The HIMM, Yaba Guy Che and TB vaccine studies recently conducted a five-day HIV Rapid Testing training for study staff, strengthening their capacity to provide quality HIV testing services as part of their research activities.
The training was conducted by trainers from the Ministry of Health which convened a total of 18 staff from all three studies.
The training comes as the HIMM project begins its work to better understand the health challenges faced by mobile men and the factors influencing their access to healthcare.
In Uganda and Zambia, men experience a high burden of infectious diseases (IDs), higher mortality from non-communicable diseases (NCDs), and lower utilisation of healthcare services compared with women. At the same time, the growing burden of NCD-ID co-morbidities presents an increasing challenge for health systems.
For men whose livelihoods require them to travel away from their primary residences, mobility can further complicate diagnosis, treatment, follow-up and continuity of care. However, there are still gaps in understanding how occupational mobility, masculinity, and risk factors for NCD-ID co-morbidities intersect in men’s lived experiences.
The HIMM project, a 4.5-year project, aims to address these gaps through five work packages implemented across two urban neighbourhoods Nakawa in Kampala, Uganda, and Chawama in Lusaka, Zambia. The project is funded by Novo Nordisk Fonden, Denmark and Sponsored by Queen Margaret University.
The project seeks to generate evidence that can inform mobility-sensitive health strategies, including approaches that make healthcare more accessible to mobile men across different locations, where they congregate and through non-traditional healthcare providers.
The HIV Rapid Testing training is therefore an important component of building the capacity of study teams to effectively undertake their research activities and engage with participants.
Read more about the Yaba Guy Che study: https://www.zambart.org.zm/2026/05/29/zambart-officially-launches-yaba-guy-che-for-the-men-study/
Read more about the TB vaccine study: https://www.zambart.org.zm/research/tb-vaccine-trial/
[CK1]Of where?