Early in 2026, HIVE continued its work strengthening vertical transmission prevention efforts through activities at district and facility levels, from supportive facility visits to engagements during South Africa’s Pregnancy Awareness Week. The following are some highlights from the past few months:
Facility Support Visits Strengthen VTP Quality Improvement Efforts
From Jan. 19–30, HIVE country leads and field technical officers in Mozambique, Nigeria, and South Africa conducted support visits to 60 facilities across six priority districts in each country to monitor the implementation of quality improvement plans (QIPs)
The visits followed quality improvement learning sessions held in October 2025 across the supported districts, where teams reviewed vertical transmission prevention (VTP) data and identified priority indicators requiring attention. Facilities subsequently developed QIPs outlining improvement strategies, responsible staff, and timelines.
During the January visits, HIVE teams worked closely with district and facility staff to provide mentorship, conduct routine data reviews, and strengthen data use for decision-making. The engagements also helped identify early lessons and address implementation bottlenecks in real time, including gaps in data capture, delays in feedback loops, and weak cross-team communication.
The visits also created opportunities to review key prevention cascade indicators for pregnant and breastfeeding women, including HIV testing, ART initiation, and retention in care.
Quarterly learning sessions will follow to review progress using performance data. Effective change ideas will be documented and shared as best practices for adaptation and scale across facilities and provinces in the three countries.
Strengthening Antenatal and VTP Services During South Africa’s Pregnancy Awareness Week
As part of Pregnancy Awareness Week in South Africa, HIVE supported the National Department of Health (NDOH) in a series of activities aimed at strengthening antenatal care services and reinforcing prevention efforts across the pregnancy and postnatal journey.
From February 3-7, HIVE supported activities during the week, including daily calls to action for frontline health care providers delivering antenatal services, as well as a national webinar to orient providers on the updated 2023 VTP guidelines.
HIVE also supported an engagement with peer supporters, including mentor mothers, to explore practical approaches to supporting young women. The session, led by HIV activist Ibanomonde Ngema within a HIVE-supported district, created space to reflect on community-based support for pregnant and breastfeeding women.
These activities also reinforced key elements of the prevention cascade for pregnant and breastfeeding women, including HIV testing, PrEP awareness, and early ART initiation to prevent vertical transmission.
In addition, HIVE Technical Field Officers coordinated facility-level Pregnancy Awareness Week activities across supported sites.
