Introduction

Self-care approaches to HIV prevention are emerging as critical strategies for strengthening person-centred and sustainable health systems. In the context of shifting global health financing and evolving service delivery models, traditional facility-based approaches alone are no longer sufficient to meet population needs.

Overcrowded health facilities, unequal access to prevention tools, and inefficiencies in service delivery continue to challenge HIV response systems across many settings. This webinar explored practical approaches and country experiences in implementing self-care interventions for HIV prevention, with a focus on improving access, strengthening individual agency, and ensuring continuity of care.

Objectives

• To enhance understanding of the self-care approach and its role in advancing HIV prevention within diverse health system contexts.
• To share practical experiences and lessons learned from Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) and HIV self-care interventions across countries.
• To highlight innovative self-care models, including HIV self-testing, digital health platforms, and multi-month dispensing.
• To identify actionable strategies for integrating and scaling self-care approaches within national HIV prevention programmes.

Proceedings

The webinar was convened by SSLN, GPC, and UNFPA, and brought together country champions, technical experts, and implementing partners from across the region.

The session opened with remarks from Dr. Saul Johnson (SSLN), who highlighted the strategic importance of self-care in strengthening sustainable and resilient HIV prevention systems. This was followed by the presentation of the GPC Brief on Self-care for HIV Prevention by Clemens Benedikt (GPC).

Technical guidance and facilitation were provided by UNFPA, including discussions on scaling considerations and moderation of the interactive Q&A session. The session also featured contributions from global and country-level implementers sharing experiences on self-care innovations in HIV and SRH programming.

Country and Technical Experiences

• Southern Africa – PSI (STAR Initiative) : Karin Hatzold presented experiences from the STAR Initiative, highlighting the implementation of HIV self-testing and differentiated service delivery models aimed at expanding access and strengthening user-centred care.
• South Africa – Shout-It-Now: Ntombifikile Mtshali shared programme experiences on community-based HIV self-care interventions, including digital engagement and demand creation strategies.
• Uganda and Regional Implementing Partners (PSI / UNFPA-supported models): Presentations highlighted self-care delivery innovations such as HIV self-testing, virtual support mechanisms, and multi-month dispensing, demonstrating improved access and continuity of prevention services.
• World Health Organization (WHO) : Cheryl Johnson outlined key considerations for integrating self-care into national HIV prevention frameworks, including enabling policy environments, quality assurance mechanisms, and conditions for scalable implementation.

A moderated discussion and Q&A session, facilitated by UNFPA, enabled participants to reflect on implementation challenges, contextual adaptability, and opportunities for strengthening national HIV prevention strategies.

The session concluded with closing remarks from Dr. Saul Johnson (SSLN), who emphasized the importance of translating self-care evidence and lessons into scalable country-level interventions.

Resources

The recordng and slides from this event can be found below!