Detailed Mechanism Funding and Narrative

Details for Mechanism ID: 4388
Country/Region: Namibia
Year: 2007
Main Partner: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Main Partner Program: NA
Organizational Type: Own Agency
Funding Agency: HHS/CDC
Total Funding: $1,500,000

Funding for Management and Operations (HVMS): $1,500,000

This activity relates to ITECH/PMTCT (#7354), Comforce/Strategic Information (#7322), Comforce/Lab Infrastructure (#7323).

The HHS/CDC staff in Namibia are all located in the Directorate of Special Programs (TB, HIV/AIDS, and malaria), Ministry of Health and Social Services and include a country director (US direct-hire), deputy director of operations (US direct-hire), deputy dircetor of programs (US direct-hire), and 2 new (U.S. direct-hire) positions are proposed for strategic information and prevention A.B. Contracted personnel include, an epidemiologist for surveillance and the HMIS (Comforce), technical advisor for PMTCT (Potentia), technical advisor for counseling and testing (Potentia), technical advisor for monitoring and evaluation (Comforce), technical advisor for HIV-related laboratory services (Comforce), 2 nurse HIV field coordinators (Locally Employed Staff), 2 Association of Schools of Public Health (ASPH) fellows providing management and administrative support and strategic information support and, an office manager, a financial analyst, 2 LAN managers, an administrative assistant, 3 drivers, 2 driver/administrators, and a receptionist. The salaries and benefits of technical and programmatic staff are assigned to the appropriate program area within the Emergency Plan categories, but their management and support costs are included under this activity. The Country Director is 40% assigned to other policy/capacity building, and 60% management and staffing. The Deputy Director of Operations and the ASPH fellows are 100% assigned to management and staffing. Of the $1,500,000 Management and Staffing budget, $287,896.00 will go to ICASS and $47,001.00 to Security Cost Sharing.

Being located in the Ministry of Health and Social Services, the HHS/CDC office provides direct logistical and material support to the Directorate's daily programmatic operations and to ART sites in the regions. Operations costs outside of human resources include information technology and digital videoconferencing facilities; telecommunications; photocopying and materials production; printing of guidelines, reports, training curricula, and HMIS records; office consumables; utilities; office maintenance and equipment; security; staff training; field, conference, and meeting travel; and other daily operations costs.

As of FY07, a major accomplishment has been to have programmed more than 85% of HHS/CDC-managed funds to go directly to a Namibian organization. From this office, the deputy director of operations, office manager/financial analyst, and ASPH fellows liaise with the Program and Grants Office at CDC-Atlanta and provide direct financial management support to counterparts in these Namibian organizations receiving direct USG funding under Cooperative Agreements. These organizations include the Ministry of Health and Social Services, Namibia Institute of Pathology, Potentia Namibia Recruitment Consultancy, and Development Aid People to People. In addition to the US Embassy procurement and financial management staff, the deputy director of operations also works closely with the facility planning unit in the MoHSS on renovations at ART/PMTCT sites that are contracted under the Regional Procurement and Services Office (RPSO) in Frankfurt.

This activity leverages resources with the European Commission which provides technical advisors to increase capacity of the Directorate and Regional AIDS Coordination Committees; with the Global Fund which provides funding for technical officers in counseling and testing, PMTCT, and ART/care in the Directorate; with the UK's Voluntary Service Organization which provides an accountant to the Directorate's resource management office; and with the Ministry of Health and Social Services.