Caring from within

In Zimbabwe, as in many parts of sub-Saharan Africa, home-based care (HBC) plays a vital role in the response to HIV as overwhelmed public health and welfare systems fail to cope with the demands of the epidemic. HBC organizations have evolved and grown relatively organically throughout Zimbabwe in response to the epidemic, supporting and directing the activities of caregivers as the epidemic has dictated.

To understand more about the development of HBC in Zimbabwe and its future potential, Irish Aid engaged Health & Development Networks (HDN) and the Southern Africa HIV and AIDS Information Dissemination Service (SAfAIDS) to assess and document lessons from HBC interventions. Since 2005, Irish Aid has supported HBC initiatives in Zimbabwe, and is currently funding 15 HBC programmes throughout the country. The current project was designed to contribute to better understanding and evidence-based decision-making in the implementation of HBC interventions in Zimbabwe and beyond.

Each publication contains a CD that comprises five documents produced in the course of the project:

* Caring from within - Key findings and policy recommendations on home-based care in Zimbabwe

* Inside stories - Local experiences of home-based care in Zimbabwe

* Home-based care in Zimbabwe - Key findings and recommendations from the Partners-Zimbabwe focused eForum discussion

* Documenting Lessons from Home Based Care (HBC) Interventions in Zimbabwe - Research report

* Documenting Lessons from Home Based Care (HBC) Interventions in Zimbabwe - Report on the learning event

The goal of this publication is to guide HBC implementers, policy-makers, regional and international organizations, and donors in designing and prioritizing HBC programmes, creating policies and targeting funding to make a real difference to people's lives at the local level.

Note: 'Caring from within' official launch will be held at the International AIDS Conference 2008 on 6 August, 2008.