Strengthening Paediatric HIV Care: THRIVE AHD Training in Mozambique
- hivtoolkit
- 15 hours ago
- 3 min read
On 4-5 September 2025, THRIVE project partners convened in Maputo, Mozambique to deliver a targeted two-day training workshop focused on Hospital Care for the Severely Ill Child with Advanced HIV Disease (AHD). The training workshop, co-led by the Mozambique Ministry of Health (MISAU), national paediatric leads, and Penta experts, brought together frontline clinicians, researchers, and public health professionals from across the country and beyond to strengthen capacity, share practical approaches, and catalyze systemic improvements to strengthen paediatric AHD care.
Prior to the workshop, Penta conducted an electronic survey to identify priority knowledge areas and competencies requiring further development. The findings highlighted specific training needs related to AHD among children, adolescents, and young people, guiding the design of a tailored agenda to directly address these gaps.
Over the two days, participants engaged in a mix of expert-led lectures, small group case discussions, and interactive problem-solving exercises. Themes spanned regional epidemiology, diagnostics, evidence-based treatment strategies, opportunistic infections, and management of complications in children and adolescents with AHD according to global and national guidelines. The practical and timely programme included in-depth sessions on respiratory disease, gastroenteritis, malnutrition, neurologic disease, and post-discharge care. A highlight of the workshop was the small group case discussions, which encouraged multidisciplinary participation and valuable peer-to-peer learning. Delegates appreciated and welcomed the opportunity to exchange real-world clinical questions, challenge assumptions, and adapt approaches to local settings. Moreover, the hybrid delivery mode of this event allowed for the online participation of additional delegates who were unable to attend the workshop in person.
"This workshop was a fantastic opportunity to supplement the current MoH AHD training package with in-depth content on the management of severely ill and hospitalized children.” – Dr. Chris Buck (THRIVE Mozambique lead)
Feedback from participants underscored the relevance and impact of the training:
100% agreed that the content was clearly presented and relevant to their practice
70% plan to revise or improve practices in their own clinical settings as a result of the training
97% would recommend this kind of workshop to their colleagues.
Many also noted that, with appropriate support, their facilities and patients could adapt to the changes and innovations discussed during the workshop.
“The group discussions were very productive. I learned a lot and feel better prepared to manage similar cases in my daily work.” – Workshop participant
The training can also serve as a blueprint for strengthening paediatric HIV capacity-building efforts in other contexts. By combining national leadership with global technical expertise and tailoring content to locally identified needs, this approach demonstrates how targeted, evidence-based training can be rapidly adapted for diverse country settings. Looking ahead, the project will deliver additional trainings informed by learnings and identified country-specific gaps in 2026, including a face-to-face workshop for colleagues working in Zimbabwe, as well as a comprehensive and multilingual online training programme. Beyond THRIVE, this approach can help other implementers and national partners build sustainable, capacity-building programmes that strengthen AHD care and accelerate progress toward global HIV targets.
Through the THRIVE project, Unitaid and CHAI are supporting access to vital prevention, screening, and treatment tools for people living with AHD. In collaboration with Penta and AFROCAB, we remain steadfastly committed to reducing HIV-related mortality by enhancing access to prevention, screening, diagnostics, and treatment, especially for children and young people living with AHD.
Through the generous support of Unitaid, the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI)-led THRIVE Project is enabling access to critical prevention, screening, and treatment commodities for advanced HIV disease to dramatically reduce mortality among adults and children living with HIV. The THRIVE project is conducted in partnership with Afrocab and Penta.
Disclaimer: The views expressed are those of Penta and do not necessarily reflect those of Unitaid or other partners.