The Grants, Solicitation, and Management (GSM) project run by World Learning for International Development (WL), will assist PEPFAR Ethiopia in the solicitation, review, award, management and close-out of grants to local Ethiopian partners. The GSM recipients will conduct a wide range of technical and administrative tasks to support the involvement of local non-governmental organizations (NGO) in HIV/AIDS prevention and care activities. The program began in August 2007. Applicants were required to meet a 15 percent cost-share, either in monetary contributions or through services, volunteers, property, equipment and supplies. With FY 2008 funding, GSM will maintain support to partners selected in 2007 and add new partners. The 15 percent cost-share will remain a requirement for future applicants.

New partners selected under the GSM program will receive technical assistance from World Learning and other PEPFAR partners to ensure quality program design, implementation and monitoring. Recipients will have access to the existing curriculum-based tools and forms developed by JHU/HCP for providing structured BCC interventions. Recipients under GSM will be educated on the Youth Action Kit curriculum as well as the Adult Prevention modules developed by HCP in order for them to adopt these materials into their existing prevention programs. New partners will also have access to technical assistance through EngenderHealth to incorporate gender issues into prevention programming. PEPFAR-supported programs should address how gender based violence (GBV), sexual abuse, cross generational sex, and alcohol use impact HIV transmission and recommend strategies to address these issues. GSM recipients will partner with PEPFAR-supported clinical partners to ensure linkages to counseling and testing services, as well as other health and HIV services.

In Ethiopia, civil society organizations (CSOs), faith-based organizations (FBOs), local NGOs and the private sector have a considerable stake in responding to HIV/AIDS and in supporting the government's multi-sector interventions. The PEPFAR programs and the GF initiatives have engaged local non-governmental organizations including civil society organizations, professional associations and faith-based organizations to implement HIV/AIDS programs at the grassroots level. Over 600 local associations, NGOs and communitybased organizations oversee community/home-based care and support programs targeting HIV/AIDS affected and infected including vulnerable children. Most of these local organizations are either sub or sub-sub recipients of grants and funds channeled through international, regional or national partners due to lack of capacity to manage and monitor funds/grants. To date significant resources have been leveraged through international and national Prime Partners to these local organizations, and there are only few local organizations whose institutional and project/program management capacity reached a maturity level to directly receive and manage HIV/AIDS funds flowing through various funding agencies.

In FY 2009, World Learning GSM undertook capacity building interventions with prime and sub-recipients of the Global Fund (NEP+ and EIFDDA). The institutional and program management capacity of other local organizations at the grassroots level is lower than that of the national and regional level networks, associations, organizations, and the private sector entities that have a stake in the fight against HIV/AIDS at the community level. As part of the health system strengthening intervention, PEPFAR will aim to scale up the local organizations' capacity to intervene in the fight against HIV/AIDS, strengthen national networks and organizations receiving PEPFAR and GF funds and build links with professional associations like the Ethiopian Nursing Association in order to build their institutional capacity. The Ethiopian Nursing Association contributes to the training of nurses through in-service programs, in setting standards for nursing services, providing to the caregivers who are exposed to dangers of acquiring diseases, including HIV/AIDS due to the nature of their work since there is no wellness center in Ethiopia.

As part of COP 2009 reprogramming, GSM were awarded resources to fund unsolicited proposals raninging from $30,000 - $200,000 which met the criteria as to be determined by the Ethiopia PEPFAR team. In COP 2010, larger proposals may be considered.

The main objectives of this activity are to: promote efficient and cost-effective management of sub-grants/funds channeled through PEPFAR, the GFATMand other development partners; enhance program/project management and monitoring capacities of local organizations (CSOs, NGOs, and CBOs); foster sustainability of health services at the grassroots levels through increased community participation and ownership; and build the institutional capacity of local organizations

The major activities to meet the above objectives will be participatory capacity gap assessments; skill/knowledge transfer through tailored trainings in response to the identified needs/gaps; institutional capacity building (provision of tools, materials, equipment); and monitoring of outputs and impacts of the short-term, intermediate and strategic capacity building interventions among the local organizations.

World Learning will conduct TOTs who will cascade the trainings at the partner level, thereby reducing travel needs and make the training cost effective. A regional approach will also be used.

World Learning will have strong post-training supportive supervision. Standardized monitoring and evaluation tools will be used for data capture and quality assurance.

COP 09 NARRATIVE

The GSM program is a continuing, plus-up activity from FY 2007 that is linked to other GSM activities under HVAB (10406), HVOP (10407), and HKID. This activity will also link with other palliative care programs such as WFP (10523), as well as all USG PEPFAR clinical partners working in proximity to projects funded under this mechanism.

The Grants, Solicitation, and Management (GSM) project run by World Learning for International Development (WL), will assist PEPFAR Ethiopia in the solicitation, review, award, management and close-out of grants to local Ethiopian partners. The GSM recipients will conduct a wide range of technical and administrative tasks to support the involvement of local non-governmental organizations (NGO) in HIV/AIDS prevention and care activities. The program began in August 2007 with a total FY 2006 and FY 2007 funding level of $2,100,000 ($600,000 for OVC, $200,000 for AB, and $1,300,000 in Other Prevention). Applicants were required to meet a 15 percent cost-share, either in monetary contributions or through services, volunteers, property, equipment and supplies. With COP 2008 funding, GSM will maintain support to partners selected in 2007 and add new partners with a total budget of $2,300,000 in funding ($720,000 for OVC, $240,000 in AB Prevention, $1,140,000 in Other Prevention, and $200,000 for HBHC). The 15 percent cost-share will remain a requirement for future applicants.

In August 2007, World Learning released a solicitation for concept papers to support HIV prevention and care activities in urban areas of Amhara, Oromiya and SNNPR. The solicitation emphasized reaching the following target populations: formal sex workers, their clients, and women and men engaged in informal transactional sex, with a special emphasis on vulnerable girls and women ages 15-35. GSM received over 50 concept papers of which four to six will be funded in 2007. There are a number of different types of activities that will be supported under the GSM mechanism and most projects will include both prevention and care activities for a more integrated family-centered approach.

Palliative care funding would be added in COP 2008 to ensure that HIV-affected families receive comprehensive support. Local partners would provide community-based care to an estimated 1,000 PLWHAPLWHAA and their families and train 150 community volunteers and family members on how to provide care for bed-ridden PLWHAPLWHAA. Programs supported under GSM will provide a variety of services for PLWHAPLWHAA, including support for positive living, hygiene and nutrition information, linkages to food assistance, prevention education (especially for discordant couples), information/referrals for family planning, PMTCT, and ART services, and income generating activities, such as livestock raising. For sick or bed-ridden PLWHAPLWHAA, a trained family member or community volunteer would make home visits to provide emotional support and monitor the medical needs of the individual. Local partners will be encouraged to hire and engage PLWHAPLWHAA in their programs. Palliative care programs supported under GSM will provide family-centered support by addressing PLWHAPLWHAA as well as their children's needs.

New partners selected under the GSM program will receive technical assistance from World Learning and other PEPFAR partners to ensure quality program design, implementation and monitoring. PEPFAR-supported programs should address how gender based violence (GBV), sexual abuse, cross generational sex, and alcohol use impact HIV transmission and recommend strategies to address these issues. GSM recipients will partner with PEPFAR-supported clinical partners to ensure linkages to counselling and testing services, as well as other health and HIV services. New partners will be required to develop sustainable community-based programs with exit strategies in place. Recipients will also be monitored to ensure that prevention and care activities are well-integrated and focused on serving high-risk vulnerable populations.

Grant Solicitation Management (GSM) will follow up 1,500 older OVC affected or infected by HIV/AIDS who were beneficiaries of recently concluded USAID-funded WL school-based interventions. To leverage impact GSM will collaborate with local communities to mobilize OVC who graduated from the eighth grade or above and work with NGOs providing vocational training and business development skills to create opportunities for these OVC. WL will facilitate vocational training and collaborate with local business to facilitate OVC access to income generating activities.

Based on WL's previous experience with school-based OVC support interventions, GSM will build on existing networks and relationships with local communities and NGOs, and to utilize the knowledge of local infrastructure and resources to support successful transition of the OVC into independent and healthy adult life.

To assure success of this transition, attention will be given to strengthening local NGO capacity to provide quality vocational training and business development skills and better planning and management of OVC support programs. Implementing partners, community members, local government administration and faith-based organizations will establish collaborative working relationships to ensure that quality vocational training and business development skills services are provided. To remove barriers for attendance COP 2010 program interventions will address the changing needs of older OVC, including psychosocial counseling, food and nutrition, referral to health services, provision of training supplies, tutorials and waiver of training fees. Economic strengthening schemes will be developed for OVC and caregivers. Legal protection will be provided for OVC in partnership with local government, CBOs and communities. Girls will receive special consideration, and their specific personal and socio-economic needs will be addressed through family mentors, caretakers and teachers from the community. Expected results include employment and increased income.

The program will implement activities aimed at enhancing community understanding of OVC needs. Awareness-building activities will give particular attention to the issues of stigma and discrimination.

In Ethiopia, civil society organizations (CSOs), faith-based organizations (FBOs), local NGOs and the private sector have a considerable stake in responding to HIV/AIDS and supporting the government's multi-sectoral interventions through PEPFAR programs and Global Fund initiatives. Over 600 local associations, NGOs and community-based organizations oversee community/home-based care and support programs targeting HIV/AIDS affected and infected, including vulnerable children as, sub or sub-sub recipients of grants and funds channeled through international, regional or national partners due to lack of capacity to manage and monitor funds/grants. To date huge amount of resources are leveraged through international and national prime partners to these local organizations; however, few local organizations have the capacity to mobilize resources and implement development programs. Lack of capacity among most of the local organizations to acquire/receive and manage funds has been a barrier to the sustainability of PEPFAR and host government interventions in the fight against HIV/AIDS and overall health system strengthening efforts.

In order to address this barrier, in FY 09 USAID/PEPFAR requested World Learning GSM to undertake capacity building interventions with Prime and Sub- Recipients of the Global Fund- the national Network of Persons Living with HIV/AIDS (NEP+) and the Ethiopian Interfaith Forum for Development and Dialogue in Action (EIFDDA). The implementation of capacity building interventions with these organizations in FY 2009 focused on : participatory capacity needs/gaps assessment, financial and sub-grants administration training, documentation and record keeping trainings, monitoring and evaluation training, OVC training, life skills and positive living behavior trainings among others.

In COP 2010, PEPFAR will scale up capacity building activities with local organizations, including professional associations such as the Ethiopian Nurses Midwives Association through training for care givers and institutional capacity building identified through a needs assessment.

COP 2009 Narrative-

This activity will continue to engage local civil society organizations with grants and capacity building. There are no substantive changes from activities described in the COP 2008 narrative. One additional sub partner will be engaged to support HIV prevention and capacity building activities of the National Network of Ethiopians Living with HIV/AIDS.

The Grants, Solicitation, and Management (GSM) project run by World Learning for International Development (WL), will assist PEPFAR Ethiopia in the solicitation, review, award, management and close-out of grants to local Ethiopian partners. The GSM recipients will conduct a wide range of technical and administrative tasks to support the involvement of local non-governmental organizations (NGO) in HIV/AIDS prevention and care activities. The program began in August 2007.Applicants were required to meet a 15 percent cost-share, either in monetary contributions or through services, volunteers, property, equipment and supplies. With FY 2008 funding, GSM will maintain support to partners selected in 2007 and add new partners. The 15 percent cost-share will remain a requirement for future applicants.

In August 2007, World Learning released a solicitation for concept papers to support HIV prevention and care activities in urban areas of Amhara, Oromiya and SNNPR. The solicitation emphasized reaching the following target populations: formal sex workers, their clients, and women and men engaged in informal transactional sex, with a special emphasis on vulnerable girls and women ages 15-35. GSM received over 50 concept papers of which six to eight will be funded in 2007. There are a number of different types of activities that will be supported under the GSM mechanism and most projects will include both prevention and care activities for a more integrated family-centered approach. Prevention programs supported under GSM will be addressing higher risk, older adolescents and adults and thus will provide ABC comprehensive HIV education. This will include messages about abstinence, monogamy, and partner reduction. OVC supported under GSM will receive life skills and HIV prevention information that addresses coercive sex, violence, rape, transactional and cross generational sex. GSM recipients will train 400 individuals and reach an estimated 100,000 with behavior change communication programming on HIV prevention. Prevention targets for the GSM program are under the HVOP section (10407).

New partners selected under the GSM program will receive technical assistance from World Learning and other PEPFAR partners to ensure quality program design, implementation and monitoring. Recipients will have access to the existing curriculum-based tools and forms developed by JHU/HCP for providing structured BCC interventions. Recipients under GSM will be educated on the Youth Action Kit curriculum as well as the Adult Prevention modules developed by HCP in order for them to adopt these materials into their existing prevention programs. New partners will also have access to technical assistance through EngenderHealth to incorporate gender issues into prevention programming. PEPFAR-supported programs should address how gender based violence (GBV), sexual abuse, cross generational sex, and alcohol use impact HIV transmission and recommend strategies to address these issues. GSM recipients will partner with PEPFAR-supported clinical partners to ensure linkages to counseling and testing services, as well as other health and HIV services.

GSM will continue to support the activities funded in 2007 and will release a new solicitation with FY 2008 funding to select additional local partners. New partners will be required to develop sustainable community-based programs with exit strategies in place. Recipients will also be monitored to ensure that prevention and care activities are well-integrated and focused on serving high-risk vulnerable populations.

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