The study, designed by the USAID- and PEPFAR-funded MEASURE Evaluation, is based on the Priorities for Local AIDS Control Efforts (PLACE) method (MEASURE Evaluation, 2001). The method has multiple steps. The first step is to ask community informants where people go to socialize and meet new sexual partners. The second step is to map and verify those spots with informants who are knowledgeable about the spots. The last step is to conduct interviews with patrons and workers one by one at those spots and collect data on the respondent’s knowledge, attitudes, and behaviour. Although FSWs, MSM, and TG women were the populations of interest for our study, they were not targeted or asked to self-identify. This allowed for a less stigmatizing process and for data to be collected with the general population at those spots.
The aim of the study was to calculate the population size estimates for MSM, FSWs, and TG women in Windhoek City, in the Khomas region. The data will be used to improve program design for KP outreach with the intention of linking high-risk groups to services. Specifically, the study identified spots in Windhoek where KPs socialize and meet new sexual partners, and it described the typology of those sites. Next, the study used site-visiting behaviour of KPs to estimate the population size for MSM, FSWs, and TG women. The study also recorded behavioural characteristics both of KPs and others who socialize at high-risk venues.
The study was done under the auspices of the MOHSS and implemented by the Society for Family Health of Namibia, with technical assistance from MEASURE Evaluation, which is funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the United States President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).
Programs at the local level can use the data collected from this study to better target their outreach activities to places where KPs can be found and reached with the available mapping data. The data will also help stakeholders develop appropriate targets for the reach of their programs. The survey data will also provide insight into the risk behaviours of KPs and where education and services can better meet the needs of KPs. Ultimately, these data have the potential to curb the epidemic in Namibia, by informing programs that address the epidemic’s drivers.