Beyond Numbers: Bridging Evidence and Experience to Strengthen HIV Prevention and Linkages to Primary Healthcare through Community-Led Learning and Collaboration in Eswatini
1
Strategic Information, Young Heroes Organisation, Mbabane, Swaziland
Popul. Med. 2026;8(Supplement Supplement 1):
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Effective stakeholder engagement and evidence-based decision-making are essential for strengthening public health systems and ensuring client-centered HIV prevention services. The Sabelo Sensha Project in Eswatini provides a model for how inclusive, data-driven reflection among government entities, implementing partners, and communities can enhance program performance, accountability, and responsiveness.
OBJECTIVE:
To explore how community engagement and data-driven collaboration translate evidence into action to strengthen HIV prevention outcomes.
METHODS:
A multi-stakeholder Data Reflection and Review Meeting covering the April–September 2024 reporting period convened representatives from the Ministry of Health (MoH), Young Heroes (YH), and development partners including Baylor, Georgetown University, NERCHA, and The Luke Commission. Community volunteers and clients receiving HIV prevention services actively participated, contributing firsthand perspectives on service delivery and program responsiveness. Discussions were grounded in analysis of routine HIV program data and service linkage challenges, supported by open dialogue and collaborative problem-solving sessions.
RESULTS:
The engagement process strengthened intersectoral collaboration, data transparency, and shared accountability. Stakeholders committed to supporting improvements within their respective portfolios and agreed to develop a referral system to facilitate linkages between facilities and community organizations. Evidence indicated progress in client retention, viral load monitoring, and bi-directional referral linkages. Input from volunteers and clients provided valuable insights into service accessibility, acceptability, and preferred delivery models for PrEP and other HIV prevention services. Persistent challenges included low uptake of HIV self-testing (HIVST) and limited referral feedback, which stakeholders agreed to escalate for national-level discussion.
CONCLUSIONS:
The Sabelo Sensha Project demonstrates that integrating community voices into data review processes alongside technical and institutional partners results in more responsive, equitable, and sustainable HIV prevention programming. This participatory, evidence-based approach promotes mutual accountability, drives adaptive learning, and offers a scalable model for collaborative public health improvement in Eswatini and beyond.
Effective stakeholder engagement and evidence-based decision-making are essential for strengthening public health systems and ensuring client-centered HIV prevention services. The Sabelo Sensha Project in Eswatini provides a model for how inclusive, data-driven reflection among government entities, implementing partners, and communities can enhance program performance, accountability, and responsiveness.
OBJECTIVE:
To explore how community engagement and data-driven collaboration translate evidence into action to strengthen HIV prevention outcomes.
METHODS:
A multi-stakeholder Data Reflection and Review Meeting covering the April–September 2024 reporting period convened representatives from the Ministry of Health (MoH), Young Heroes (YH), and development partners including Baylor, Georgetown University, NERCHA, and The Luke Commission. Community volunteers and clients receiving HIV prevention services actively participated, contributing firsthand perspectives on service delivery and program responsiveness. Discussions were grounded in analysis of routine HIV program data and service linkage challenges, supported by open dialogue and collaborative problem-solving sessions.
RESULTS:
The engagement process strengthened intersectoral collaboration, data transparency, and shared accountability. Stakeholders committed to supporting improvements within their respective portfolios and agreed to develop a referral system to facilitate linkages between facilities and community organizations. Evidence indicated progress in client retention, viral load monitoring, and bi-directional referral linkages. Input from volunteers and clients provided valuable insights into service accessibility, acceptability, and preferred delivery models for PrEP and other HIV prevention services. Persistent challenges included low uptake of HIV self-testing (HIVST) and limited referral feedback, which stakeholders agreed to escalate for national-level discussion.
CONCLUSIONS:
The Sabelo Sensha Project demonstrates that integrating community voices into data review processes alongside technical and institutional partners results in more responsive, equitable, and sustainable HIV prevention programming. This participatory, evidence-based approach promotes mutual accountability, drives adaptive learning, and offers a scalable model for collaborative public health improvement in Eswatini and beyond.
| eISSN: | 2654-1459 |
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