OFFICE OF
INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
Zambia Rise Up !
Project Continues to Impact Young Women in Zambia
With a federal grant award of $ 5 million for five years from the Health Resources and Services Administration ( HRSA ) and President ' s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief ( PEPFAR ), CDU continued to impact the lives of Adolescent Girls and Young Women ( AGYW ) in Zambia through its participation in the HBCU Global Health Consortium with Meharry Medical College , Howard University College of Medicine and Morehouse School of Medicine .
The consortium was also established to develop and implement strategies to address the social determinants and health inequalities found within the existing Zambian healthcare system , utilizing a clinical practice transformation approach to enhance and improve the provision of HIV / AIDS services in Zambia and throughout Sub-Saharan Africa . Each consortium school has a project aimed to address a specific target population in Zambia – CDU provides services to the target population of adolescent girls and young women in Zambia through Rise Up ! Project .
To date , over 44,000 adolescent girls and young women in Zambia have been screened for HIV , over 16,000 have received an HIV test , and thousands have remained virally suppressed through the support of the CDU Rise Up ! Project in Zambia ’ s capital of Lusaka as well as in the
Copperbelt Province . In 2020-21 , CDU worked closely with the Ministry of Health to expand to a total of four community-based houses and nine youth friendly spaces affiliated with general hospitals and clinics in these regions . The efforts are sustained by an innovative and dedicated team of over 100 project staff and stipend volunteers in Zambia .
Daily administrative , operational , and technical support to this in-country team is provided by CDU faculty and staff including Dr . Deborah Prothrow-Stith , Principal Investigator ; Dr . Lejeune Lockett , Co-Principal Investigator and Project Director ; Dr . Roberto Vargas , M & E Director ; Dr . LaShonda Spencer , AGYW / HIV Medical Expert ; Wilfredo Lopez , Associate Finance Director ; and Shellye Jones , Wellness Coordinator .
This team ensures the linkage of the Rise Up ! Project to students and faculty so that they learn more about global health and implementation science through on-campus research forums , classroom lectures , student internships , and feedback through the HIV Research Cluster . They are all excited for the potential to replicate CDU ’ s unique model of differentiated service delivery in Zambia and beyond where the girls can pick up their medications and receive wrap-around support services in a girl-friendly and empowering environment .
20 INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS