MSM in East Africa have access to the Afya4Men website, afya4men.info, which contains sexual health information in Swahili and English, mirrored on Health4Men’s online content.
The Afya Academy, a partnership between the International HIV/AIDS Alliance (Alliance) and Anova, trains clinicians and community activists who work with sex workers, gay men and other men who have sex with men (MSM), transgender people and intravenous drug users.
The Afya Academy combines the collective expertise and experience of Anova Health Institute’s Global Programmes the Alliance to enhance and develop competency of clinicians and CBO staff providing care to and with key populations across Africa. The Afya Academy (Afya meaning ‘health’ in Swahili) will undertake proactive and highly topical training opportunities on a regular basis.
The first three-day training event in 2016 drew participants from five African countries and included sessions on rolling out pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) among gay and MSM communities in Africa. The training curriculum was designed to develop participants’ knowledge and skills working with African gay men and other MSM, often in exceptionally hostile and highly prejudiced social and legal environments. The course includes an emphasis on how to reach and engage MSM in all aspects of health care, from ensuring safety, to combination prevention to HIV treatment adherence.