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Contact Details
Address:
Erf: 4169
Khomas Hochland Road,
Kuisebmond

P.O. Box 7243
Walvis Bay
Namibia

Tel: (064) 20-0219 / (064) 20-6231
Fax: (064) 20-0291 / (064) 20-5034

Bank account:
Standard Bank,
Walvis Bay branch:
Current Account
No: 04-286-377-5

Auditors:
Price, Waterhouse and Coopers
Walvis Bay

VCT New Start Centre


Our aim is to improve the health of our clients by providing the highest quality HIV counseling, testing and referral services.

New Start Core Values
Client-focus: The needs of our clients come first and should be paramount in every decision we make.

Respect:
All clients should be treated non-judgmentally and with respect.

Confidentiality:
We will never compromise our clients' confidentiality.

Efficiency:
We will seek to reach the maximum number of clients without compromising the quality of the service we provide.

Professionalism:
All New Start staff is essential elements of the service we provide and should conduct them in a professional manner.

Teamwork:
Although each of us has a specific job description, we must work together, above and beyond our job descriptions, to assist each other to achieve our common goals.

Opening Hours
Monday 08:00 17:00 Tuesday 08:00 17:00 Wednesday 08:00 16:00 Thursday 08:00 16:00 Saturday 08:00 13:00

Arrival
When you arrive at New Start, a receptionist will greet you and open a file and provide you with a client code. She will also explain about the service being anonymous and confidential. The receptionist will also explain to you that no written results will be given, according to Namibian law, you must be 16 years or older to have an HIV test without parental consent. The service provided are free.

Pre-test Counseling
You and your counselor will go to a counseling room for pre-test counseling. During pre-test counseling, your counselor will make sure you know the basic facts about HIV and AIDS and give you the opportunity to ask any questions you have about HIV and AIDS. Your counselor will also ask about sexual behavior which may have put you at risk for HIV, your counselor will also ask you what you will do if you test positive for HIV and what you will do if you test negative for HIV. Your New Start counselor will help you to come up with a risk reduction plan to live a longer and healthier life, whatever your HIV status. Lastly your counselor will prepare you emotionally for your readiness to go through for testing.

Testing
At the in-house New Start lab, a nurse or in the absence of the nurse a trained rapid tester will explain the procedure in detail and prick your finger and put drops of your blood on two separate HIV rapid test kits. The finger prick is almost painless. Test results takes 15 minutes. Client returns to waiting room until result ready.

Post-test Counseling
Your New Start counselor will collect you from the waiting room and return with you to the counseling room. You will be informing about your results being ready. Your counselor will show you the result on paper only if you are ready to see it. You and your counselor will then review the risk reduction plan you made in the pre-test counseling session. If you tested negative, you and your counselor will discuss your plan to remain negative. If you tested positive, you and your counselor will discuss your plan to remain healthy with HIV. Your counselor will have a referral guide listing places where you can go for post-test care and support service, including ARV therapy if you tested positive. You will then be ask to come and see your counselor after two weeks time just to see how you are coping with your status being positive. The entire counseling and testing process usually takes about one & a half -two hours.

Couple Counseling
New Start encourages couples to come in together for HIV testing and counseling. If you are planning on getting married or having children or even if you are already married, you own it to yourself, your partner and your children to know each other's HIV status. Even if you know your own HIV status, you cannot assume that your partner has the same status; discordant couples are very common. Many couples are afraid to even bring up the subject of going for counseling and testing. Here are a few tips on how to bring up the subject with your partner:

  • Remind your partner that your children's future depends on it.
    Any couple considering having a baby should both be tested for HIV so that they can avoid transmitting HIV to the child during birth. If you already have children, you owe it to your family to remain healthy so you can take care of them.
     
  • Focus on the positive aspects of knowing each other's status.

    Let your partner know that if you find out early that you are HIV-positive, you can make lifestyle changes that allow you to live a long life. If you find out that you are HIV-negative, you can make sure you stay negative. Whatever the result - HIV-positive or HIV-negative - learning your status, and learning early, is the right choice.
     
  • Don't talk about past infidelities.

    Many couples don't want to even talk about testing because they think it will lead to arguments about infidelity. Start the conversation by telling your partner that you don't want to discuss infidelity and that you want to test because anyone who has sex even once could have HIV. Focus on the future.

    Remind your partner that just because you are negative does not mean your partner is also negative and vice versa. Most people don't know that it is very common for one partner to be HIV-negative and the other to be HIV-positive.
If you have more questions about New Start services please do not hesitate to visit or contact us. We will be much happy to be of great assistance!

Tusano Post Test Clubs
The Post Test Clubs is aimed at assisting clients who have tested and still need support and coping skills to accept their results. It is mainly focused on individuals who have tested HIV Positive, and builds resilience and acceptance.

The Tusano program started in 2006 with 35 members registering for a 20 week course. In 2007, 23 members completed the course, thus bringing a total of 58 people who have been through the group work process. These are currently our Tusano members, and gather once a month .

The intervention is Psycho-Social based, and accommodates clients who test HIV Positive in small group discussions. Issues like how to disclose our own HIV status to our friends and family how to disclose to a child that he/she is HIV positive are shared, and often personal experiences are shared in a nurturing and supportive environment. We even talk about issues like grief and loss, and these groups are facilitated by individuals who themselves have come our publicly with their HIV status.

One of the group members started the sessions talking about suicide, but the more he attended the sessions, the more he learned to accept that he was not alone and that there are many other people in the world who are affected by HIV & AIDS. At the graduation ceremony of that group, this same members was able to encourage group members not to think of suicidal thoughts, but rather to take control of their lives, and to live responsibly.

Community Mobilizing:
The community Mobilizer is engaged In outreach activities which are focused on motivating community members to get to know their status. These activities also serve as an avenue to promote our service in the community, along with information sharing and education on matters around sex and sexuality.

Activities such as Information Tables, Condom demonstrations; shebeen/bar promotions & Candle-light services are used to spread the message of HIV & AIDS.