives of HIV-infected persons and their families in sub-Saharan Africa. However, access to HAART is still low in sub-Saharan Africa, where only 33% of those who need it can access it. One of the challenges is access to HAART by those living in rural areas located at a distance from existing hospital-based program. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the long-term sustainability of a community based antiretroviral treatment (CBART) program that was established by our research team in western Uganda in 2005 in order to provide access to HAART to the rural population in this area. We will undertake a process to effectively hand over the program to the local health care system and community and evaluate their ability to sustain the activities and treatment outcomes of this program. If our community-based approach to HAART delivery can be maintained successfully over a two-year period by the local stakeholders this model could be confidently recommended for replication in Uganda and elsewhere in Africa as truly viable and locally sustainable with desirable outcomes.