Category Archives: Success Story

The Global Fund Nigeria TB-HIV Reach, Integration and Impact Project (N-THRIP) project is implemented by the Institute of Human Virology Nigeria (IHVN) to boost Nigeria’s fight against HIV and TB by improving collaboration, combining resources, integrating services for HIV and TB diseases and making services easier to access in communities and health facilities across the country.  

The project is implemented in the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory in collaboration with sub-recipients across the country and with the technical oversight of key government stakeholders, including the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare (FMoHSW), the National AIDS and STDs Control Programme (NASCP), the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA), the National Tuberculosis, Buruli Ulcer and Leprosy Control Programme (NTBLCP), the Network of People Living with HIV and AIDS in Nigeria (NEPWHAN), and a broad network of community-based organisations (CBOs).

One of the project’s innovative approaches is carrying out house to house screening, testing for tuberculosis and HIV and linkage to health facilities.

Joy A. is one of the 14,852,690 Nigerian women who have been reached by the project between January 2023 and April 2026. Her baby is one of the 60,733 HIV free babies born.

Joy was pregnant for her first baby when she was identified by a community team of a mentor mother and a community health volunteer in December 2025 at Lambata, in Kwali Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory.

“They saw me and other women fetching water at a community bore hole. They told us about the free tests they were offering and encouraged us to participate. I decided to do the checks. It was convenient,” she said.

Though Joy was eight months pregnant, she had not conducted any health checks.

“My husband and I are farmers, we often travel and stay in our farm for months farming crops like corn, guinea corn and casava. I had just returned after some months at the farm when I met the health workers close to my house,” Joy said.

The community volunteers counselled and tested Joy for HIV and screened her for tuberculosis.

Joy said the HIV positive test result left her sad, afraid and worried if not for the timely counsel of the Mentor Mother, Habiba Ismaila.

“I assured her that HIV is not a death sentence. I shared my experience with her. I have been living with HIV for more than ten years and my three children are HIV free,” Habiba said.

Habiba immediately linked Joy to a nearby health facility for antenatal services, anti-retroviral treatment and prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV services. In the weeks that followed, she called Joy regularly to check on her health, remind her about hospital appointments and the need to adhere to taking her medications as prescribed.

The Community Volunteer, Fatima Yakubu, also contacted Joy and provided herwith a mama pack which had items such as toiletries, baby clothes and other items to support delivery and post-natal care of the baby.

Both Habiba and Fatima have continued to support Joy and make sure she receives the free PMTCT services available. Joy was delivered of a baby boy in February 2026.

“One of the things that has made me so happy in my life is the birth of my son. I am happy that he is HIV free, has a chance at living a healthy life and that I am strong to take care of him despite my status,” Joy said smiling.

Another joy that Joy has is the support of the mentor mother and community volunteers. They are encouraging her to go for the necessary follow-up checks and tests when the baby is nine months and 18 months.

The Association of Family and Reproductive Health (ARFH) works as the sub-recipient to IHVN in GF-NTHRIP project in the Federal Capital Territory, Nasarawa, Kogi, Ekiti, Kwara and Rivers State.  ARFH FCT Technical Assistant, Maryamu Johnson said that community activities include “identification of birth homes, capacity building of Traditional Birth Attendants to screen pregnant women not enrolled for antenatal care or any forms of care for HIV, syphilis, Hepatitis B virus and tuberculosis.”

IHVN Senior Program Manager, GF-NTHRIP Project, Dr. Adebayo Opeyemi stated that the project utilizes evidence-based strategies to reach communities.

“GF N-THRIP deploys targeted HIV Testing Services (HTS) awareness campaigns at the community level, creating demand for services among pregnant women. The project spearheads testing at Traditional Birth Attendants and maternity homes, house-to-house screening for tuberculosis and linkage of HIV-positive women to care by mentor mothers. IHVN also coordinates deployment of test kits and consumables with NASCP,” he said.

The African proverb, “It takes a village to raise a child” is a reminder that it takes collective efforts to ensure that no child is left behind in the fight against tuberculosis in Nigeria.

With funding support from the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GF), Institute of Human Virology Nigeria (IHVN) is working with the National Tuberculosis and Leprosy Control Programme (NTBLCP) and partners across the 36 states and Federal Capital Territory to find and treat tuberculosis in children and adults.

Three-year old Faithful Dam is one of the children identified with tuberculosis by the Global Fund GC7, Nigeria TB-HIV Reach Integration and Impact Project (N-THRIP program). More than 60,0000 children have been identified from January 2024 till date under the project.  Faithful is now TB free after completing six months of treatment. His story is one of collective efforts and resilience to fight tuberculosis.

Faithful’s experience with tuberculosis started in April 2025 when his mother, Gloria Dam, noticed swollen lymph nodes all over his neck. She wondered what to do about the hard swellings and went to a nearby patent medicine store where she obtained antibiotics.

The antibiotics she got were only the beginning of several medications which drained her family’s income. When his health did not improve, she got more worried and asked family, friends and neighbours what to do.

“Some told me to rub palm oil on him, others said it was spiritual and I should take him to the village for prayers. Some said I should press the swollen area with hot water. Faithful did not get better after she tried herbs and local therapies. I was frustrated, tired and had several sleepless nights. I did not even think that it could be tuberculosis because nobody around me has had tuberculosis. I used to think that tuberculosis only infects people who smoke,” Gloria said.

She shunned pressure to go to spiritualists and rather went to a nearby Primary Health Center. Gloria discovered that the health care workers at the center were on strike, so she went to Garki Hospital in Abuja.

The TB Directly Observed Therapy (DOT) Officer at the hospital, Salome Chijioke recalled that when Gloria stepped into the TB DOT Clinic in August 2025, she was crying and her baby was weak with a high fever.

“When they came, we reassured them that they have come to the right place. A Gene Xpert test and Chest Xray were conducted for Faithful which showed that he had tuberculosis,” Salome said.

Gloria was sad when she heard the diagnosis but relieved to know that TB is curable. She was also happy that when Faithful commenced treatment, he showed signs of improvement.

The path to health was not one that she walked alone. Her husband provided moral support and care for her and Faithful while Faithful’s siblings also cooperated when he needed to be out of school for two months. The DOT officer provided counselling and support to ensure that her son adhered to the medications for six months even when initial side reactions tempted her to stop treatment.

Medications were given to her for free with funding support from the Global Fund, TB program coordination by NTBLCP and implementation by IHVN and the Association for Reproductive and Family Health (ARFH).

Faithful’s progress was also monitored closely at the DOT center. Salome, the TB DOT Officer, called Gloria often to check Faithful’s health, they received medications and one-on-one counselling support monthly during visits. Follow-up tests were conducted at month two, month five and after completion of the medication, at month six at the hospital.

Faithful also contributed to the success of his treatment by willingly taking his medication.

“Every day, he would remind me about his medication. Initially, I was concerned that he might reject the medications, but he was cooperative,” Gloria added.

The family was also tested for tuberculosis and placed on TB preventive treatment.

Faithful is now healthy and strong enough to play, participate in his usual school activities and even write his end-of-term exams.

“I am grateful for all the support given. I know we would not have been able to afford the medications if it was not provided for free. I advise mothers to immediately go to the hospital if they notice the same kind of symptoms that Faithful had. I regret that I delayed in seeking opinions from friends and neighbours before seeking medical help. I wasted time and money.” Gloria said.

Salome added that it is important to continue to create awareness about tuberculosis to stop its spread and leave no one behind. Symptoms to look out for include cough for more than two weeks, fever, night sweets and weight loss.

According to her, “some people think that tuberculosis can be transmitted from mother to child, but TB is an airborne disease.”

IHVN Program Manager, Dr. Adekola Adekunle explained that innovative strategies such as the National Childhood TB Testing Week, Childhood TB diagnosis using stool sample for Xpert MTB/RIF test, support for X-ray services among children, active contact investigation of households of bacteriologically diagnosed index TB patients, integration with other disease programs, are being implemented to find and treat tuberculosis in children and these has offered promising strongpoints for ending tuberculosis in our lifetime.

Indeed, it takes the collective responsibility of all to leave no child behind in addressing tuberculosis.

A common thread that runs through the lives of many women living with HIV who have received prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV (PMTCT) services is the joy of having HIV free babies.

 Institute of Human Virology Nigeria (IHVN) provides PMTCT services in Katsina state since 2004 with support from the US Presidents Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) through Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC). 

“Over the past seven years in Katsina State, more than 1,800 HIV-exposed infants whose mothers received PMTCT services have remained HIV-free,” says IHVN Katsina State Maternal, Child Health Lead, Mrs. Farida Salisu Maiadua.

Mrs. Maiadua says that pregnant women are regularly counselled to support adherence to their medications as prescribed.

“In our supported facilities, all women living with HIV of reproductive age are screened for pregnancy during every hospital visit. This is to rule out pregnancy as early as possible to start PMTCT. Their viral load is regularly monitored as stated in the National Guideline. Mentor mothers in health facilities constantly call and visit them to check on their health and follow-up on their hospital appointments. Before delivery of their babies, we ensure that the preventive medications are available and encourage them to come to the facility for an early infant diagnosis test within three days of delivery.”

Asides these steps, she adds that the Institute encourages early and exclusive breastfeeding for six months, and breastfeeding for 12 months.

Though from different backgrounds, ages and with different stories, women who have gone through PMTCT have smiles on their faces.

28-year-old Jemila A. is one of the women who have benefitted from these services. When she knew about her HIV positive status in 2021, she was single and afraid that she would not get married because of her status. She was however encouraged by the counselling she received at the hospital. Jemila did not just get HIV services in the hospital; she met her husband there!

The adherence counsellor linked them both and they interacted regularly at support group meetings. Their love story is still unfolding, and Jemila’s excitement is that she has a HIV free baby girl.

“I was counselled constantly about how to live healthy with my status and take medications at the right time. The mentor mothers were with me at the labour room. They’ve been guiding me on when to come for tests for the baby. My baby’s next test will be when she turns 9 months old.  With the help I’ve received, I now encourage pregnant women who don’t like going to the hospital to do so. I’ve even escorted some to the hospital,” Jemila says.

Dalhatu E., a tailor, is another woman who has received PMTCT services.

“My baby is now six weeks. I feel so happy when I look at her. The staff in the hospital are friendly; they don’t stigmatize me so I’m always happy coming here. For nine years, I’ve been living with HIV. My husband also supports me though he is not HIV positive,” 40-year-old Dalhatu says.

Dalhatu’s baby is one of the 72 HIV free babies delivered in General Hospital Katsina between October 2024 and November 2025.

Nafisa B. also has a nine-month HIV free baby. Nafisa has lived with HIV for more than 11 years and is now an advocate to women to visit the hospital for a HIV test and regular checks especially during pregnancy.

“This is the 3rd baby that I have received PMTCT services for and she is HIV free,” Nafisa says with a smile.

Jemila, Dalhatu and Nafisa all receive support from mentor mothers who guide them through the process of HIV prevention during pregnancy, delivery and till their babies are about two years old.

IHVN Supported Mentor Mother Nuratu Sani says she is happy when she can assist her peers during pregnancy, antenatal care, delivery and care for the baby.

“Two of the women I supported named their children after me,” she said beaming with delight.

“I guide women living with HIV through all the required hospital tests and support them through receiving all the available services like adherence counselling, proper documentation, amongst others. I am friends with all the pregnant women living with HIV who come to this facility,” she explains.

IHVN Katsina State Manager, Dr. Felix Nwajiani says taking HIV services to the community to enhance prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV services remains key.

“We work with health facilities to provide comprehensive HIV services including antenatal care and PMTCT services across all the 34 local government areas in Katsina State. Beyond providing these services in the facilities, our community PMTCT program which targets unconventional settings like the traditional birth attendants. Usually, traditional birth attendants in the state are not culturally known to conduct ANC. Therefore, to reach communities despite the insecurity in the state, IHVN is leveraging on the existing structure of roving midwives who are indigent and are professionally trained to conduct ANC and can penetrate the nooks and crannies of each LGA. They were supported with training and logistics to cover more communities and it is working awesomely,” he reveals.

Katsina State Maternal Neonatal and Child Health Focal Person, Mrs Zainab Sherrif Abdulkadir says that the State government is partnering with IHVN to sensitize communities about PMTCT.

“We tell them the importance of antenatal care, and HIV testing. The state government provides free test kits for pregnant women. The state also provides free antenatal care and delivery services for pregnant women. We have regular outreaches to the local governments with First Lady of Katsina State, Hajiya Zulaibat Dikko Umaru Radda to create awareness about PMTCT and give pregnant women free mama kits with delivery essentials. We like the work the mentor mothers are doing with women living with HIV for linkages and other services and believe this will be sustained. Free HIV babies in Katsina State are the goal and this is being achieved,” Mrs. Abdulkadir adds.

“In the past three years, I have lost two babies, a boy at seven months and a girl at five months. I did not know my HIV status neither did I know theirs until some midwives came to my community in Modoji, Katsina for an outreach in August 2025. They spoke to pregnant women about antenatal care, counselled us and carried out HIV tests.

 I tested positive to HIV. I was seven months pregnant at the time. I was sad and did not know anything about preventing my baby from having HIV until they guided me on what to do,” said Khadijat Ishaq, a 23-year-old woman who benefitted from the “roving midwives” program implemented by the Institute of Human Virology Nigeria (IHVN) in Katsina State.

IHVN started the roving midwives’ program in Katsina state in 2022 to increase access to HIV services especially prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) in communities. Trained Community Health Extension Workers (CHEWs) and midwives schedule weekly visits to communities in the 34 local government areas in the state to sensitize pregnant women about HIV, provide antenatal care services and HIV testing. HIV positive women are then taken from the community to the hospital for life saving medications and care for mother and child.

Khadijah received free HIV services for herself and baby before, during and after pregnancy and is delighted that the second early infant diagnosis test shows that the baby is HIV free. She is one of the 77,848 women screened across the state due to the strategy and one of the 11 new HIV positive women linked from the community to health facilities to receive PMTCT services through the program.

One of the services she receives is peer guidance and counselling by mentor mothers. Mentor mothers have gone through the PMTCT program and provide guidance to newly enrolled women who are unsure of next steps.

“When one of the roving midwives brought me to General Hospital Katsina after the outreach, the mentor mothers here welcomed me like a friend. They counselled me about adhering to HIV medications and I decided to take my medicines at 8am daily. The mentor mothers and other health care workers told me about the importance of telling my husband about my status and encouraging him to come to the hospital for a test. My husband supports me. The mentor mothers also call me to check on my welfare and guided me to take a viral load test. I’m told that the virus is suppressed because I am adhering to treatment. I have been exclusively breastfeeding my baby.  I feel happy every time I come to the hospital because I know that there are people here who care for me,” Khadijah added.

IHVN Senior Program Officer Prevention Care and Treatment, Mrs Salisu Faridah Maiadua said that the program was birthed to reach women in communities who may hardly ever go to the hospital for antenatal care due to security challenges, distance from their houses to the nearest functional public facility, transportation costs, lack of spousal or family consent, cultural peculiarities amongst other reasons.

“We considered working with traditional birth attendants to reach women in communities, but this did not suit our cultural reality. Traditional birth attendants are utilized only for delivery of children and not for antenatal care of women. We therefore decided to collaborate with the State Primary Health Care Development Agency to enlist midwives, nurses and community health extension workers – there are many of them here due to the good number of health colleges in the state. These health workers reside in the different local government areas and are the best hands to create awareness and provide HIV services to their people. We trained the local government MNCH focal persons and the roving midwives to carry out HIV counselling and testing and they work with us closely to provide these services in all the local governments” Faridah said.

She explained that the state government has shown great interest and support for the program which gives room for sustainability of community activities to reach women and children.

Maternal Neonatal and Child Health Focal Person for Batagarawa Local Government Area, Binta Rabo, goes out with the roving midwives for outreach activities. They conduct advocacy visits to the village heads and agree on a suitable date before going for an outreach. Thereafter, a town crier goes round the community to inform women about the date and the need to participate.

“I love the work, more women in the communities are becoming aware about their health and HIV testing. In fact, some of them who did not go to the hospital before are now going to the hospital. With the outreaches, we have been able identify HIV positive women and even notice other diseases and guide the women appropriately on how to access health services,” Mrs Rabo said.

The State MNCH Focal Person, Mrs. Zainab Sherrif Abdulkadir applauded the strategy and expressed the state’s willingness to partner with IHVN for the well being women in the state. “We always welcome ideas that help the community. The strategy has identified women in the community with HIV that might not have been identified in health facilities. Our women don’t like going to health facilities because of economic, insecurity issues, religion, culture and the hard-to-reach areas where there reside. The roving midwives go to remote areas to tell them the benefit of antenatal care and PMTCT.”

Halima Saidu, a midwife and Jamila Ibrahim, a Community Health Extension worker are part of the “roving midwives” in Bagarawa Local Government Area. They go to every community at least twice to provide antenatal care and HIV prevention services. The midwives have also integrated other health services like checking vital signs, blood pressure, provision of malaria prevention for pregnant women and routine drugs supported by the government and other stakeholders. They also give health talks on personal hygiene, nutrition and the need for antenatal care.

“More than 60 women show up for each outreach. Our community activities are leading to more acceptance of the need to go to the hospital. Taking these services to hard-to-reach areas gives me joy. We see women who dont go to hospital because of lack of awareness about its importance and we educate them. The prayers and happiness of these women is all the motivation I need,” Halima Saidu said.

In Katsina Local Government Area, Roving Midwives, Hussaina Abdullahi and Halima Abubakar say that the program has addressed the need of many women who have poor health seeking behaviour. “They only go to the hospital when their health situation is dire. Reaching them in the community has been more effective. We counsel them and create awareness about the need to go to the hospital and we notice that they are more receptive to us when we are among them than in the hospital,” said Halima Abubakar.

26-year-old Aisha Shehu received counselling at one of the outreaches in Katsina Local Government Area. She is four months pregnant for her first baby and  was unwilling to go to the hospital because she could not afford transportation costs. However, when she discovered her positive status during the outreach, she was taken to General Hospital Katsina for follow up tests and life saving medications.

“I cried and wanted to die because I thought that death was better than living with HIV. I have been hearing about HIV, but I didn’t know that I am HIV positive. In the hospital, the adherence counsellor and mentor mother calmed me down with their kind words. Today, I am assured of my health and that of my baby  because of the services I received here,” Aisha said.

IHVN Program Lead Maternal, and Child Health, Dr. Victoria Igbinomwanhia explained that the strategy is one of the community initiatives adopted by the Institute with funding support from the US Presidents Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) through Centers for Disease Control (US-CDC).

“In the four supported States where HIV services are provided, we have utilized strategies such as the Mothers’ Love Party (MLP), the Congregational Approach to PMTCT (CAP) such as baby shower/ Faith based CAP  where we work with community leaders and faith-based leaders to sensitize pregnant and breast feeding women in communities about HIV, provide HIV counselling, testing and other health services,” she said.

According to World Health Organization (WHO) Global TB Report 2024, Nigeria is among the eight countries that account for two-thirds of the global tuberculosis burden with an estimated 467,000 new tuberculosis cases in 2023.

These figures go beyond statistics, they represent the lives of many Nigerians who are infected with tuberculosis though the disease is curable and treatment is free.

Tuberculosis Survivor, Mrs. Comfort Nahum-Galadima, a mother of three and a resident of Jiwa community in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja says that many misconceptions cause tuberculosis to thrive in communities.

When Comfort became ill in May, 2024 with unexplained weight loss, constant fever, cough and drenching night sweats, she assumed that it was malaria and typhoid.

“I hardly slept at night, I would cough continuously till my ribs ache. I started losing weight. At first, I went to the chemists in my community and they gave me some medications for cough, malaria and typhoid,” she says.

However, despite spending money on medications worth more than ₦50,000.00 in four months, her condition deteriorated.

“My neighbours were asking me if I wasn’t eating well, some thought that I was pregnant because of the loss of weight. I became a bag of bones. I did not know what was wrong with me. I even lost my voice. I could barely speak audibly. Some others thought it was HIV, pneumonia or assumed that I was a victim of witchcraft. My children were praying for me. They used to say, ‘Mummy you would not die.’ It looked hopeless. I could barely walk or do any house chores. My husband and children started doing the work at home and I could not go to work anymore,” she explains.

In October 2024, a Patent Medicine Vendor in her community, Mr Okafor Idoko, whom they call “doctor” flagged her symptoms as presumptive tuberculosis. Mr. Idoko had been engaged as one of the private providers supported with funding from the Global Fund Nigeria Tuberculosis HIV Reach, Integration and Impact Project (N-THRIP) to identify community members with presumptive tuberculosis and link them up for screening, diagnosis and treatment of tuberculosis.

After her sputum was collected, Mrs. Nahum Galadima was connected with a community worker and Linkage Coordinator, Mr. Samson Temitope who works with the GF NTHRIP project under project sub-recipient, Association for Reproductive and Family Health (ARFH).

The Linkage Coordinator ensured that her sputum was taken to a laboratory for diagnosis and that she also went for an X-ray at the National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development (NIPRD), a Directly Observed Treatment (DOT) center close to her community.

Comfort began treatment immediately she was diagnosed with tuberculosis.

“I received treatment from October 2024 to March 2025. Throughout that period, Samson followed up with me to make sure that I take my drugs as prescribed and that I am doing well. I had my drug refills from NIPRD in batches, not all at once and went with him for follow-up visits in the hospital,” she says.

Comfort’s family were also screened and given Tuberculosis Prevention Therapy (TPT) to prevent the spread of the disease to her family members.

“I received all these services for free and I enjoyed the support of my family members. They made sure that I got the needed rest. I was also taken to my family house in Minna, Niger State, to recover fully. The doctor had advised me to take a lot of protein in my diet and my mother and other family members provided this for me,” she says.

Both Mrs Nahum-Galadima and her husband are primary school teachers and say that they would not have afforded tuberculosis diagnosis and treatment with their meagre resources.

“We are grateful to everyone who has made treatment possible. When my wife was sick, it was a challenging time for the family. I had to take over all the house chores, school preparation of the children and school runs before going to work. I like to advise those who have tuberculosis to adhere to their medications and the guidance of health care workers,” Mr. Nahum says.

Comfort is now an advocate for tuberculosis in her community. She encourages people with persistent cough to get screened and she speaks in her church, with friends and with neighbours about tuberculosis.

“Some people find it hard to accept that tuberculosis is a disease that should be treated. They think that it is a spiritual attack. I tell them that while praying, they can get treatment too.”

The Institute of Human Virology Nigeria (IHVN) is the Principal Recipient of the Global Fund Integrated TB and HIV grant and works with the National Tuberculosis, Leprosy and Buruli Ulcer Control Programme (NTBLCP) and sub-recipients across 36 states and the FCT  to adapt innovative services to find and treat tuberculosis.

In the Federal Capital Territory, IHVN partners with ARFH to conduct door to door visits and community outreaches in settlements, schools and motor parks. A portable Xray machine is also utilized to identify infections that may not be easily noticed with a sputum test.

ARFH State Technical Assistant, Dr. Uche Ekwugha says that in the FCT, 175 patent medicine vendors, community pharmacies, traditional birth attendants, stand-alone laboratories and faith-based organizations have been engaged to support screening and diagnosis in communities.

“These centers are linked to 95 DOT centers spread across the FCT,” he adds.

IHVN Senior Program Manager, Dr. Temitope Adetiba highlights that under the Global Fund–N-THRIP project (2024–2026), IHVN-supported facilities tested over 3.5 million individuals in 2024, resulting in the detection and notification of more than 350,000 tuberculosis cases across Nigeria.

“Given that over 60% of Nigerians initially seek healthcare through the private sector, IHVN has prioritized a robust Public-Private Mix (PPM) strategy to leverage the reach of private healthcare providers in TB detection and treatment,” he explains. “This strategy includes the engagement of Patent and Proprietary Medicine Vendors (PPMVs), with over 15,000 vendors and Traditional Birth Attendants and Healers mentored and linked to TB diagnostic and treatment facilities nationwide.”

Dr. Adetiba emphasizes that collaboration with private health providers and community-based organizations is a game-changer in expanding access to quality-assured TB and HIV services, particularly for vulnerable and underserved populations. He further notes that strengthening these partnerships has proven instrumental in reducing stigma and discrimination within communities.