Since May 2012, USAID has worked with the BLC Project, led by MSH to accomplish some objectives and targets originally intended for the Kapelako project REDACTED Between May - Sept 2012, USAID and the Regional South Africa office worked closely with WL and MSH to ensure smooth transition of activities. BLC is an existing regional project, awarded in 2010, and in Angola, its overall goal will be to improve access and utilization of quality, EB community HIV prevention services to the general populations in selected provinces. COP 12 activities will draw on principles of the GHI and the priorities outlined in Angolas PF, which prioritize HIV prevention and the strengthening of internal systems thru capacity building. Similar to the Kapelako project, BLC will work to support and develop an effective community-based prevention response with an emphasis on evidence-based BCC and creating critical linkages with the community. Activities are linked to VCT, STI, PMTCT and RH services from Luanda south to Cunene on the Namibian border, and aim to increase individual risk perceptions, direct BCC messaging to sexual networks that drive transmission especially in high-risk sexual encounters by HIV+ people, and increase the age of sexual debut. BLC will build capacity in CBOs, youth centers, and other key community stakeholders, to implement comprehensive, community-based prevention programming. This project will provide technical assistance and sub-grants to CSOs to implement effective HIV prevention activities. Capacity building in CSOs and youth centers will focus on organizational, technical and programmatic areas such as using resources effectively & strategically while strengthening systems and using existing structures to ensure sustainability beyond PEPFAR.

MSH will engage in a variety of activities at the regional and country level to enhance leadership and management skills and ultimately improve health services. The BLC project will provide funding to existing regional CSOs, FBOs and NGOs through grants, sub-awards, and agreements. These organizations will provide immediate HIV prevention and community based services to under- or un-served populations. MSH will seek to work closely with national and local governments to develop policies that support these services and to build the capacity of those governments to coordinate and support such services.

Under HSS, BLC will work in:

Promote sustainability by providing HIV prevention and community-based technical assistance to non-governmental, faith-based and civil society organizations.

Strengthen systems and enhance linkages between facility- and community-based service providers to ensure continuity of service delivery to PLWHA and their families.

Building institutional capacity of local partners, enabling at least one each program year to become local direct recipients of PEPFAR funds.

Document and disseminate best practices in the development community.

Under HR, BLC will work in:

Sustainable Capacity Building within the local partner organizations in the areas of monitoring and evaluation, financial management and administration.

Abstinence/Be faithful activities will target the general population, including at risk youth from under age 15 to age 24 in Luanda, Huambo and along the transportation corridor south to Cunene on the Namibian border, and will include:

BCC and IEC messages directed towards sexual networks that drive transmission. Approaches and materials will be revised and reinvigorated based on available, new study data, and proposed assessments. Peer counseling protocols and messages will be revised by and will work to emphasize the four transmission routes and individual risk behaviors.

Activities with the youth centers (Jangos) will focus on specifically tailored messages and customized activities to reach both in- and out-of-school youth through centers and outreach activities with an emphasis on gender norms, behaviors and vulnerability for HIV, and will provide boys and girls with gender neutral skills such as computer and language. Messages will include abstinence, secondary abstinence and fidelity components.

Develop life skills curricula, which include updated components on sexual education to include gender, GBV, and HIV/AIDS, specifically addressing teacher training, reduction of sexual harassment and abuse in the school environment, and provision of peer counseling in schools. New modules include girls empowerment, safer sex negotiation skills, secondary abstinence, self-esteem building and related skills building. Components to emphasize for males include male norms, cultural peer pressure, men as future partners. Promote the increased and on-going involvement of parents. Critically review teachers role, both positively and negatively, existing and needed school based policies to protect students from sexual coercion and provide a systematic process for addressing these issues, and mandatory training for teachers.

Creation and support of innovative and creative AB-related messages, campaigns, resources, and materials such as working with the private sector.

Cooperation and coordination with community leaders, parents and teachers and other groups and individuals on HIV prevention and BCC. Capacity building efforts for civil society will include technical support on BCC efforts focusing on A and B.

BLC is an existing regional project REDACTED and in Angola, its overall goal will be to improve access and utilization of quality, EB community HIV prevention services to the general populations in selected provinces. COP 13 activities will draw on principles of the GHI and the priorities outlined in Angolas PF, which prioritize HIV prevention and the strengthening of internal systems thru capacity building. BLC will work to support and develop an effective community-based prevention response with an emphasis on evidence-based BCC and creating critical linkages with the community. Activities are linked to VCT and RH services from Luanda south to Cunene on the Namibian border, and aim to increase individual risk perceptions while promoting VCT within sexual networks that drive transmission especially in high-risk sexual encounters by HIV+ people, and increase the age of sexual debut. BLC will build capacity in CBOs, youth centers, and other key community stakeholders, to implement comprehensive, community-based prevention programming. This project will provide technical assistance and sub-grants to CSOs to implement effective HIV prevention activities. Capacity building in CSOs and youth centers will focus on organizational, technical and programmatic areas such as using resources effectively & strategically while strengthening systems and using existing structures to ensure sustainability beyond PEPFAR.

Funding under HVCT will contribute to the provision of HIV testing and counseling across the range of community settings and mobilization to support HTC as well as activities linking HTC users to appropriate follow-on services. HTC is effective as a strategy for facilitating behavior-change around both preventing HIV and early access to care and support (Allen, 1992). Knowing one is HIV negative can serve as a strong motivating factor to remain negative, particularly for those who may otherwise assume it is too late to adopt safer sexual practices. For those who test positive, it allows for adoption of preventive measures while linking them to options for treatment, care and support. For some, self-protection is a stronger motivator for safer sex than the need to protect others; for others, the responsibility to avoid spreading the virus is itself the critical motivator. Both contribute to HIV prevention (UNFPA, 2002).

Prevention interventions will include:

Provision of condoms and other prevention efforts, including fidelity and condom messaging, alcohol messages and gender related activities. Critical focus will be on interventions addressing reduction of multiple concurrent partnerships and consistent and correct condom use, especially in high risk sexual encounters and by HIV-positive persons.

Implementation of small grants programs to work with community leaders, church leaders, parents and other groups and individuals on HIV prevention and BCC. Capacity building efforts for civil society will include technical support on BCC efforts including gender and alcohol.

Development of life skills curricula, which include updated components on sexual education to include gender, GBV, and HIV/AIDS, specifically addressing teacher training, reduction of sexual harassment and abuse in the school environment, and provision of peer counseling and condom distribution in schools. The project will also work to improve school-based reproductive and sexual health services; and promote youth-friendly health services, in partnership with the MOH and the provincial and municipal health services, including expansion of VCT, STI and follow-up referral for reproductive health services.

Activities in collaboration with the INLS will include the creation and support of innovative and creative promotion of HIV services and related BCC campaigns at the national level, including campaigns, resources, and materials. Examples include collaborating with the private sector, support of national efforts, specialized campaigns, and one-off activities such as events for World AIDS Day, national testing day, and "Inside Story" movie premiere.