<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the remote corners of Rorya District, Mara, a distinctive mobile van journeyed from village to village providing safe, confidential voluntary medical male circumcision (VMMC) in a way that embraced dignity and trust.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Operating in collaboration with the District Health Management Team, this mobile initiative brought equipped providers closer to men who may never otherwise access VMMC services. For many local residents, especially members of the Luo community who traditionally do not circumcise, the van offered a new path to prevention a choice grounded in care and understanding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe were able to meet men where they lived,\u201d said one member of the VMMC team. \u201cPrivacy, respect, and quality care allowed them to make confident decisions without fear.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Launched just before World AIDS Day in December 2021, the van\u2019s deployment in peripheral areas drew significant participation. Between the days immediately before and after the commemoration, the team recorded impressive turnout, with dozens of young men choosing VMMC right in their communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Key to this success were:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Privacy and confidentiality, protecting clients from being seen by peers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The mobile service model proved that when communities are met with respect and effective care, uptake increases and HIV risk can decline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This mobile VMMC initiative was rolled out as part of the Afya Kamilifu project, a five-year initiative supported by the U.S. President\u2019s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) through the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Tanzania. The project was implemented by Amref Health Africa in Tanzania, in collaboration with the University of Maryland Baltimore (now CIHEB) and the Tanzania Communication and Development Center (TCDC), with close coordination alongside the Ministry of Health, the Zanzibar Ministry of Health, and the President\u2019s Office \u2013 Regional Administration and Local Government (PO-RALG).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Reaching the Unreached: VMMC Mobile Van Brings Services to Mara\u2019s Peripheral Communities In the remote corners of Rorya District, Mara, a distinctive mobile van journeyed from village to village providing […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":43,"featured_media":2575,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[],"yst_prominent_words":[18,34,267,166,157,113],"class_list":["post-2574","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-success-stories"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/amref.org\/tanzania\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2025\/08\/VMMC.png","yoast_head":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\n