Kiambu County, November 7: LVCT Health held an induction workshop for the new Dhibiti project staff. The three-day induction held in, Kiambu County, introduced the team to the LVCT Health core mandate, approach towards ending the HIV epidemic in Kenya, and expectations of the new Project.

LVCT Health’s key technical staff from various programs and departments welcomed the team that will oversee the implementation of the new CDC-funded Dhibiti project and laid out their expectations to them in the delivery of the Project.

While welcoming the team, Dr Lilian Otiso, the Executive Director of LVCT Health, expressed confidence that the new Project will effectively deliver on its mandate. She called on all staff to be proactive and innovative in their undertakings.

“As the ambassadors and representatives of the Dhibiti project, we have all it takes to deliver the needed targets through innovative solutions by the first quarter. We endeavour to do the ordinary extraordinarily well,” said Dr Lilian Otiso.

“May you be remembered as having contributed to strengthening health systems and outcomes for the project focus counties,” she added.

Giving her remarks Dr Catherine Njigua, Project Director for the Dhibiti project, urged the staff to appraise themselves and remain dedicated to delivering quality health services support in the earmarked counties in central Kenya.

“We need to be alive to the high expectations of the project bearing in mind this is a transition grant that in the tail end of it will see counties take over implementation of the project,” she said.

During the five years, the Project will strengthen the county governments to manage and sustain HIV services to accelerate progress towards sustainable epidemic control in attaining the 95:95:95 targets in Kiambu, Murang’a, Nyeri, Kirinyaga, Tharakanithi, and Embu counties.

Dhibiti (Kiswahili word for taking control of the HIV epidemic by the county governments) Project is a five-year project funded by the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) through the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC in Kenya).

Over one hundred staff members were inducted into the new Project, with each having a clear expectation of ending the triple threat within the six counties in the central region.