INSPIRE – Expert and mentor mothers: why they help women have HIV free babies – 15 mins

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This film weaves stories from HIV postive mothers who work as peer supporters and their clients, along with high quality evidence from the INSPIRE studies, to show how Mentor and Expert mothers make a big difference in preventing mother to child transmission of HIV (PMTCT). Built around the PURE study in Malawi and MoMent study in Nigeria, researchers lay out the evidence for using peer support. They show how important it is for Mentor Mothers to be trained, well supervised, supported and paid, giving them some professional status. The evidence shows that with well structured peer support, the numbers of women retained on treatment increases dramatically.

The film also explores why so many mothers drop out of HIV treatment, despite the risks to themselves and their babies. It focuses on the key issue of whether women have been able to tell male partners their status. The film concludes that getting husbands and partners involved is central to the success of programs.