Integrated Community Development Initiative (ICODI) continues to play a critical role in strengthening HIV/AIDS awareness, prevention, and access to essential health services in rural communities across southwestern Uganda through the Scaling Up Comprehensive HIV/AIDS Awareness and Prevention Interventions (SUCHAPI) Project.
Mbarara and Isingiro Districts are among the regions in Uganda facing persistently high HIV prevalence rates, yet they are also home to large rural and hard to reach populations with limited access to health services. Approximately 65 percent of the population in these districts lives in rural settings, where distance from health facilities, poverty, and limited health information have made communities more vulnerable to HIV transmission.
Pastoral communities and rural households have been particularly affected. The loss of productive men and women to HIV related illnesses has disrupted agriculture, reduced household incomes, and contributed to rising food insecurity. At the same time, many young people in these communities have left school early and lack access to accurate information about HIV, increasing their risk of infection.
Economic hardship has also pushed many adolescent girls and young women into unsafe survival strategies, including transactional and cross generational relationships, which further heighten the risk of HIV transmission. Adults in many communities likewise face gaps in knowledge about prevention and early treatment, making it difficult to break the cycle of infection.
The SUCHAPI Project was designed to address these challenges by extending HIV prevention, testing, and education services directly to communities where they are most needed.
Project Objectives
The project focuses on three key goals:
- Reducing mother to child HIV transmission across sixteen sub counties in Mbarara and Isingiro Districts
- Expanding access to community based HIV counselling and testing services, particularly in rural and hard to reach areas
- Promoting safer sexual behaviours among young people, women, men, and other high risk groups
Key Outcomes and Impact
Through community based outreach and health education, the project has delivered measurable results that are already improving lives.
More than 1,200 mothers have been trained on the elimination of mother to child HIV transmission, helping to reduce the number of infants born with HIV and strengthening early childhood health.
Over 1,000 rural community members have accessed home based HIV counselling and testing services, bringing life saving information and early diagnosis directly to households that previously had little or no access to testing.
The project has also trained 223 married couples to serve as community advocates, promoting faithfulness, mutual support, and early HIV testing within families and neighbourhoods.
In addition, more than 1,000 in school and out of school youth have received education on HIV transmission and prevention, equipping young people with the knowledge they need to protect their health and make informed decisions.
Building Healthier and More Resilient Communities
By combining health education, testing services, and community engagement, the SUCHAPI Project is helping to reduce new infections, protect mothers and children, and strengthen community resilience. ICODI remains committed to working with local partners and health systems to ensure that these gains are sustained and expanded to reach even more families across southwestern Uganda.
Through initiatives like SUCHAPI, ICODI continues to advance its mission of improving health, dignity, and opportunity for the most vulnerable communities.
