POSITION SUMMARY:

The Retention specific tasks assistants are responsible for following up the linkage to care, initiation of HIV treatment, and retention in care of beneficiaries diagnosed with HIV through the FIKIA project which a community-based HIV prevention program. The Linkage and Retention specific tasks assistants’ responsibilities include identification of clients who are not linked to or retained in care, and follow-up of these clients to ensure they achieve viral load suppression. Linkage & Retention specific tasks assistants follow up cases between community and facility-based service delivery to ensure continuity of care

MAJOR ACCOUNTABILITIES  

• Conduct day-to-day implementation in assigned region to achieve linkage to and retention in care for beneficiaries who are diagnosed with HIV from community based testing efforts.
• Support the uptake of HIV testing and treatment including test-and-treat strategies and identify gaps to improve uptake of treatment initiation, linkage to and retention in care.
• Facilitate testing of contacts and partner notification of newly diagnosed PLHIV (index testing)
• Work closely with health facility staff to ensure all HIV positive clients diagnosed in the community are initiated on treatment, entered in CTC databases, and retained in care.
• Support and mentor peer outreach volunteers regularly during outreach sessions to ensure adequate follow-up and support of HIV positive clients including tracking of missed appointments, defaulters, and loss to follow-up (LTFU).
• Liaise with health facility staff to ensure HIV positive clients identified in the community and linked to facility are appropriately followed up and retained in care.
• Track HIV positive clients that were transferred out to other facilities within the ICAP implementing regions and ensure that they are retained in care.
• Support CTC2 data extraction and compare with ICAP data to identify and follow-up with clients who are lost-to-follow up and missed appointments.
• Perform any other relevant duties as assigned by the supervisor.

Required Qualifications, Knowledge and Skills:

• Required Education:
  • Medically trained personnel with a diploma or higher including: Nurse, MD, clinical officer, assistant medical officer

• Non-medical personnel with a Bachelor’s degree or higher in the following fields: Public Health, Sociology, Psychology, Social Work, Gender Studies, or Community Development.

• Required Experience: Minimum 1 years’ experience working directly with people living with HIV, providing counselling or other prevention and treatment services.
  • Preference given to those who have additional experience working with Key and Vulnerable Populations (KVP) for HIV prevention and care.
• Excellent speaking, reading, and writing skills in English and Kiswahili
• Excellent computer skills, at minimum with Microsoft Office package
• Ability to maintain confidentiality regarding clients’ health status and sensitive information contained in data sources.
• Flexibility to work after normal working hours and weekends at informal gatherings and entertainment centers and travel extensively to remote areas, including islands.
• Ability to interact well with all targeted groups and peer outreach workers by facilitating a non-judgmental, non-discriminatory, and non-stigmatizing environment in the program, to welcome all key and vulnerable population beneficiaries regardless of their background
• Must be a Tanzanian Citizen; preference given to candidates already living in the job location region.
• Ability to ride and possession of a valid motorcycle driving licence will be an added advantage