300,000
drug users
Tanzania
Tanzania
66.7%
of drug users have contracted AIDS
1/3
of drug users have contracted HIV or HCV
Because Tanzania is one of the major transit points for heroin trafficking from Central Asia, drug use has spread, and with it the transmission of AIDS and Hepatitis. The country has 300,000 drug users, of whom, half are concentrated in Dar es Salaam, the main city. Risky practices, such as needle exchange, are widespread amongst users (53% for men and 24% for women). More than a third of them are infected by HIV.
The country has 300,000 drug users.
Today, thanks to the work of Doctors of the World and its partners, national harm reduction policies for drug users exist. However, existing services are limited, the stigmatisation of drug users very strong and arrests are frequent.
What we do
AT RISK POPULATIONS
COMBATtING AIDS AND VIRAL HEPATITIS
Since 2010, Doctors of the World teams have been working on reducing the risks associated with injecting drug users in Tanzania. They have convinced public institutions and civil society actors of the need to offer services related to this issue. One reception centre is managed by Doctors of the World and four others are managed by the Tanzanian NGO Mukikute with technical assistance provided by Doctors of the World in Dar es Salaam. Up to 170 users go there every day. Open 6 days a week, they provide screening for infectious diseases, new syringes, psychosocial activities and referral to health facilities. Education and communication tools are created by peer workers. The municipal city councils are also engaged in the management of these centres.
In addition, the project's social workers' teams reach out to the most isolated and vulnerable users to offer them prevention materials, as well as screening. Staff from partner health facilities and NGOs from Tanzania or neighbouring countries are trained by our resource and documentation centre based in Dar Es Salaam.
Doctors of the World also supports the Tanzanian network of drug users in its advocacy work.
 Dar Es Salaam | In 2016We helped:
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