Reducing AIDS Deaths

In Zimbabwe, Chikurubi Maximum Security prison is the largest prison averaging 2,600 inmates, many classified as high risk with long sentences, and 17% of the prison population is HIV positive and in need of HIV health services and peer support. VSO has trained 178 volunteer peer educators to train inmates about the importance of adherence to antiretroviral drugs and set up support groups to provide pyscho-social support for prisoners.

The result has been an uptake in ART treatment (increased from 50% to over 95%) and a sharp reduction in prisoner deaths.