SPARC: Supporting Person-Centred Approaches to Retention in Care

A technical assistance opportunity for national health programs on integrating person-centred care into routine HIV service delivery

What is SPARC?

SPARC (Supporting Person-Centred Approaches to Retention in Care) is a WHO-supported initiative, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, designed to help Ministries of Health integrate person-centred care into routine HIV service delivery. Person-centred care is proven to enhance health outcomes—especially for hard-to-reach populations such as men and adolescents—by promoting trust, respect, and shared decision-making between clients and providers.

Our Vision

To enhance HIV care outcomes through person-centred strategies that foster trust, respect, and shared decision-making between clients and providers.

Our Goals

Integrate sustainable, low-cost person-centred strategies into routine health service delivery.

Strengthen client engagement, particularly among hard-to-reach populations.

Our Approach

SPARC offers customized technical assistance rooted in key principles:

  • Align with national priorities and existing systems
  • Facilitate cross-country learning and collaboration
  • Emphasize low-cost, scalable strategies
  • Build local capacity and support sustainable implementation
  • Promote empathetic communication, provider support, and data-driven decision-making
  • Our team brings deep expertise in provider training, mentoring, monitoring and evaluation (M&E), and implementation science tailored to local contexts.