Reducing Stigma and Building Employability Skills for Young People With HIV in Zambia

Starting soon · Not applicable

Conditions studied: HIV, Mental Health, Treatment Adherence

In brief

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if a program called Kupambana can improve mental health and HIV care outcomes in young people with HIV in Zambia by combining stigma-reduction support with financial and job-skills training. The main questions it aims to answer are whether Kupambana is feasible and acceptable to young people with HIV and whether it improves mental health, reduces stigma, and improves progress along the HIV care continuum, such as staying in care and taking HIV medicine as prescribed. Researchers will compare young people who participate in Kupambana with those who receive a one-time financial literacy training session (usual care) to determine whether Kupambana leads to greater improvements in stigma, mental health, and HIV care outcomes. Participants will complete a baseline questionnaire and then be randomly assigned to either the Kupambana program or the one-time financial literacy training. Those assigned to Kupambana will attend eight weekly peer-led support group sessions focused on reducing HIV- and poverty-related stigma, receive a voucher for technical and vocational education and training, and attend a one-time financial literacy session. Those assigned to the comparison group will attend only the one-time financial literacy session. All participants will complete follow-up surveys at the end of the program and again 3 and 6 months later.

Key facts

Study ID

NCT07732660

Run by

University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

People needed

100

Starts

2026-09-03

Expected to finish

2027-10-01

Last updated by the study team

2026-07-29

Who can join

Age: 18 and older, up to 24. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: not accepted.

You may qualify if…

• Age 18 to 24 years
• Confirmed HIV-positive status, verified using health records obtained from health facilities with participant consent
• Residing in the Chipata, Katete, or Lundazi Districts of Zambia's Eastern Province
• Currently receiving HIV treatment, or previously initiated but disengaged from HIV treatment (stratified purposive sampling will be used to enroll roughly equal proportions of youth currently in care and those who have dropped out of care)
• Reports at least one indicator of economic vulnerability, defined as any of the following: unemployed or without a regular source of income; not attending school or post-secondary education; or individual income below Zambia's national poverty line

You may not qualify if…

• HIV-negative or unknown status

Where it is running

• University of Zambia — Lusaka, Zambia

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

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