Learning the Ritshidze model

Ritshidze gives communities the tools and techniques to monitor the quality of HIV, TB and other health services provided at clinics and quickly escalate problems to decision makers at clinic and district levels in order to advocate for change. Our training walks through each step in Ritshidze’s model — gathering evidence, analysing the data, generating solutions, engaging duty bearers, and advocating for change — with detailed guidance and step-by-step instructions for carrying out the actions needed at every point in the process.

In Ritshidze, people living with HIV are empowered to monitor services provided at clinics, identify challenges, generate solutions that respond to the evidence collected, and make sure the solutions are implemented by duty bearers.
Giving communities the ability to monitor the quality of service provision and highlight performance problems is an indispensable strategy for improving HIV and TB service delivery across South Africa.
To read more you can see our guidebook that provides step-by-step instructions on how to conduct community-led clinic monitoring in South Africa. Here monitors can learn the basics about HIV in South Africa and the role of the PEPFAR programme; how to collect and capture evidence, how to analyse the findings and come up with solutions to benefit communities, and how to engage duty bearers and advocate for change.

In order to streamline the monitoring process we use technology to gather evidence. The system—“CommCare”—allows community monitors to capture the survey responses directly into the tablet provided.

About RITSHIDZE

“Ritshidze” — meaning “Saving Our Lives” in TshiVenda — has been developed by people living with HIV and activists to hold the South African government and aid agencies accountable to improve overall HIV and TB service delivery.

Partner organisations include the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC), the National Association of People Living with HIV (NAPWA), Positive Action Campaign, Positive Women’s Network (PWN) and the South African Network of Religious Leaders Living with and affected by HIV/AIDS (SANERELA+)—in alliance with Health Global Access Project (Health GAP), the Foundation for AIDS Research (amfAR), and Georgetown University’s O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law.

CLICK HERE to read more and see where we work.