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Strengthening HIV Self-Testing in the Private Sector (SHIPS)

The CIFF-HIVST Project now known as the Strengthening HIV Self Testing in the Private Sector (SHIPS) Project is a 2.5-year project funded by Children Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF) through Population Services International (PSI) with Society for Family Health (SFH) as the Sub-Recipient in Nigeria. The project is also currently being implemented in two other African countries namely Uganda and Kenya.

The primary goal of the project is to develop a private sector roadmap for HIV Self-testing (HIVST) scale-up while pursuing public health impact and is aimed at increasing access and use of HIV self-testing kits among sexually active females and males aged 18-34yrs, as well as men over 35 years in two Nigerian states: Lagos and Abuja.
The SHIPS Project is utilising demand creation activities such as community mobilisation, digital media promotions, and in-store pharmacy/PPMV activations to create awareness on HIV self-testing. The project would achieve this by deploying a Self-Care Brand featuring and positioning HIVST as part of a larger sexual reproductive health (SRH) spectrum of care. The Self-Care Brand will then come to life through a variety of innovative channels, including improved sales tactics at existing pharmacies and a variety of supportive mechanisms to aid in usage and adherence, such as an improved National Call Center on HIV and related diseases (NCCH) hotline (6222) and a new WhatsApp chatbot (0916 9777000) to guide users through their journey.