Save Uganda Foundation’s HIV/AIDS projects and activities are under the Community Awareness and Prevention of HIV/AIDS (CAPA) Program.
VCT
- VCT stands for Voluntary Counseling and Testing. VCT is when a person chooses to undergo HIV/AIDS counseling so that they can make an informed decision about whether to be tested for HIV.
The government of Uganda is encouraging all of us to come forward to be tested for HIV because it believes that if many of us get tested, even though we may not be sick, this will help to lessen the amount of stigma associated with the HIV test. Also, if we find out as an earlier stage, that we are infected with HIV, we can: - - Look after our health so that we stay as healthy as possible for as long as possible
- Get information and counseling around how to live positively with the virus
This means learning to accept the fact that we are HIV-infected, seeking emotional support, eating a healthy diet, learning how to control the amount of stress in our life, making sure we don't become re-infected, and planning for the future
- Learn to recognize the signs of opportunistic infections so we can get them treated promptly
- Get emotional support by seeking counseling and joining support groups
- Make sure that we don't infect anyone else or get re-infected ourselves
- Learn how to manage the stress in our lives
If we are not infected with HIV, VCT can motivate us to stay HIV antibody negative, and to accept those who are infected.
How VCT works?
Client(s) who want to get tested for HIV fills in a registration form together with a counselor, staff member(s) or volunteers of Save Uganda Foundation and some of the issues that will be discussed with you and the counselor will be:
- Why you decided to come for counseling
- What you know about HIV/AIDS
- Information about HIV/AIDS, including the test procedure and what people who are HIV infected can do to make sure that they stay as healthy as possible for as long as possible
- What alternative there are for solving your problems
All information is handled confidentially and is only used for statistical purposes.
After registration, the client gets tested for HIV antibodies and to carry out a test, we only need a few drops of blood, so a finger prick is sufficient.
After a few minutes the client will already get his/her results. These are given by trained counselors in a one-on-one conversation to protect the privacy of the client. This activity is carried out in partnership with Kiyita Family Alliance for Development.
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