Project Concern International (PCI) will focus on behavioral interventions geared to motivate behavior change in young people, couples and families and military civilian employees of the BDF. The interventions will incorporate the ABC approach, and address key drivers of the risk such as MCP. The overall objective is to strengthen the existing BDF HIV Prevention Program. Will focus on non-clinical HIV prevention services, like male and female condom demonstration and distribution, HIV counseling and testing .HIV prevention activities will be implemented through mutually reinforcing strategies consisting of peer education, behavior change communication strategies and active leadership involvement and support at Unit and Garrison level. Information about the program will be disseminated to target populations through public announcements at parade squares, campaigns and training workshops. Key implementers of the program constitute peer educators, counselors and HIV/AIDS committees coordinated by HIV/AIDS focal persons in the Garrisons under the leadership and guidance of the Garrison commander, and the HIV/AIDS Coordinators Office. To enhance integrated and coordinated program planning and implementation, an updated Implementation Structure with clear roles and responsibilities, an M&E Plan and standardized tools will be used by all HIV/AIDS program implementers in the BDF, including peer educators, and counselors . The expected outcomes will be: Improved BDF skills and systems for designing and implementing effective HIV prevention activities; fully committed leadership; improved coordination among relevant Units for HIV prevention; improved capacity to implement, monitor, evaluate and document BDF HIV prevention activities.

Abstinence and Being Faithful efforts will mainly focus on behavioral interventions that are geared to motivate sexual behavior change among military personnel, civilian personnel and their dependents. The 2010 BDF HIV Prevention Program Review exercise identified multiple concurrent partnerships, alcohol abuse incorrect and inconsistent condom use, poor relationship management skills as some of the perceived key risky behaviors that must be addressed in The BDF. Therefore, behavior change interventions will seek to promote secondary abstinence, reducing multiple concurrent partners, equipping targets populations with requisite relationship management skills, and related social and community norms that impact these behaviors. Updated training manuals, public announcements at parade squares, sports competitions, pre post deployment forums, workshops, national & international commemorations days, campaigns, theatre, peer education will be the main methods used to achieve the intended objectives.

Activities will mainly constitute: a) conducting a series of family dialogues around issues of HIV risk behaviors such as incorrect and inconsistent condom use, alcohol abuse, multiple concurrent partnerships. Family dialogues will target couples, families and young people in all military garrisons.

b) continuously refining existing Behavior Change Communication (BCC) material and intensifying BCC through theatre and other material adapted from within and without Botswana

c) assessing and conducting life skills training using a standardized life skills training manual, especially targeting recruits and cadets. Life Skills training will aim to develop skills and attitudes needed to form and maintain long term, mature, monogamous and satisfying relationships

d) conducting training workshop on condom demonstration, correct and consistent use of condoms, and . In addition, life skills training will aim to achieve (secondary) abstinence, delay in onset of sexual relations, monogamy, fidelity and sexual partner reduction

e) conducting regular joint monitoring visits involving PCI, BDF and OSC personnel to track implementation progress and conduct data quality audits, in line with the M&E Plan

The 2010 BDF HIV Prevention Program Review exercise identified multiple concurrent partnerships, alcohol abuse incorrect and inconsistent condom use as the perceived key risky behaviours that must be addressed in The BDF. To achieve the desired results, focus will be on a) strengthening the peer education program b) encouraging active leadership involvement & support to the HIV prevention program, and c) effective coordination and integration of HIV prevention services delivery in the BDF.

3.1 Peer Education: According to the 2010 BDF HIV Prevention Review exercise, peer education was found to be ineffective even by peer educators themselves despite numerous peer education trainings that BDF has conducted over the years for its peer educators. Key challenges of the peer education program were found to be a) lack of practice (and mentoring) as peer educators b) lack of resource such as condom demonstration models and transport c) lack of standardised peer education training manuals and clear practice standards d) unclear core responsibilities of peer educators e) lack of recognition, and support for peer education efforts by fellow peers and by their commanders. Core activities will include a) rolling out refresher peer education training workshops using a standardised peer education training manuals. The training manual will incorporates practice standards and contemporary topics including safe male circumcision (SMC), multiple concurrent partnerships (MCP) b) working closely with Population Services International (PSI) and other BDF key stakeholders

.3.2 Leadership involvement and support to the BDF HIV Prevention Program; The 2010 BDF HIV Prevention Program Review exercise revealed that although the program has been in existence since 1997, and HIV/AIDS committees exist, active leadership involvement and support to the program is still lacking. This was mainly attributed to the perception that HIV/AIDS is not a Command function. The leadership also lacked requisite knowledge and skills to guide, mentor and provide the much needed leadership to the program. To increase leadership involvement, support and accountability for planning and management of the BDF HIV Prevention Program, PCI will work very closely with Unit and Garrison commanders in planning and implementing approved HIV prevention activities. Key activities will consist of a) institutionalising the annual workplanning process b) conducting regular training workshops for the field leadership c) conducting quarterly review meetings with the field leadership and c) revamping HIV/AIDS committees to ensure that they are representative of the BDF community, and function effectively and d) conducting regular training workshops targeting HIV/AIDS committee chairpersons and Unit and Garrison leaders, and introducing incentives for best performing leaders

3.3 Coordination & Integration of BDF HIV/AIDS activities:Focus will be on strengthening coordination and integration of HIV prevention services delivery in the BDF by a) facilitating an annual participatory HIV/AIDS workplan development processes involving key program implementers b) assisting BDF to track implementation of the HIV prevention activities c) improving the Supply Chain Management System for condom procurement, distribution and utilisation d) facilitating annual Program Review Forums for key program implementers and stakeholders, including the Unit and Garrison commanders.

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