2010 – Present
Nationwide scale up of HIV prevention services
In early 2010 the province wide contract between Nai Zindagi and the Punjab AIDS Control Program came to an abrupt end resulting in a sudden closure of life saving harm reduction services to people who inject drugs, their wives and children in 8 major cities of Punjab. Inspite of efforts by UNAIDS, UNODC, local and international media, civil society and Nai Zindagi the program could not be revived. Since the closure of these programs HIV prevention services in these cities have been sporadic and low in coverage, resulting in a sudden increase in HIV prevalence among people who use drugs. (HIV prevalence in Sargodha, Lahore and Faisalabad in the HIV and AIDS Survellance Project Round III and Round IV)
In 2010, the Country Coordinating Mechanism of the Global Fund in Pakistan selected Nai Zindagi to be the Principal Recipient for a USD 17 million nation wide grant to prevent, reverse and halt HIV among people who use drugs, their wives, sexual partners and children in 30 districts across Pakistan. This grant was signed in 2011 and services delivery was initiated in early 2012. Learn more….
Mainline Foundation, Netherlands continued to support a program based on continuum of care in Rawalpindi for people who inject drugs, their wives and children. This comprehensive program provided evidence and was a learning site to include effective interventions and components in Phase II of the Global Fund grant (2013-2016) which were missing in Phase I (2011-2012) of the grant.
In Phase II the Global Fund agreed to include drug treatment, point of care approach for CD4 diagnostics with portable machines and comprehensive AIDS realted treatment, care and support services. The main purpose of including these components is to fast track access to AIDS diagnostics and ART services with a continued follow up to ensure adherence.
Mainline Foundation, Netherlands have supported Nai Zindagi to establish an ART Adherence Unit that will cater to approximately 60% of people who inject drugs and are on ART in a two month residential program.