September 2021 | ICHAD & SMART Africa Monthly Monitor

Greetings from the ICHAD and SMART Africa Teams!

With the fall semester officially underway, so is the ICHAD/SMART Africa speaker series. This month we hosted Carolyn Lesorogol, a Professor at the Brown School who spoke about her experiences evaluating the impacts of community-based wildlife conservancies in rural Kenya. You can watch her full presentation here. 

September also brought the good news of additional NIH funding. ICHAD was recently awarded a $3.2 million R01 that seeks to address HIV-associated stigma among adolescents in boarding schools in Uganda. You can find more details about this study below. Also see details about an opportunity to contribute to an education fund in honor of ICHAD’s close friend and longtime collaborator, the Rt. Rev. Bishop John Baptist Kaggwa, who sadly passed away earlier this year.

The ICHAD and SMART Africa Teams

ICHAD Team Awarded $3.2 million from the NIH to Address HIV Stigma in Boarding Schools in Southwestern Uganda

Students gather in front of a school in the Masaka region of Uganda

ICHAD Director Fred Ssewamala has teamed up with Massy Mutumba from the University of Michigan (a former LEAD Global Training Program Trainee) to address the negative impact that HIV stigma has among adolescents in Uganda, including low rates of medication adherence and viral suppression as well as high attrition from HIV treatment services. These issues are even more pronounced for adolescents living with HIV (ALHIV) in boarding schools in low-resource communities. 

“M-Suubi: A Multi-level integrated intervention to reduce the impact of HIV stigma on HIV treatment outcomes among adolescents living with HIV in Uganda” is a five-year $3.2 million study funded by the National Institute of Mental Health that examines the impact of a multilevel intervention combining group-based HIV stigma reduction training for educators, including school directors, nurses and teachers (n=210), with a multiple family group intervention for HIV stigma reduction and a family economic empowerment intervention on HIV treatment adherence and engagement in care among ALHIV attending boarding schools in Uganda. The study will enroll 840 girls and boys along with their caregivers from 42 schools located in eight districts in Southern Uganda a region heavily affected by HIV.  The intervention will be provided for 20 months, with assessments at baseline, 12, 24 and 36 months. In addition to measuring adherence to medication and HIV stigma, the study will also gather rich data on program implementation and costs, so that if results are promising, they can quickly and effectively be disseminated to inform practice and policy, and the intervention can be scaled to other boarding schools in the region.

You can read more about the study here.

The Bishop Kaggwa Education Fund has been Launched!

From Left: Dr. Fred Ssewamala, Dean Mary McKay, and the late Bishop John Baptist Kaggwa at the 4th Annual SMART Africa Conference on Child Behavioral Health in Sub-Saharan Africa, July 2019

The late Rt. Rev. Bishop John Baptist Kaggwa, Bishop Emeritus of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Masaka, Uganda, was a longtime collaborator and supporter of ICHAD and SMART Africa. Since our founding in 2004, Bishop Kaggwa generously provided his guidance and assistance with our programs and research in the Greater Masaka Region. He was a social justice advocate, leader, and beloved mentor.  In his honor, ICHAD, in collaboration with the Masaka Catholic Diocese, has opened the Bishop Kaggwa Education Fund to support students in the greater Masaka region and pass on his legacy.  With the goal of raising USD $25,000 in the first year, informal fundraising efforts are underway among collaborators.  Individuals wishing to make a contribution to the fund can do so easily by sending money on Sendwave, a trusted app on Apple and Android devices. Enter the recipient information as follows:

Name: Bishop Kaggwa Education Fund - Masaka Diocese

Bank Name: Centenary

Account number: 3203039818

Direct wire transfer payments through your bank can also be made to the same account above (Swift Code: CERBUGKA; City and Country: Masaka, Uganda).  The deadline for making the first round of investment into the fund is the first week of October so a contribution by October 1st will help maximize the return on investment. Learn more about Bishop Kaggwa and the Masaka Catholic Diocese.

Upcoming Poster Presentations

“Engaging vulnerable women engaged in commercial sex in the implementation of an HIV risk reduction intervention in Southern Uganda” The 16th International Conference on HIV Treatment and Prevention Adherence, November 7-9, 2021, Orlando, Florida

“Self-reported adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART) among women engaged in commercial sex work in Southern Uganda” The 16th International Conference on HIV Treatment and Prevention Adherence, November 7-9, 2021, Orlando, Florida

Social Corner

The ICHAD-U.S. Team recently gathered to celebrate ICHAD Co-Director Proscovia Nabunya’s recent engagement as well as ICHAD Director Fred Ssewamala’s birthday!

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SMART Africa Center

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International Center for Child Health and Development (ICHAD)

ichad.wustl.edu | ichad@wustl.edu

Brown School, Washington University in St. Louis

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