AIHA Releases Short Documentary Highlighting the Role of Para Social Workers in Providing HIV/AIDS Care in Tanzania

March 20, 2018 – In honor of World Social Work Day, AIHA is thrilled to release a new video that showcases the support Para Social Workers (community-based social welfare workers) are providing to Tanzanian children who are living with or affected by HIV/AIDS.

Since 2007, the American International Health Alliance (AIHA) has been working closely with Tanzania’s Ministry of Health, Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children to ensure that community-level government social welfare workers, such as Social Welfare Assistants and Social Welfare Officers, along with volunteer case workers, are adequately equipped to provide high quality, needs-driven HIV/AIDS services. 

Adopting a multi-pillar approach that focused on education, regulation, governance, advocacy, and practice, AIHA engaged experts from Jane Addams College of Social Work and the Midwest AIDS Training and Education Center at the University of Illinois-Chicago to strengthen the capacity of local partners at the Ministry, the Institute of Social Work in Dar es Salaam, and other social work schools throughout the country.

This comprehensive approach has led to marked improvements, including better ward- and council-level coordination among service providers, implementing partners, facilities, and local governments in high HIV burden areas.

You can learn more about the impact of AIHA’s social welfare workforce strengthening project in Tanzania by watching this short video.