This is a new activity which is being jump started with reallocated FY06 funding. For 07, it links directly with the Academy for Educational Development (AED) Condoms Other Prevention#7460 and with AED OVC#7400, for activities in six target regions where 65% of Namibia's teachers are located. The Ministry of Education (MOE) is currently the single largest employer in the country, with 30,000 employees. In 2002, an HIV/AIDS Impact study in the Education Sector revealed that 1 in 7 teachers was infected with HIV, and between 5-20% of the teacher workforce would die without access to ARV treatment. This activity will support education workplace activities and provide complementary support to the Education and Training Sector Improvement Plan (ETSIP) of Namibia. ETSIP is a 5 year MOE funded action plan dedicated to improving access to prevention, care and treatment services for teachers, while addressing stigma and discrimination in the workplace. AED will pilot this effort in two circuits in each of the six regions, and eventually expand coverage by leveraging funding, human resources and technical input from Regional Educational Offices, the Namibian Institute for Educational Development (NIED), and the HIV/AIDS Management Unit (HAMU) within the MOE. The activity will strengthen education workplace prevention and support groups, help reduce absenteeism in the workforce through linkages to prevention counseling, care and support services, and increase uptake of counseling and testing services. This activity will also leverage $320,000 in MOE funding that will support a series of sensitization workshops for senior management in all 13 education regions and the Ministry. MOE will fund a nation-wide survey of education sector employees to assess their knowledge and attitudes about HIV and AIDS, and follow-up with regional level workshops. FY06 reallocated funds will support a strategic planning workshop for all stakeholders including teacher unions, MOE leadership, MoHSS and MGECW representatives, development partners and NGOs. The outcome will be finalization of the HIV/AIDS workplace policy for the education sector, development of a teacher training program on HIV/AIDS prevention and harmonization of currently available workplace training materials (EU, UNESCO, Office of the Prime Minister, International HIV/AIDS Alliance, and Catholic AIDS Action) for pre-and in-service training of principals, teachers, and relief educators.

AED will place a full time HIV/AIDS Teacher Workplace Training Advisor in HAMU at the MOE for one year, until the position is transitioned and absorbed by the MOE. The Advisor will support refinement of the MOE's Employee Health and Wellness program and the operationalization of workplace teacher prevention training activities. The Advisor will ensure that the final training package addresses key issues such as faithfulness, partner reduction, male norms and attitudes towards cross-generational and coercive sex, and disciplinary actions on gender-based violence and abuse. Anecdotal evidence from UNICEF and other education sector partners indicates male teachers are often the perpetrators of coercive sex against vulnerable girls. The workplace training package will ensure that teachers are aware of how to access counseling for risk reduction (faithfulness, reduction of partners), testing and counseling services and referral services. The training package will also reinforce the concepts outlined in the Namibian Teacher's Code of Conduct, which states clearly that sexual relations with a minor are grounds for teacher dismissal. The Advisor will also ensure collaboration with Engender Health (Activity 8030) to obtain technical assistance and/or training to strategically address male norms and behaviors in the workplace.

Leveraging $1,700,000 in USAID development assistance and $2,850,000 in Presidential Africa Education Initiative funding, AED has developed and uses a site based teacher professional development system in all education circuits in the six target regions for all teacher in-service programs. This ongoing system of localized teacher professional development activities at school, cluster and circuit levels will provide the mechanism for reaching teachers in the identified pilot circuits of the six target regions. In addition to the AED project team of the HIV/AIDS Technical Advisor and the three Teacher Training Coordinators, the training program will have access to the full team of Regional Education Office Inspectors of Education, Advisory Teachers, and Resource Teachers who serve as teacher support providers for the site based system of teacher training. As such, the teacher HIV/AIDS workplace program will fit into an existing structure that offers both training and site based support and follow-up activities. FY06/07 pilot activities will take place in two circuits, one rural and one urban, in each of the six target regions involving 200 to 250 teachers in the first year.

In addition, a number of HIV/AIDS pre-service activities such as training in prevention and

care, and the integration of HIV issues and concepts into the instructional program have been facilitated by an AED Technical Advisor at the four colleges of education. Such support will continue in FY 07, in collaboration with NIED, the Ministry directorate responsible for both the curriculum and professional development of the colleges of education. The structures in place in the form of HIV/AIDS committees of teacher educators and student teachers and the college-based HIV/AIDS coordinators will be further strengthened and supported by AED training activities. Lessons learned from similar program in Zambia and South Africa will also be incorporated to inform the overall plan of action.

FY07 support will also strengthen referral systems for accessing AB prevention and counseling services. Key USG funded partners working in the same regions will collaborate to enhance quality of OVC support mechanisms and extend coverage according to the core service areas outlined in the OVC National Plan of Action for Namibia. AED and UTN will work with the Nawa/JHU Sports for Life (SFL) program to provide OVC sports and group activities. AED will work with DAPP TCE Field Officers located in the same circuits and regions to provide community members with additional skills and strategies to support delay of sexual debut. AED will provide support to older girls to reduce peer and societal acceptance for cross-generational sex and collaborate with Engender Health (Activity 8030) to obtain technical assistance and training on addressing male norms and behaviors in the school environment. AED will continue collaboration with Catholic Aids Action peer educators and counselors working at the Sam Nujoma Multi-Purpose Center in Ongwediva to support provide a venue for psycho-social support activities. AED will leverage MOE school counselor training and OVC psychosocial support in grant schools.

To monitor and evaluate the pilot, a baseline of teacher knowledge and attitudes will be drawn from the analysis of the 2006 survey and in-depth needs assessment will be conducted before the pilot is initiated. At the same time, a sample of non-participating schools will be identified and a set of indicators developed to determine the impact of the pilot workplace training program on knowledge, skills, attitudes and behaviors of participating teachers as compared with the sample of non-participants. Revisions to the training package and supportive structure will be made based on the results of the impact assessment, and overall results will inform the MOE of how to scale-up and eventually expand this activity to all regions.

During the development of its FY07 annual workplans, AED's project technical advisor realized the initial COP submission did not adequately reflect project reach. Targets are adjusted during reprogramming in April.

This is a new activity which is being jump started with reallocated FY 06 funding. For FY07, that links directly with the Academy for Education (AED) AB (Activity 8500) and OVC (Activity 7400) provided to six target regions where 65% of Namibia's teachers are located. The Ministry of Education (MOE) is currently the single largest employer in the country, with about 30,000 employees. In 2002, an HIV/AIDS Impact study in the Education Sector revealed that 1 in 7 teachers was infected with HIV, and that between 5-20% of the teacher workforce would die without access to ARV treatment. This activity will support teacher workplace training and provide complementary support to the Education and Training Sector Improvement Plan (ETSIP) of Namibia. This is a 5-year action plan funded by the GRN and dedicated to improving access to prevention, care and treatment services for teachers, while addressing stigma and discrimination in the workplace. AED will pilot this effort in two circuits in each of the six regions, and eventually expand coverage by leveraging funding, human resources and technical input from Regional Educational Offices, the Namibian Institute for Educational Development (NIED), and the HIV/AIDS Management Unit (HAMU) within the MOE. The activity will strengthen teacher workplace support groups, help manage frequent absenteeism in the workforce through linkages to care and support services, increase membership of teachers to the Public Sector Employees Medical Aid Scheme (PSEMAS) thereby improving access to ART services, and provide accurate information on HIV/AIDS to increase uptake of counseling and testing services. This activity will leverage $320,000 in MOE funding that will support a series of sensitization workshops for senior management in all 13 education regions and the Ministry. MOE funding will contribute to a nation-wide survey of education sector employees to assess their knowledge and attitudes about HIV and AIDS, and follow-up with regional level workshops. Once survey analysis is complete, FY06 Emergency Plan funds will support a strategic planning workshop for all stakeholders including teacher unions, MOE leadership, MoHSS representatives, MGECW leaders, development partners and NGOs. The outcome of the stakeholder's workshop will be finalization of the HIV/AIDS workplace policy for the education sector, development of a teacher training program on HIV/AIDS and harmonization of currently available workplace training materials for pre-and in-service training of principals, teachers, relief educators, (i.e. Materials from EU, UNESCO, Office of the Prime Minister, International HIV/AIDS Alliance, and Catholic AIDS Action will be accessed for the harmonization exercise).

AED will place a full time HIV/AIDS Teacher Workplace Training Advisor in HAMU at the MOE for one year, until the position is transitioned and absorbed by the MOE. The Advisor will support refinement of the MOE's Employee Health and Wellness program and the operationalization of workplace teacher training activities. The Advisor will ensure that the final training package addresses key issues such as male norms, attitudes towards cross-generational and coercive sex, and disciplinary actions gender-based violence and abuse. (Anecdotal evidence from UNICEF and other education sector partners indicates male teachers are often the perpetrators of coercive sex against vulnerable girls). The workplace training package will ensure that teachers are aware of how to access prevention counseling, condoms, support and referral services, testing and care, and treatment services. The training package will also reinforce the concepts outlined in the Namibian Teacher's Code of Conduct, which states clearly that sexual relations with a minor are grounds for teacher dismissal. The Advisor will also ensure collaboration with Engender Health (Activity#8030) to obtain technical assistance and/or training to strategically address male norms and behaviors in the workplace.

Leveraging $1,700,000 in USAID development assistance and $2,850,000 in Presidential Africa Education Initiative funding, AED has developed and uses a site based teacher professional development system in all education circuits in the six target regions for all teacher in-service programs. This ongoing system of localized teacher professional development activities at school, cluster and circuit levels will provide the mechanism for reaching teachers in the identified pilot circuits of the six target regions. In addition to the AED project team of the HIV/AIDS Technical Advisor and the three Teacher Training Coordinators, the training program will have access to the full team of Regional Education Office Inspectors of Education, Advisory Teachers, and Resource Teachers who serve as teacher support providers for the site based system of teacher training. As such, the teacher HIV/AIDS workplace program will fit into an existing structure that offers both training and site based support and follow-up activities. FY06/07 pilot activities will take place in two circuits, one rural and one urban, in each of the six target regions involving 200 to 250 teachers in the first year.

In addition, a number of HIV/AIDS pre-service activities such as training in prevention and care, and the integration of HIV issues and concepts into the instructional program have been facilitated by an AED Technical Advisor at the four colleges of education. Such support will continue in FY07, in collaboration with NIED, the Ministry directorate responsible for both the curriculum and professional development of the colleges of education. The structures in place in the form of HIV/AIDS committees of teacher educators and student teachers and the college-based HIV/AIDS coordinators will be further strengthened and supported by AED training activities. Lessons learned from similar program in Zambia and South Africa will also be incorporated to inform the overall plan of action.

To monitor and evaluate the pilot, a baseline of teacher knowledge and attitudes will be drawn from the analysis of the 2006 survey and in-depth needs assessment will be conducted before the pilot is initiated. At the same time, a sample of non-participating schools will be identified and a set of indicators developed to determine the impact of the pilot workplace training program on knowledge, skills, attitudes and behaviors of participating teachers as compared with the sample of non-participants. Revisions to the training package and supportive structure will be made based on the results of the impact assessment, and overall results will inform the MOE of how to scale-up and eventually expand this activity to all regions.

This activity links with the education workplace prevention activities proposed for FY07 (AB 8500 and OP 7460). The goals are to ensure that all OVC attend school and are not deterred from full participation in an environment free from stigma and discrimination. The activity directly supports one of the 5 core service areas outlined in Namibia's OVC National Plan of Action providing basic educational opportunities for OVC, while strengthening their transition to become healthy, productive and participatory members of Namibian society. Since FY05, the Academy for Educational Development (AED) has improved the delivery of quality education for OVC in primary school and strengthened community mobilization efforts to keep them in school and improve their overall educational performance. In close partnership with the Urban Trust of Namibia (UTN), AED has provided small grants to reach over 6,370 OVC in 39 schools since inception of the program. Support is concentrated within the six target regions of Namibia burdened with the highest number of OVC. (According to a baseline survey done by AED in FY05, approximately 44,000 OVC were living in these 6 regions -- representing 64.67% of Namibia's current total OVC population). In FY07, AED plans to provide direct support to 12,000 OVC and 2,000 caregivers through $425,000 in small grants developed in collaboration with schools, parents, and communities that have identified OVC most in need. Basic school related costs will be subsidized (school uniforms, books and fees), psycho-social support (counseling, peer education, etc), prevention counseling and overall health improved (referrals and access to health services), and educational support administered (after-school tutoring, supplies, and teacher training) with the ultimate goal of keeping OVC successfully in school through the end of Grade 7. UTN Community Based Trainers (CBTs) and Education Region Circuit Teams (CSTs: Inspectors of Education, Advisory Teachers and Resource Teachers) will monitor grant projects and ensure that the quality of support and training provided to OVC, community members, and caregivers is maintained and improved. AED will also prioritize the enrollment and retention of vulnerable girls in school, ensure referral to child protection units and care in cases of gender-based violence, and develop linkages to safe social spaces for young girls to receive shelter, counseling, protection, and access to post-exposure prophylaxis. AED will also strengthen local capacity to leverage resources from within the community, private sector, or local government. AED will help grantees develop transition strategies to ensure sustainability of activities. Any nutrition support will be short-term and implemented only when there are gaps in government feeding programs, and where there are no MOE or MGECW school-based nutritional support activities to avoid duplication. As a complement to direct OVC support through small grants, AED and UTN will target vulnerable schools that have an enrollment of 30% or more OVC to receive grants that provide for relief teachers, assist OVC to access MGECW social welfare government grants, mainstream HIV/AIDS life-skills and prevention training into curriculum. FY06 activities that were initiated in the first 50 schools will be assessed for effectiveness, adjusted as needed, and continued with support in FY07. An additional 15 schools will be added in FY07 to provide $200,000 in education related grants for a total of 65 highly vulnerable schools. FY07 support through AED will also strengthen referral systems to and from prevention and care services. OVC and their families/caretakers will be linked to counseling and testing, in addition to prevention programs. AED will also obtain referrals from such sites to support children of parents, families, or other caretakers that are living with HIV/AIDS. Key USG funded partners working in the same regions will collaborate to enhance quality of OVC support mechanisms and extend coverage according to the core service areas outlined in the OVC National Plan of Action for Namibia. AED and UTN will work with the Nawa/JHU Sports for Life (SFL) program to include OVC in sports and group activities. Similarly, AED will work with DAPP) TCE Field Officers located in the circuits and regions where OVC school grant programs are in place to provide community members with additional skills and strategies to cope with the impact of the epidemic on students. AED will provide support to older girls to reduce peer and societal acceptance for cross-generational sex and ensure collaboration with Engender Health (Activity 8030) to obtain technical assistance and training on addressing male norms and behaviors in the school environment. AED will continue collaboration with Catholic Aids Action peer educators and counselors working at the Sam Nujoma Multi-Purpose Center in Ongwediva to support after-school tutoring and provide a venue for psycho-social support activities. AED will work leverage MOE school counselor training and OVC psycho-social support in grant schools. AED will continue operational research to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions on

learning outcomes. The research will collect current, as well as longitudinal data to assess the relative impact of these interventions (school feeding, uniform and material provision, after-school activities, mentoring and tutoring activities, psychosocial support and counseling, etc) on school retention, quality of learning experiences, and learner performance. The information gained from this research will permit targeted programming of Emergency Plan, Global Fund, MGECW, MOE, and NGO funding. AED will also continue to work with the Educational MIS (EMIS) to ensure that newly added OVC data fields are accessible to Regional Education Office Planners, Inspectors of Education, and other GRN and NGO partners for planning and implementation of OVC support activities. Currently the EMIS system is not available to Regional Education Offices. This activity will leverage $50,000.00 in Presidential Africa Education Initiative funding.