08.P0214 Botswana Defense Force - AB

This activity will provide technical assistance and support for the BDF military personnel, their families,

housemaids, couples, and community projects which address HIV prevention including changing male

norms, reducing violence, reducing the number of partners and concurrent partnerships. Activities will be

undertaken on the BDF bases.

BDF wives' clubs, building on activities already started by the BDF, will be further supported with TA and

IEC materials, and a curriculum they can use for their meetings. Wives' clubs will focus on providing HIV

prevention, care and treatment education and a supportive environment for those seeking testing and

coping with either their own or others' HIV seropositive status. Leaders of the wives support group will

participate in the Healthy Living program and be trained to teach the curriculum. Inclusion of the

housemaids will be assessed and implemented if appropriate.

The eight BDF Chaplains will receive ongoing training by other military chaplains to further their capacity on

working with those with HIV or encouraging others to know their status.

Community outreach projects will continue. These have been initiated by the BDF, as a part of the Men's

sector and have provided education and testing opportunities to communities that are hard to reach. One of

the foci for the outreach is to discuss reduction of partners and reducing multiple partners. They also

promote changing male norms, encouraging men to support women's equality. The BDF conducts one

outreach event each month, and reach an average 18,000 men in the course of a year.

This activity supports the vision of PEPFAR Botswana to reduce the number of new infections and to

increase the number of people receiving care and treatment. It will also increase the number of people

seeking testing.

The BDF has agreed to co-host a Military HIV/AIDS Prevention Conference for all PEPFAR countries and

other regional countries as funds permit. The theme of the conference will be HIV/AIDS Prevention in the

military with an exchange of information on best practices, lessons learned, etc. One of the major themes

of the conference will be Male Circumcision. Participants will include Senior Officers responsible for the HIV

program within each military, the officer responsible for program execution/coordination, and clinical

officers. Approximately 100 persons will attend.

08.P0514 Botswana Defense Force - C/OP Prevention

Overall goal of this project is to reduce the incidence and impact of HIV/AIDS among military personnel and

their families through strengthening the BDFHIV/AIDS response. This will be achieved through the strategy

of promoting correct and consistent condom use and other life skills among the BDF personnel with

particular focus on those between ages of 18-24, and creating a supportive environment. These

approaches are in line with the BDF HIV/AIDS priorities activities of "troop level" HIV/AIDS prevention

education and behavior change communication, and of training of master trainers/focal points/peer

educators.

The project will enable soldiers within the BDF communities to obtain the necessary information, skills,

attitudes, and the necessary social support to view condoms as an effective HIV prevention method as well

as understand the importance of correct and consistent use. To this end, a camouflage patterned packaging

will be used, thus increasing acceptance and uptake of condom use and being promoted as following

military guidance. As part of the focused program to increase condom use a needs assessment will be

conducted prior to placement of the camouflage packaged condoms.

The technical team will endeavor to design communication campaigns around condom use and self-

efficacy. Additionally, the project will work on the perception that condoms reduce pleasure. Logistically, the

project will work on increasing condom availability such that an increased number of soldiers find it easy to

get condoms whenever they need them in order to promote correct and consistent condom use.

Program activities will focus on HIV/AIDS prevention education and behavior change communication (BCC),

including a media campaign, interpersonal communications activities, and community/interactive events.

These will be done in concert with three local partners (the YOHO, Magkabaneng, and Millennium

Production House).

Media based BCC campaigns

1.Two mobile bill boards displaying condom awareness messages will move between camps.

2.An existing radio drama series will incorporate themes specifically relevant to correct and consistent

condom use.

3.Existing military media publications will be used to promote awareness on the benefits of correct and

consistent condom use.

4.Other forms of media promoting correct and consistent condom use will include posters and electronic

board messages.

Interpersonal communication

1.Five refresher training workshop will be conducted for 180 peer educators.

2.Each peer educator will be responsible for conducting 10 one-on-one sessions per month, resulting in a

total of 21,600 sessions over the course of a year. Sessions will include a talk on condom use and its

benefits (and, as appropriate, condom demonstration exercises).

3.There will be 4 small group sessions per camp per month with a cumulative attendance of 4,800. Each

session will include a talk on condom use and its benefits (and, as appropriate, condom demonstration

exercises).

4.A Platoon Mentoring Program will train Sergeants in mentoring skills, which will allow them to initiate open

and supportive communication on safer sex practices with particular emphasis on correct and consistent

condom use and the associated benefits.

Community/interactive events

1.Five drama groups will be trained to develop their own dramas that encourage open discussion on correct

and consistent condom use and its benefits. Each drama group will perform at one small event per month

and one large event per quarter. Cumulatively attendance at these events will be 15,000.

2.The BDF hosts various sporting events annually across its entire barracks, including volleyball, boxing

and soccer. The 180 trained peer educators will conduct condom demonstrations at some of these events

as well as provide one-on-one interaction with soldiers, which will include conversations on correct and

consistent condom use.

The BDF has agreed to co-host a Military HIV/AIDS Prevention Conference for all PEPFAR countries and

other regional countries as funds permit. A The theme of the conference would be HIV/AIDS Prevention in

the military with an exchange of information on best practices, behaviors and behavior modifications etc. as

funded under AB activity P0214. This activity will fund a major discussion of Male Circumcision within the

military context. This will be tied to an effort of the Defense HIV AIDS Program, and include participation of

UNAIDS. Extensive discussion of MC in the military context will also spur the participant nations to examine

overall MC policies and practices. Approximately 100 persons will attend.

Another activity will provide materials and training for a healthy living course to be taught to all BDF

Personnel through the unit HIV/AIDS representative/counselors. The materials have already been

developed by the DOD HIV/AIDS Prevention Program. Funding for materials will cover the costs of

reproduction and distribution. The program will cover general health topics such as nutrition, exercise, etc.

as well as sexual and HIV related topics dealing with safe sexual practices including correct and consistent

use of condoms. The course will also include a module on living with HIV/AIDS including information of

safe sexual practices, including correct and consistent condom use, special nutritional needs, and other

health information. The BDF prefers that PwP messages be included in a general course to avoid stigma

that might come from having HIV positive personnel report to the clinic on a certain day or time for this

training. This activity will reach the vast majority of the 12,000 member BDF. 99% of the BDF in 2008 will

be male.

Course materials and training will be provided to the BDF wives club who will present the training to wives

at regular meetings, and conduct special sessions for domestic workers living and working on BDF bases,

reaching the indicated female populations.

08.C0706: Botswana Defence Force - TB Training

Funding will be used to send 3-5 BDF Medical Personnel to Uganda for specific training on identification

and treatment of TB. Training will ensure that BDF personnel are prepared to take full advantage of the

laboratory equipment provided by PEPFAR, and that the Botswana Defence Force (BDF) is able to provide

identification and care of TB patients without increasing the burden on the civilian health care system.

Training will ensure there is a TB trained professional at each of the 4 major BDF treatment locations

08.C0905 DOD/BDF - Strategic Information Survey

The Botswana Defense Force (BDF) will conduct an HIV bio-behavioral survey which provides an

estimation of the prevalence of HIV and behavioral risk factors including those associated with deployment,

sexual risk, alcohol use, and male norms. The target group for the survey will be active duty BDF personnel.

Due to the low number of women in the BDF the sample will be limited to men. The BDF will participate in

all planning and execution of the survey.

The HIV testing for the survey will be conducted in counseling and testing setting with participants able to

know their results immediately. Those testing positive will be referred to care/treatment. Prevention activities

will be organized to occur on the same day as the survey capitalizing on the heightened awareness created

by participation in the survey. Results from the survey will enable better service delivery planning, and

targeting of prevention programs to those behaviors associated with highest risk in the military.

This activity will support the strategic plan by providing information on male behaviors in Botswana and

directly linking behaviors to sero-positivity.

08.T1204: Botswana Defense Force - Laboratory Support

Laboratory activities will continue building the capacity of BDF laboratories begun in 2005 and continued

through FY2007. Funding will be supplemented by $40,000 in Foreign Military Financing remaining from

FY05 funds.

Funding will ensure that capacity exists in each major BDF laboratory facility to conduct Hematology, Blood

Chemistry, and TB smear testing, and that regional laboratories in Gaborone and Francistown areas have

the capacity to conduct VL and CD4 testing for the BDF and support the MOH on an as needed basis.

Equipment and renovations by site are estimated to be: SSKB Laboratory $39,000, Thebephatswa Airbase

$129,000, Francistown 359,500, and Selibe Phikwe $179,000. An estimated $39,895 will go to support

training for BDF laboratory personnel with 29,895 to fund BDF participation in MOH supported training,

$5,000 for Biosafety Training in South Africa, and $5,000 for TB training in Uganda.

These laboratories will support testing for an estimated 9,000 BDF personnel and their families on a regular

basis and an additional 3,000 BDF personnel from other camps on a rotational basis for an estimated target

of 50,000.

08.X1311: Botswana Defence Force - Monitoring/Evaluation Support

$75,000 of this activity will purchase 25 computer systems for use by BDF Social Welfare workers,

Chaplains, and Medical Counselors. In FY07 we provided computers to the BDF ART sites, but the BDF

has identified a need for automation in the offices of the personnel who counsel and support HIV positive

personnel. Currently counseling sessions are recorded manually making it difficult to adequately track

which HIV positive personnel are receiving required counseling, who is missing appointments, and to

coordinate support between the various medical, social welfare, and religious offices who are providing

support to an HIV positive soldier or family member. The lack of automation also makes it difficult for

counseling to continue as soldier deploy to other camps in support of anti-poaching or border security

missions. An additional benefit is that those involved in counseling and support activities will now have

access to on-line support materials and a wider network of expertise.

$25,000 of this activity will be used to pay expenses related to the training of personnel from the BDF

HIV/AIDS program office, chaplain's office, social welfare office, and medical services in monitoring and

evaluation techniques and reporting. This is currently one of the weakest aspects of the BDF effort.

This activity will specifically target military personnel and their family members, especially those living with

HIV AIDS. Estimated current target population is between 800-1600.

The BDF will assume responsibility for the inclusion of these computers into the Defense Force Network.

$50,000 of this activity is allocated to an HIV bio-behavioral survey which will enable estimation of the

prevalence of HIV and behavioral risk factors including those associated with deployment, sexual risk,

alcohol use, and male norms. The target group for the survey will be active duty BDF personnel. Due to the

low number of women in the BDF the sample will be limited to men. The BDF will participate in all planning

and execution of the survey. The HIV testing for the survey will be conducted in a counseling and testing

setting with participants able to know their results immediately. Those testing positive will be referred to

care/treatment. Prevention activities will be organized to occur on the same day as the survey capitalizing

on the heightened awareness created by participation in the survey. Results from the survey will enable

better service delivery planning, and targeting of prevention programs to those behaviors associated with

highest risk in the military.

This activity will support the strategic plan by providing information on male behaviors in Botswana and

directly linking behaviors to sero-positivity.

08-X1405: Botswana Defence Force - Policy Support

While the BDF has an HIV Policy, it needs to be reviewed and updated. To facilitate this review, this activity

will fund BDF Participation in a policy workshop (15K) and the PEPFAR annual Meeting (10K).