Lesotho taxi drivers promote VMMC

Fifteen taxi drivers in Lesotho’s capital have been educating their passengers about voluntary medical male circumcision (VMMC) for HIV prevention as part of a pilot programme that began in April, Newsweek reports. When a passenger expresses interest, the driver gives him a referral card for a consultation at a clinic offering free VMMC services. The drivers receive monthly fuel allowances, even if they do not refer anyone to the clinics. This pilot effort is part of the Rola Katiba (“Take off your hat”) programme, which has circumcised more than 108,000 men, or about 10 percent of the country’s adult population, since 2013 in an effort to reduce new HIV infections. Lesotho has the world’s second highest HIV prevalence: 23 percent of the country’s adults are living with HIV (Newsweek, 6 June 2016).