At the invitation of the government, Peace Corps will establish a program in Ethiopia and will recruit and field forty volunteers to begin service in HIV/AIDS work in FY07. These volunteers (30 funded by PEPFAR and 10 by Peace Corps) will collaborate with other USG partners to support the Government of Ethiopia strategy to create and strengthen a community and family-centered HIV/AIDS prevention, care and treatment network model in the Amhara and Oromia regions. Given their high population densities and relatively high HIV prevalence, these regions are considered priorities by the Government of Ethiopia and the USG. Peace Corps' OVC activities described below are related to its activities in the treatment area as all volunteers will be working and reporting in both areas.

In Ethiopia PEPFAR is supporting, among many programs, capacity building for hospitals, health centers and community organizations to provide adults and children with high quality prevention, care and treatment services. Several challenges mitigate the effectiveness of these organizations in serving new clients and providing continuing services to existing clients. These challenges include weak organizational systems; lack of trained health care personnel; and inadequate referral networks along the prevention, care and treatment continuum.

To help address these challenges and fill critical gaps related to the provision of core services to Ethiopia's growing orphan population, volunteers will be assigned to various levels of the continuum depending on community needs and the volunteers' qualifications. Potential volunteer assignments include PEPFAR supported Regional Health Bureaus, Woreda Health Offices, health facilities, kebeles and community-based organizations (such as AIDS Resource Centers) serving orphans and vulnerable children, particularly in rural areas. Volunteers reporting to different levels of this system may be clustered in groups of three to increase opportunities for strengthening linkages within the network of health facilities, other local service providers, and community members. All volunteers will be assigned counterparts, who may be Health Extension Workers, community volunteers, or case managers, among others, and will collaborate closely with PEPFAR-funded partners as well as other organizations in their catchment area that are not receiving PEPFAR funds.

Volunteers will assist with building and supporting the network of OVC service providers by helping to identify relevant information and communication channels to move case information effectively and confidentially so that clients are tracked through the service continuum. Development of this network will help facilitate referrals and follow up to ensure that children receive necessary services.

To promote the flow of information, volunteers will work with counterparts to train and coach health facility personnel in the development of information systems and in utilizing data for planning and decision-making about operations, programs and individual cases. At the community level vvolunteers and their counterparts will help strengthen or create committees that would be responsible for coordinating all OVC activities in a catchment area (e.g., kebele). They will also build capacity among family members and organizations serving OVC to advocate for orphans and vulnerable children, particularly the most vulnerable in their communities. .Emphasis will be placed on promoting linkages with other types of services needed by OVC such as child survival and family planning services. To ensure that information on available services is current; volunteers will assist partners in mapping exercises.

Each community has a unique constellation of HIV/AIDS services and providers which may benefit from volunteer collaboration. Additional community activities that volunteers are likely to support include:

Introduction and promotion of permaculture (low energy gardens) as a way to address food insecurity; Training of peer educators in peer support for a variety of issues (AB, ABC, PMTCT, alcohol /chat use and HIV, mobile workers etc.) and target groups (girls, boys, young mothers, caregivers, discordant couples, OVC, etc.); Promotion of positive living through a variety of entry points (PLWHA groups, OVC groups, schools, post test clubs, etc.); Prevention for positives and prevention among discordant couple programs; Life skills camps and workshops with students, out-of-school youth, peer educators,

mothers, and other groups; Health literacy and HIV/AIDS teacher training in primary and secondary schools; Girls' clubs and places where girls can be together safely; and Promoting OVC attendance and success in school.

In all activities in which volunteers are engaged, they will strive to address issues related to gender sensitivy, stigma and discrimination and the active involvement of youth in the development and implementation of OVC programs.

All volunteers recruited in FY07 will receive PEPFAR-funded pre-service and in-service technical and language training. When possible, Peace Corps will tap the expertise of local PEPFAR-funded partners for training and will procure PEPFAR-funded materials. After pre-service training and upon arrival at their sites, volunteers and their counterparts will conduct needs assessments of their communties and work places. These assessments will benefit from existing data and will help define the types of specific activities on which volunteers will focus.

Peace Corps/Ethiopia will create and make available to all volunteers PEPFAR funds through the "VAST" (Volunteer Assistance Support and Training) Program for small community-initiated projects such as training. Volunteers will be ecouraged to apply for these funds with their counterparts and communities only when local resources are inadequate.

COP07 funds will be used to cover the costs of thirty volunteers for the entire two years of their service and local staff required to support and train all forty volunteers in country. Peace Corps will use its own funds to recruit and fund Country Director, Administrative Officer and Program Manager positions.

Volunteer recruitment will begin on approval of the FY07 COP. Peace Corps staff are expected to begin operations in-country in January 2007, including office set-up, consultation with Government of Ethiopia and the PEPFAR Team to finalize sites and develop site specific volunteer work assignments, and preparations for volunteer training and placement. The volunteers are expected to arrive in-country in July 2007 for 8-10 weeks of training, taking up their assignments in September 2007.

It is expected that development of community-based networks and training of service providers on systems and information management and use will increase the numbers of orphans and vulnerable children served by OVC programs. Peace Corps' targets for activities approved in the FY07 COP are low as volunteers will work less than six months at their sites during the FY07 COP period. Depending on their level of involvement, volunteers' contribution to the following indicators may be indirect.

At the invitation of the government, Peace Corps will establish a program in Ethiopia and will recruit and field forty volunteers to begin service in HIV/AIDS work in FY07. These volunteers (30 funded by PEPFAR and 10 by Peace Corps) will collaborate with other USG partners to support the Government of Ethiopia strategy to create and strengthen a community and family-centered HIV/AIDS prevention, care and treatment network model in the Amhara and Oromia regions. Given their high population densities and relatively high HIV prevalence, these regions are considered priorities by the Government of Ethiopia and the USG. Peace Corps' OVC activities described below are related to its activities in the treatment area as all volunteers will be working and reporting in both areas.

In Ethiopia PEPFAR is supporting, among many programs, capacity building for hospitals, health centers and community organizations to provide adults and children with high quality prevention, care and treatment services. Several challenges mitigate the effectiveness of these organizations in serving new clients and providing continuing services to existing clients. These challenges include weak organizational systems; lack of trained health care personnel; and inadequate referral networks along the prevention, care and treatment continuum.

To help address these challenges and fill critical gaps related to the provision of core services to Ethiopia's growing orphan population, volunteers will be assigned to various levels of the continuum depending on community needs and the volunteers' qualifications. Potential volunteer assignments include PEPFAR supported Regional Health Bureaus, Woreda Health Offices, health facilities, kebeles and community-based organizations (such as AIDS Resource Centers) serving orphans and vulnerable children, particularly in rural areas. Volunteers reporting to different levels of this system may be clustered in groups of three to increase opportunities for strengthening linkages within the network of health facilities, other local service providers, and community members. All volunteers will be assigned counterparts, who may be Health Extension Workers, community volunteers, or case managers, among others, and will collaborate closely with PEPFAR-funded partners as well as other organizations in their catchment area that are not receiving PEPFAR funds.

Volunteers will assist with building and supporting the network of OVC service providers by helping to identify relevant information and communication channels to move case information effectively and confidentially so that clients are tracked through the service continuum. Development of this network will help facilitate referrals and follow up to ensure that children receive necessary services.

To promote the flow of information, volunteers will work with counterparts to train and coach health facility personnel in the development of information systems and in utilizing data for planning and decision-making about operations, programs and individual cases. At the community level vvolunteers and their counterparts will help strengthen or create committees that would be responsible for coordinating all OVC activities in a catchment area (e.g., kebele). They will also build capacity among family members and organizations serving OVC to advocate for orphans and vulnerable children, particularly the most vulnerable in their communities. .Emphasis will be placed on promoting linkages with other types of services needed by OVC such as child survival and family planning services. To ensure that information on available services is current; volunteers will assist partners in mapping exercises.

Each community has a unique constellation of HIV/AIDS services and providers which may benefit from volunteer collaboration. Additional community activities that volunteers are likely to support include:

Introduction and promotion of permaculture (low energy gardens) as a way to address food insecurity; Training of peer educators in peer support for a variety of issues (AB, ABC, PMTCT, alcohol /chat use and HIV, mobile workers etc.) and target groups (girls, boys, young mothers, caregivers, discordant couples, OVC, etc.); Promotion of positive living through a variety of entry points (PLWHA groups, OVC groups, schools, post test clubs, etc.); Prevention for positives and prevention among discordant couple programs; Life skills camps and workshops with students, out-of-school youth, peer educators,

mothers, and other groups; Health literacy and HIV/AIDS teacher training in primary and secondary schools; Girls' clubs and places where girls can be together safely; and Promoting OVC attendance and success in school.

In all activities in which volunteers are engaged, they will strive to address issues related to gender sensitivy, stigma and discrimination and the active involvement of youth in the development and implementation of OVC programs.

All volunteers recruited in FY07 will receive PEPFAR-funded pre-service and in-service technical and language training. When possible, Peace Corps will tap the expertise of local PEPFAR-funded partners for training and will procure PEPFAR-funded materials. After pre-service training and upon arrival at their sites, volunteers and their counterparts will conduct needs assessments of their communties and work places. These assessments will benefit from existing data and will help define the types of specific activities on which volunteers will focus.

Peace Corps/Ethiopia will create and make available to all volunteers PEPFAR funds through the "VAST" (Volunteer Assistance Support and Training) Program for small community-initiated projects such as training. Volunteers will be ecouraged to apply for these funds with their counterparts and communities only when local resources are inadequate.

COP07 funds will be used to cover the costs of thirty volunteers for the entire two years of their service and local staff required to support and train all forty volunteers in country. Peace Corps will use its own funds to recruit and fund Country Director, Administrative Officer and Program Manager positions.

Volunteer recruitment will begin on approval of the FY07 COP. Peace Corps staff are expected to begin operations in-country in January 2007, including office set-up, consultation with Government of Ethiopia and the PEPFAR Team to finalize sites and develop site specific volunteer work assignments, and preparations for volunteer training and placement. The volunteers are expected to arrive in-country in July 2007 for 8-10 weeks of training, taking up their assignments in September 2007.

It is expected that development of community-based networks and training of service providers on systems and information management and use will increase the numbers of orphans and vulnerable children served by OVC programs. Peace Corps' targets for activities approved in the FY07 COP are low as volunteers will work less than six months at their sites during the FY07 COP period. Depending on their level of involvement, volunteers' contribution to the following indicators may be indirect.

Peace Corps will establish a program in Ethiopia and will recruit and field 40 Peace Corps Volunteers to begin service in the area of HIV/AIDS in FY07. Volunteers (30 funded by PEPFAR and 10 funded by Peace Corps) will collaborate with other USG partners to support the Ethiopian government's strategy to create and strengthen a community and family-centered HIV/AIDS prevention, care and treatment network model in the Amhara and Oromiya Regions. Given high population densities and relatively high HIV prevalence, regions are priorities by the GOE and USG. Peace Corps' treatment activities described below are related to its activities in the OVC program area as all Volunteers will be working and reporting in both areas.

In Ethiopia PEPFAR is supporting capacity building for hospitals, health centers and community organizations to provide adults and children with high quality prevention, care and treatment services. Several challenges, however, mitigate the effectiveness of these organizations in serving new clients and providing continuing services to existing clients. These challenges include weak organizational systems; lack of trained health care personnel; and inadequate referral networks along the prevention, care and treatment continuum.

To address these challenges and fill critical gaps related to the provision of treatment services to PLWHA, Volunteers will be assigned to various levels of the continuum depending on the needs of the community and the Volunteer's qualifications. Potential Volunteer assignments include PEPFAR-supported RHB, Woreda Health Offices, health facilities, Kabeles and community-based organizations (such as ARC) serving orphans and vulnerable children, particularly in rural areas. Volunteers reporting to different levels of this network may be clustered in groups of three to increase opportunities for strengthening linkages within the network of health facilities, other local service providers, and community members. All Volunteers will be assigned counterparts, who may be HEW, Community Volunteers, or Case Managers, among others, and will collaborate closely with PEPFAR-funded partners on the ground as well as those in their catchment area that are not receiving PEPFAR funds.

Volunteers will assist with building and supporting the network of HIV/AIDS service providers by helping to identify relevant information and communication channels to effectively and confidentially move information on individual cases so that it follows clients through the continuum of services. Development of this network will ensure that clients receive the services necessary and appropriate for their condition at the appropriate stage and facilitate tracking clients' health and program status. Establishing systems to promote and link counseling and testing and PMTCT to treatment and to ensure proper adherence to treatment will be key components of Volunteers' work in the treatment area.

To promote the flow of information, Volunteers will work with counterparts to train and coach health facility personnel to develop and use organizational systems, including collection, management, and analysis of data (both paper-based and computer-based), and in utilizing data for planning and decision-making about operations, programs and individual cases. At the community level Volunteers and their counterparts will build capacity among community-based programs that provide care services; advocacy; and outreach around HIV/AIDS prevention, knowing one's HIV status, behavior change and health care decision making, and eliminating stigma and discrimination.

Illustrative activities of Volunteers at hospitals and health centers include strengthening monitoring and evaluation systems and use of data for planning, patient-focused decision making, and operations management, through system design and computer training. Volunteers also may assist with mapping of services and helping to complete the communication flow among hospitals, health centers and FBO and CBO programs, including paper-based communication exchanges and, possibly, computerization of client case information, to facilitate communication and client tracking and care.

Each community has a unique constellation of HIV/AIDS services and providers that may benefit from Volunteer collaboration. Additional community activities that Volunteers are likely to support include: (1) Identification and development of systems for linking resources and service providers for complete access to basic preventive care for PLWHA, including clean water, LLITN, vitamins and nutrition education, OI treatment, cotrim, access to prevention education

and information, and emotional support. (2) Introduction and promotion of permaculture (i.e., low energy gardens) as a way to address food insecurity; (3) Training of peer educators and peer support for a variety of issues (e.g., AB, ABC, PMTCT, alcohol /chat use and HIV, mobile workers) and target groups (e.g., girls, boys, young mothers, caregivers, discordant couples, OVC, etc.); (4) Promotion of positive living through a variety of entry points (e.g., PLWHA groups, OVC groups, schools, post test clubs, etc.); (5) Prevention for positives and prevention among discordant couple programs; (6) Life skills camps and workshops with students, out-of-school youth, peer educators, mothers, and other groups; (7) Health literacy and HIV/AIDS content instruction teacher training in primary and secondary schools; and (8) Girls clubs and places where girls can be together safely.

In all activities in which Volunteers are engaged, they will strive to address issues related to gender sensitivy, stigma and discrimination and the active involvement of youth in the development and implementation of HIV/AIDS programs.

All Volunteers recruited in FY07 will receive PEPFAR-funded pre-service and in-service technical and language training. When possible, Peace Corps will tap the expertise of local PEPFAR-funded partners for training and will procure PEPFAR-funded materials. After pre-service training and upon arrival at their sites, Volunteers and their counterparts will conduct needs assessments of their communties and work places. These assessments will benefit from existing data and will help define the types of specific activities on which Volunteers will focus.

Peace Corps Ethiopia will create and make available to all Volunteers PEPFAR funds through the "VAST" (Volunteer Assistance Support and Training) Program for small community-initiated projects such as training. Volunteers will be ecouraged to apply for these funds with their counterparts and communities only when local resources are inadequate.

COPFY07 funds will be used to cover the costs of 30 Volunteers for the entire two years of their service and local staff required to support and train all 40 Volunteers in country. Peace Corps will use its own funds to recruit and fund Country Director, Administrative Officer and Program Manager positions.

Volunteer recruitment will begin on approval of the FY07 COP. Peace Corps staff are expected to begin operations in-country in January 2007, including office set-up, consultation with GOE and the PEPFAR Team to finalize sites and develop site specific Volunteer work assignments, and preparations for Volunteer training and placement. The Volunteers are expected to arrive in-country in July 2007 for 8-10 weeks of training, taking up their assignment in September 2007.

It is expected that the development of community-based networks and training of service providers on systems and information management will increase the numbers of people living with HIV/AIDS receiving ART as well as adhering to their treatment. Peace Corps' targets for activities approved in the COP07 are low as Volunteers will work less than six months at their sites during the COP07 period.

Management and Staffing: Peace Corps Budget Details

Peace Corps Ethiopia (PC/E) serves as both a USG PEPFAR partner and an implementing partner, with programs in palliative care and treatment. PC/E's Management and Staffing area includes the general and administrative support expenses of ancillary activities required to implement the Peace Corps PEPFAR program and deliver Peace Corps volunteers to the field. These activities include programmatic administration; planning and reporting; budget; accounting; payment processing; procurement; recovery of expenses typically covered by ICASS and other financial and administrative costs associated with implementing the PEPFAR program that Peace Corps provides.

To scale-up capacity to manage several dozen volunteers, Peace Corp will place a Country Director, Medical Officer, and General Services Officer in-country as soon as possible in FY07. Ten additional positions will be filled by FSN/PSC. These positions include and executive assistant, associate country director, administrative officer, safety & security coordinator, IT specialist, training manager, medical secretary, cashier, four drivers, and a janitor.

Table 5: Planned Data Collection

Is an AIDS indicator Survey(AIS) planned for fiscal year 2007?
Yes  No If yes, Will HIV testing be included?
Yes
No When will preliminary data be available? Is an Demographic and Health Survey(DHS) planned for fiscal year 2007?
Yes  No If yes, Will HIV testing be included?
Yes
No When will preliminary data be available? Is a Health Facility Survey planned for fiscal year 2007?
Yes  No When will preliminary data be available? Is an Anc Surveillance Study planned for fiscal year 2007?  Yes
No if yes, approximately how many service delivery sites will it cover? 100 When will preliminary data be available? 6/30/2008

Is an analysis or updating of information about the health care workforce or the  Yes
No workforce requirements corresponding to EP goals for your country planned for fiscal year 2007?