The purpose of this program is to progressively build an indigenous, sustainable response to the national HIV epidemic through the rapid expansion of innovative, culturally appropriate, high-quality HIV prevention and care interventions, and improve linkages to HIV counseling and testing and HIV treatment services targeting rural and other underserved populations. This program will support HIV prevention, care and treatment activities, and the training and capacity building of staff in the Ministry of Women and Social Welfare (MMAS).

The main two objectives of this implementing mechanism are to: 1) support families and communities as they cope with HIV; and 2) expand and focus social support programs to orphans and other vulnerable groups.

The GOM has identified the lack of human resources as one of the weakest links in the health care system in the country. In line with the Partnership Framework, the USG will directly support MMAS to build the capacity of their current human resources through this Cooperative Agreement aiming to improve access to prevention, care, and treatment of adults and children. The USG's partnership with MMAS also serves as a mechanism for supporting pre- and in-service training of their staff to ensure that families affected or infected by HIV in communities are receiving care and support services.

Currently, services are being implemented by MMAS in three target provinces and have reached approximately 3,000 vulnerable households and 385 OVC. During the next five years, the target will be to reach 15,000 vulnerable households and 15,750 OVC. Additionally, an estimated 300 social workers and 750 community level volunteers will be trained country wide through pre- and in-service training activities.

MMAS is also responsible to support the development of national policies and guidelines that describe an integrated model of care and support for HIV affected families, with special focus on specific needs of OVC. In collaboration with the MOH and civil society partners has developed guiding tools in the areas of community care and social action to help implement, monitor and evaluate community activities (including family and OVC needs). The next phase includes the reproduction and distribution of these tools to community volunteers, community leaders and district level health and social action workers.

This program has contributed to strengthening the capacity of MMAS to implement its sectoral plan to combat HIV (2006-09) and the National Action Plan for Orphans and Vulnerable Children. Specifically,

programmed activities within the Framework of the PEPFAR strategy are defined as follows: 1) Contribute to the development of national policies and guidelines that describe an integrated model of care and support for HIV affected families, with special focus on specific needs of OVC; 2) Improve integrated referral systems for HIV affected families and OVC through better coordination between the Health, Social Welfare and Education sectors; 3) Strengthen community capacity to care for and provide social support to PLHIV in the home through the establishment of a network of trainers and community volunteers, and support care and psycho-social support to OVC in the family context.

These and other activities will continue in years to come as way of guarantee the sustainability of the program. The USG will be supporting the revision of future plans and their linkages to the Mozambique PEN III strategic document.

As a way of increasing sustainability and responding to some direct family/community needs, the program has been addressing cross-cutting issues, such as food and nutrition and economic strengthening within the target communities. The issue of food and nutrition is being addressed by promoting activities, such as school gardens, community gardens and improved linkages between communities and specific food and nutrition programs. Additionally, supported communities have participated with MMAS in identifying potential small scale income generating activities through community trainings in areas such as agriculture and livestock ; Carpenter, sewing, and less labor intensive construction) and offering capacity building activities in different technical/trade fields. These income generating activities are targeted at vulnerable populations, particularly youth and aim at increasing access to adolescents (particularly girls) to income and more productive resources.

MMAS is building in indigenous and sustainable response to the national HIV epidemic through the rapid expansion of innovative, culturally appropriate, high-quality HIV prevention and care interventions, and improved linkages to HIV counseling and testing and HIV treatment services targeting rural and other underserved populations.

MMAS will continue to implement an integrated plan to combat HIV and the National Action Plan for Orphans and Vulnerable Children. This program will also implement activities within the PEPFAR framework that will expand and direct social support programs to orphans and other vulnerable groups. Additionally, MMAS will adopt a new family-centered approach to care and support focusing on the entire family and not exclusively the child, and focuses on all vulnerable children rather than exclusivelyl orphans. MMAS, in collaboration with the USG, will continue to address the Quality Standards for Care of Children. The program will continue working with the communities to identify activities that increase access to an integrated package of care and support to be implemented at the community level taking into account the needs of children.

This program focuses in three provinces (Sofala, Tete and Zambezia).

Specific activities will focus on: 1) Capacity building and training of community volunteers, community leaders, district level health and social action workers, and new cadres of social workers (pre-service at Health training institutions in collaboration with MOH); 2) Reproduction and distribution of psychosocial support materials; 3) Increase linkages between community and other government and civil society organizations present in the communities.