The AIDS information and support center | TASC (Manzini)
Overview
The AIDS Information and Support Centre (TASC) is an indigenous HIV and AIDS service not for profit non-governmental organization established in October 1989 assisted by Project HOPE, a private voluntary international organization and USAID. TASC's initial focus has been, and still is, in capacity enhancement of broad based target population groups and stakeholder clusters, a strategy for curbing the advent and impact of HIV and AIDS in Swaziland.
The target
population groups and entities include helping formal and informal institutions
to incorporate HIV/AIDS education, care, and support service provision to their
cohorts. Assisted and capacitated population groups include traditional healer organizations,
nurse professionals, the private sector, rural community based population
groups, urban and semi-urban settings, workplace population, women, youth
groups, people living with HIV and AIDS,
Seventeen
(17) years, later TASC's commitment to lead in the fight against HIV/AIDS is no
less
Ms. Thandi Nhlengethwa
(our executive director, at The Stephen Lewis Foundation )
Our expertise
TASC
is recognized nationally and internationally as a Best Practice entity in areas
such as:
- Initiative to develop the HIV &
AIDS counselor support & training program in Swaziland (from late 1989 / Early 1990)
- Initiative in the provision of voluntary
drop-in service for HIV & AIDS counseling & testing (1992)
- Initiative in the formation of the
first support group of People Living With HIV & AIDS (PLWH/A,1993)
- Initiative in the conduct of quality
assured (WHO approved) rapid HIV testing (1998)
- Initiative in the roll-out of the
mobile VCT outreach service (1999)
- Initiative and national
accreditation for the conduct of VCT training contributing to the national VCT roll-out
strategy (2002)
- service preceded by same
organization's initiative of the HIV & AIDS counselor training
since
1989/90 (ref 1st bullet)
- Initiative in the development and
implementation of a dynamic weekly HIV & AIDS television programm (2002-2006)