EpiC is an eight-year global initiative that provides strategic technical assistance and direct service delivery to achieve HIV epidemic control and strengthen global health security.
Interviewee: Dominica Dhakwa, Project Director, DREAMS Zimbabwe, FHI 360Interviewer: Aubrey Weber, Technical Officer, Science Facilitation, FHI 360 As a project director, do you see value in virtual trainings? Yes, there is value in virtual trainings. The current COVID-19 environment requires... Continue Reading
EpiC Mali has launched a joint initiative with Mali's Ministry of Health and local partners to share best practices, lessons learned from field experiences, challenges and solutions, and future strategy improvements and reinforcements related to HIV programming and cascade implementation. ... Continue Reading
Casey Bishopp, Technical Officer, Science Facilitation, FHI 360 When my colleagues and I realized more than 60 people representing Zimbabwe Health Interventions and FHI 360 Zimbabwe had signed up for the next iteration of our five-day HIV Prevention Ambassador Trainers’... Continue Reading
Vinich Virak, SBCC Technical Advisor, EpiC Cambodia In June, the USAID- and PEPFAR-supported Meeting Targets and Maintaining Epidemic Control (EpiC) Cambodia team celebrated lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) Pride Month by raising awareness of the need to address... Continue Reading
Michael Cassell, Senior Technical Advisor, EpiCErlian Aditya, Deputy Director, EpiC IndonesiaCaroline Francis, Project Director, EpiC IndonesiaIrfan Riswan, Program Manager, EpiC Indonesia On July 17, 2021, The New York Times identified Indonesia as the new epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic, with... Continue Reading
Lisa Moreau, Learning & Capacity Development Consultant, FHI 360 In preparing for the virtual HIV Prevention Ambassador Trainers’ Workshop, we understood that we would not only be shifting away from in-person learning due to the global COVID-19 pandemic but also shifting... Continue Reading
#EAWA Team Angela (pseudonym) is a pioneer of the first Back to Care campaign in Burkina Faso for people living with HIV (PLHIV). Angela’s life was at risk because she felt she had no choice but to interrupt her antiretroviral... Continue Reading
Caroline Francis, Project Director, LINKAGES Indonesia In June and July, LINKAGES Indonesia collaborated with the Indonesia Society of Intensive Care Medicine (ISICM) to launch a webinar series, entitled COVID-19 management for doctors. The first webinar was hosted on June 26th... Continue Reading
Definate Nhamo, Senior Programs Manager, Pangaea Zimbabwe AIDS Trust (PZAT) In 2004, my experience as a trainer began. I started off as a life skills and comprehensive sexuality education trainer. Over time, I trained groups in financial literacy, economic livelihoods,... Continue Reading
EpiC Kyrgyzstan "It was hard for me in those days, and now there are people nearby who help me start all over again." Dmitry is from Bishkek and is 38 years old. Dmitry was a drug user for many years.... Continue Reading
This blog is managed by the EpiC project and dedicated to sharing stories, events, and resources from HIV epidemic control efforts around the world.
Assessment
A questionnaire or “screener” meant to be used with individual patients in a clinical setting to screen for, help diagnose, or monitor progress for individual mental health conditions.
Intervention
Larger packages or broader-reaching resources that describe actions or activities to be implemented. These may be appropriate for individuals, groups, and/or programs.
Anxiety
Feelings of fear, dread, and uneasiness that may occur as a reaction to stress. Anxiety can be a symptom or a feeling; it can also be a clinical diagnosis of a mental health condition.
Burnout
A state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress, typically related to one’s work, that is not managed well. Burnout is considered an occupational phenomenon.
Clinical diagnoses
Mental or neuropsychiatric disorders, or disruptive, unusual, or maladaptive behaviors that have been evaluated and diagnosed by a trained medical professional.
Depression
A mood disorder that causes a persistent feeling of sadness and loss of interest.
Disability
A physical or mental condition that limits a person’s movements, senses, or activities.
Insomnia
A sleep disorder, or disordered sleep pattern, characterized by trouble falling and/or staying asleep.
Overall well-being
The state of being comfortable, healthy, or happy; judging one’s own life positively; generally, “feeling good.”
Post-traumatic stress (PTS)
A normal adaptive response to traumatic or stressful life events that can result in a wide range of distressing symptoms. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) differs from PTS and is a clinical diagnosis.
Self-efficacy
An individual’s belief in their capacity to act in the ways necessary to reach specific goals.
Self-harm/suicidality
Deliberate injury to oneself as an emotional coping mechanism, ranging from cutting oneself to suicide. Expressions of self-harm and/or suicidality are usually considered an emergency and should be assessed and managed by a trained professional.
Social support
The perception that one is cared for, has assistance available if needed, and that one is part of a supportive social network.
Stress
Any type of change to one’s internal or external environment that causes physical, emotional, or psychological strain. “Managing stress” is an effort to return from this state of strain or disturbance to homeostasis or well-being.
Substance abuse
Use of a substance (usually drugs or alcohol) in amounts or by methods that are harmful to oneself or others. Substance use disorder (SUD) and addiction are distinct clinical diagnoses.
Trauma
Lasting biopsychosocial and/or emotional response that often results from experiencing a terrible event such as an accident, crime, military combat, or natural disaster, or a series of chronic traumatic events like persistent abuse or neglect.
Program beneficiary
Individual who receives program services; an entire group or population may be the recipient of services.
Service provider
Individual who directly provides services to another individual, group, or population (the “program beneficiary”) through a program.