AIDSRelief Rwanda Final Report

From 2004 through 2011, AIDSRelief Rwanda expanded HIV care and treatment support to nearly 12,000 patients including nearly 6,700 who enrolled on lifesaving antiretroviral therapy (ART) at 20 health facilities in the Nyamasheke and Burera districts. Consortium members Catholic Relief Services, University of Maryland School of Medicine Institute of Human Virology, and Futures Group worked hand-in-hand with Rwanda’s Ministry of Health and local health facilities to strengthen the skills and systems needed to support high-quality care. A deep commitment to partnership underscored AIDSRelief’s relationships and capacity strengthening activities, which culminated in late 2011 when the Ministry of Health won a new grant to receive PEPFAR funds directly and assume full responsibility for managing the program. Rwanda was the only AIDSRelief country to transition solely to a government partner.

The program’s comprehensive package covered not only strengthening HIV clinical capacity, but also program operations and management support for district and national health structures. This report outlines key outcomes and lessons learned during the eight-year program; it also describes approaches and methods that contributed to the program’s success.