This is a continuing activity. The Government of Namibia (GRN), in collaboration with its development partners, has mounted an aggressive campaign to reduce further spread of HIV and ensure that those who are infected have access to treatment and care services. In FY10, Peace Corps/Namibia (PC/N) will continue PEPFAR-funded prevention and care activities begun in previous years and strive to improve the quality of its programs.

PC/N has 103 Volunteers in country of which 43 are dedicated to the health sector and 60 to the education sector. All health sector Volunteers contribute directly to HIV/AIDS related activities, while

education Volunteers incorporate HIV/AIDS activities into classroom teaching and after-school activities.

The goal of PC/N's Community Health and HIV/AIDS Project (CHHAP) is "to promote healthy living among Namibians, especially those living in underserved communities and affected and infected by HIV & AIDS and related public health diseases." The goals of the education project are to keep Peace Corps' goals and objectives in line with the epidemic and host country concerns, and support USG efforts to address key drivers of the epidemic in Namibia. They align with Namibia's Draft National Strategic Framework (NSF) for HIV/AIDS (2010-2015) as well as the PEPFAR Partnership Framework. According to the Draft document (4 September 2009), the NSF, once approved, will provide policy guidance and leadership on the planning and implementation of the national multi-sectoral HIV/AIDS programs in Namibia. As an active member of the USG country team, PC/N works to complement efforts of the Namibian Government in implementing comprehensive HIV/AIDS prevention and care programs through both health and education sectors.

Volunteers in the CHHAP and Education projects address some of the key drivers of the epidemic in Namibia such as multiple concurrent partnerships, transactional sex and trans generational sex, alcohol abuse, low and inconsistent condom use, as well as gender issues (inequalities and violence) and poverty. PC/N addresses the need for capacity building of local counterparts through training and skills transfer.

In collaboration with national, regional and local government agencies to strengthen the capacity of HAMU, RACE committees, RACOCs and CACOCs, Volunteers and their counterparts in all 13 regions will work to:

- establish or strengthen in-and out of school youth clubs, focusing on AB, particularly delaying sexual debut; - delivering AB prevention messages through classroom instruction, computer literacy, drama and video shows; - increase knowledge of communities in developing HIV/AIDS prevention strategies that will lead to behavioral change and referral; - train community members using EngenderHealth's curriculum on male engagement; - reach community members and youth through interactive video facilitation such as "Three and a Half Lives of Philip Wetu"; - reach community members with awareness messages on the interface of substance abuse and HIV; - expand the use of the Health Education Response (HER) services to refer people to services including HIV Counseling and Testing (HCT); - increase livelihood skills of those infected and affected to mitigate the impact of HIV/AIDS by training

community members in microgardening in collaboration with relevant government ministries; - train in developing IGA projects to improve income at the household level; - provide basic information on proper nutrition and hygiene to enhance their general health; - support OVC programs of government ministries and local CBOs/FBOs with life skills training through the Girls Conference and Camp GLOW; and - assist OVCs to access basic psycho-social support services.

PC/N trains and deploys Volunteer Leaders around the country to decentralize training, enabling a rapid scale-up and broader reach than could otherwise have been achieved. Whenever possible, PC/N seeks to collaborate with other organizations and agencies to scale up, share PCV skills and assets, and extend our reach through partnerships.

PC/N uses a standardized Volunteer Reporting Form to monitor all major activities. Volunteers review post's M&E plan during pre-service training to clarify their roles and responsibilities in project monitoring. They receive training techniques to gather and update baseline information, and practice designing, administering, and analyzing results from surveys and pre- and post-tests.

In addition to random and scheduled telephonic contact, Peace Corps staff conduct site visits to Volunteers' sites to make first-hand observations, review documents and conduct informal interviews with Volunteers, their counterparts and others in the school and community. Post will also organize a mid-year review meeting to assess progress and make adjustments where necessary.

This is a continuing activity from FY 09. This activity focuses on promoting food security and income generating activities (IGA) among people living with HIV/AIDS and vulnerable households in all 13 regions of the country and support the draft PEPFAR Partnership Framework, which highlights food and nutrition as a key focus area under impact mitigation.

To address this issue, PC/N will collaborate with Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry (MAWF), other stakeholders and community groups (including PLWHA) to promote and initiate sustainable community gardening projects. HIV affected individuals and families and home based care givers will be trained on how to set up and sustain microgardens to meet basic nutritional and income generating needs.

The current unemployment rate in Namibia is estimated to be greater than 37%. Volunteers will work with local partners and HIV-affected communities to promote and initiate IGAs and develop the capacity of PLWA and their families to implement them. Specifically, Volunteers: • Help individuals and groups within their communities to assess the viability of new IGAs. • Support individuals or groups in their communities to start IGAs and identify markets for their products. • Train members in business management for sustainability.

In addition to providing PEPFAR-funded training to Health and Education Volunteers and their counterparts, PC/N requests funds for three (3) 2-year Volunteers to be placed specifically with relevant host country agencies providing care and support to PLWA. PC/N also makes PEPFAR funds available for small grants to support community-initiated care and support activities.

This is a continuing activity from FY 09. Volunteers and their counterparts work to improve OVC referral systems and data management at the community level, strengthen family/household ability to improve their general health, and address the psycho-social needs of OVCs and their caregivers. In addition, Volunteers working with service oriented organizations implement measures to ensure quality service delivery. Volunteers target male and female OVCs age 0-18 years old in all 13 regions.

Health and education Volunteers work closely with local Ministry of Health and Social Services, Primary Health Care, (MoHSS PHC) teams to improve the health of OVCs and their caregivers through safer hygiene practices. In partnership with local counterparts, Volunteers help OVCs and their families initiate income generating activities (IGAs) and microgardening to improve food security and basic nutrition for OVCs. Gardens are community school-based. For school gardening projects, the produce is used to provide a nutritious meal through existing soup kitchens to target groups. It is also expected that OVCs will learn gardening skills and replicate them at the household level.

Volunteers, especially those assigned to FBO/NGOs working directly with OVCs, promote the development of life skills during after school programs or youth clubs. In addition, Volunteers refer OVCs to local organizations that provide food supplement/soup kitchens, counseling, educational support and health related services. Volunteers working with organizations that provide soup kitchens such as Catholic AIDS Action (CAA) will be expected to address long term sustainability by initiating microgardening and IGAs.

In addition to providing PEPFAR-funded training to Health and Education Volunteers and their counterparts, PC/N requests PEPFAR funds for three (3) 2-year Volunteers to be placed specifically with relevant host country agencies providing care and support to OVC. PC/N also makes PEPFAR funds available for small grants to support community-initiated activities that benefit OVC.

This is a continuing activity from FY 09. This activity targets in-and out of school youth in three main areas: (1) AB prevention messages including delaying sexual debut; (2) life skills development; and (3) substance abuse prevention. Peace Corps Volunteers working in the Health and Education sectors and their counterparts receive pre- and in-service training in these areas with an emphasis using behavior change communication strategies. Education Volunteers target primarily 10-14 year olds through school- based activities in line with the HIV/AIDS policy of the Ministry of Education. Health Volunteers target secondary school youth (age 15+) and out of school youth in the communities in which they are assigned.

Volunteers partner with government ministries and civil society to reach in-and out of school youth in class room settings, community outreach, and by establishing youth clubs. Life skills development activities focus on training in-school youth on positive decision making through camps, girls conferences, youth clubs, drama groups, community cinema, and sports. For out-of-school youth, additional training in

income generating activities and gardening is provided as alternatives to engaging in risky behaviors. In collaboration with the MOHSS and MYNSSC, Volunteers and their counterparts address alcohol and drug use among young people using existing programs and providing alternative activities in their communities.,

Health and Education Volunteers in all 13 regions carry out these activities. In addition, Peace Corps/Namibia (PC/N) requests PEPFAR funds to support the costs of placing five (5) 2-year Volunteers with relevant host country agencies implementing AB prevention activities.

Volunteers and their counterparts can apply for small PEPFAR-funded grants through Peace Corps to support community-based AB initiatives.

PC/N collaborates with existing programs such as UNICEF's "My Future My Choice", "Window of Hope", "Stepping Stone" (by Catholic AIDS Action) and "Journey of Life" by the Church Alliance for Orphans (CAFO), among others.

Volunteers submit periodic reports on their activities. In addition, PC/N staff conduct site visits to monitor the work of Volunteers and their counterparts.

This is a continuing activity from FY 09. There are four main components: (1) behavior change communication (2) gender mainstreaming (3) alcohol awareness raising and (4) referrals, which address key drivers of the epidemic and use specific interventions developed locally to address Namibia's epidemic. The purpose for selecting the above activities is to ensure that Peace Corps Namibia continue to contribute greatly towards the preventions of new HIV infections amongst young people (age 15-24) and adults (age 25+) through appropriate behavior change interventions. HVOP activities will be conducted mainly in the communities as well in the secondary schools.

Volunteers and their counterparts target older youth and adults with activities that address behavior change related to multiple concurrent partnerships, alcohol abuse, low and inconsistent condom use, and transactional and trans-generational sex. Volunteers raise awareness on these drivers using various tools including the recently launched interactive film "Three and a Half Lives of Philip Wetu". Both health and education Volunteers will work with host country counterparts to promote safer sex practices and positive decision making. In addressing the underlying impact of poverty, Volunteers will support local

communities and counterparts to initiate sustainable IGAs and microgardening.

At a Namibian conference held in February 2008 entitled "Namibian Men and HIV/AIDS, Our Time to Act", a call was made to actively engage men in HIV prevention, care and treatment. In contributing to this call, PC/N train Volunteers and counterparts in the use of the EngenderHealth Men as Partners curriculum, which they use with men's groups in their communities.

The misuse of alcohol has a widespread negative impact on public health in Namibia. In 2004, the MOHSS launched the Coalition on Responsible Drinking (CORD) with the mandate to ensure increased awareness on the effects of alcohol. In contributing to the CORD initiative, PC/N will emphasize the interface between Alcohol and HIV infections in communities in collaboration with other local organizations. Specific activities include: working through peer educators and other community forums to raise awareness on risk reduction information related to alcohol and sexual risk behaviors, teach proper and consistent condom use, provide condoms to bar patrons, and refer target groups to a range of services within the prevention, care and treatment continuum, including STI services.

Volunteers will work with host country counterparts to expand the use of the Health Education Response (HER) system developed by a PC/N Volunteer. This text message-based application allows users to ask HIV and health related questions via their cell phone.

All health and education Volunteers will receive training to conduct the activities described above. In addition, PC/N requests funds for six (6) 2-year Volunteers to be placed with relevant host country agencies. PC/N supports small community initiated OP-related activities through PEPFAR-funded VAST (Volunteer Activity Support and Training) grants.