There is an army of volunteers who are making a substantial difference in the fight against HIV/Aids and TB in South Africa by visiting every individual in designated areas and assisting them in getting tested and accessing treatment programmes.

Developed by the International Humana People to People movement, the Total Control of the Epidemic (TCE) programme was the topic at the latest SABCOHA breakfast held at the Wits Origins Centre on the 8 April.

According to Humane, TCE is based on the idea that "only the people can liberate themselves from HIV/AIDS".

TCE South Africa is currently working in 21 TCE areas and is reaching and servicing approximately 2,1 million people in areas covering the Limpopo, Mpumalanga, Gauteng and Kwazulu Natal.

Each designated TCE area consists of 100,000 people who are serviced by 50 field officers. They are local people and employed by Humana for three years. Each of them has the responsibility of reaching 2,000 people.

The programme is a community-based comprehensive and systematic response that is modelled around the liberation process in Southern Africa and structured in an almost military way for productivity and efficiency. The programme strives to reach every single person, with information, education and basic counselling for behaviour change.

TCE field officers go from door-to-door, educating and counselling each individual to implement a plan of action that reduces their risk of infection and to assist them to live responsible and positive lives. Pregnant women are referred to antenatal clinics, people are mobilised for testing and people that are HIV+ and on ARV are offered support.

Kliford Zomini, co-commander of TCE in South Africa, told SABCOHA members at the breakfast that "people on the ground are ready to be tested now". He said that the field officers now carry test kits with them. "We should have done it 10 years," he said.

They also assist the Department of Health to trace TB medication defaulters. He cites one region where the default rate of 33% has been reduced to 9% since the intervention of field officers in the area.

"The field officers have five to ten tools that they employ with each person. They put the responsibility on the person to make it work," Zomini said.

The TCE programme has been in Southern Africa since 2002. Over this period the programme has been implemented in seven SADC countries: Angola, Botswana, Malawi, Namibia, South Africa, Mozambique, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Humana People to People South Africa is founder and member of the International Humana People to People Movement that is based in Zimbabwe. The movement is a membership federation of more than 30 national associations in Africa, Europe, Asia and America, and operates more than 200 projects worldwide.

Lone Torbensen, Partnership Director from Humana People to People, said that the organisation was started 40 years ago by "ordinary people who wanted to make a difference.

"We all have to make a difference for the better and we have partnerships with government, business and other organisations in 32 countries around the world."

In introducing Torbensen and the TCE programme to SABCOHA members at the breakfast, CEO Brad Mears pointed out that the “scope of the battle against HIV/AIDS has become broader and is now far more strategic than before.” - SABCOHA