Nineteen-year-old Diolista João is a mother of four living in the Maririmo community in Meconta District, Mozambique. During her first three pregnancies, João only visited the health facility for an initial antenatal care (ANC) consultation to get a prenatal booklet and mosquito net, and then gave birth at home. All three children were low birthweight
As a peer educator for the Jhpiego-supported Gateway Project in Malawi, John Banda* spends nights and weekends scouting Ngabu area bars, sports fields and other community venues, looking to help men in need of HIV prevention or treatment services. Drawing on his own experience as a gay person living with HIV who, since 2017, has benefited from antiretroviral therapy (ART), the 34-year-old is publicly open and insistent about knowing one’s serostatus and seeking lifesaving care. With homosexuality against the law in his country, John’s work is sensitive. The aim of this work is preventing and reducing the transmission of HIV, particularly in key
When Emma Vah, 40, visited the Careysburg clinic in Montserrado County, Liberia, for antenatal care, she received comprehensive quality services related to the prevention of malaria in pregnancy (MIP). Malaria is endemic in her country, with transmission occurring year-round, and pregnant women like her are at great risk of severe disease and death. Intermittent preventive treatment in pregnancy (IPTp) is recommended to prevent the adverse outcomes of malaria for mothers and their unborn children. However, uptake of this intervention has
