Cameroon

In 2022, the Joint Team’s support in Cameroon focussed on capacity building of communities and health, social services and education professionals to expand access to HIV information, care and services among people living with HIV, young people and key populations. Bafoussam, Dschang and Foumban districts launched the Youth 3+1 initiative to improve adolescents' and young people's access to comprehensive sexual and reproductive health, counselling and HIV awareness services at community, institutional and school levels (UNICEF). In addition, 285 supervisors and teachers received training, technical support and teaching materials to develop comprehensive sexuality education in 35 multi-purpose youth centres located in areas prone to humanitarian crises (UNFPA). A total of 85 teachers from the Ecole Normale Bilingue (Douala) were also trained in the use of the pedagogical guide for strengthening teachers' psychosocial skills in reproductive health and HIV & AIDS education, while the capacities of 50 pedagogical supervisors were strengthened in methods for monitoring teachers on the use of lessons presenting comprehensive sexuality education and HIV/AIDS through distance learning platforms (UNESCO).

In humanitarian settings, 47 538 refugees were oriented on the same subjects by 180 trained community health workers and peer educators (UNHCR). In the Centre, Littoral and West, 10 690 vulnerable persons and key populations, including vulnerable workers, internally displaced persons, sex workers and their clients, were sensitized to combination HIV prevention and 8250 of them were tested for HIV (ILO).

Dolutegravir-based antiretroviral treatment was included in the second-line treatment protocol to treat HIV and tuberculosis co-infection and 179 healthcare providers, health district managers and representatives from civil society organizations improved their capacity to implement the new guidelines and switch clients to the Dolutegravir-based regimen (WHO). In the West Region, 180 civil society organization representatives strengthened their capacity to provide community-based prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV (PMTCT) services while 1377 pregnant and breastfeeding women accessed HIV testing services and 297 women benefited from antenatal care in health facilities (UNICEF).