Detailed Mechanism Funding and Narrative

Years of mechanism: 2011 2012 2013 2014

Details for Mechanism ID: 13172
Country/Region: Rwanda
Year: 2013
Main Partner: Population Services International
Main Partner Program: NA
Organizational Type: NGO
Funding Agency: HHS/CDC
Total Funding: $838,696

The overall goal of the Youth & MARPs Friendly Services project is to reduce HIV & STI prevalence among youth (15-24 years) & MARPs in Rwanda. Averting new infections in this age group is the most sustainable way to reduce HIV/AIDS in Rwanda. Youth and MARP Friendly Services will continue to promote abstinence and safer sexual behaviors, encouraging uptake of HIV Counseling and Testing and STI services, improving access to HIV & STI prevention & treatment referrals through 4 fixed sites, & improving targeted HIV and STI moonlight outreach services.

In COP12, activities for Youth and MARP Friendly Services will include targeted youth and MARPs-friendly outreach & VCT/STI service delivery, promotion of correct & consistent condom use, & peer education. Under this funding, VCT services will improve and strengthen linkages and referrals for HIV positive MARPs to ART services. Youth and MARP Friendly Services will also continue to implement a mix of behavioral strategies aimed at involve increased knowledge about how to protect oneself from HIV infection. VCT messages will emphasize the importance of HIV Testing and Counseling including Couples HIV Counseling and Testing (CHCT) and Provider Initiated Testing (PIT). Youth and MARP Friendly Services will continue to work with local partners to strengthen capacity to manage & implement activities, & support local organizations work in the areas of health impact & social marketing.

M&E activities will support the follow-on behavioral surveillance surveys among youth & MARPs, routine client intake and satisfaction data analysis for VCT service delivery and use of the BTS tracking survey data to inform the national prevention program.

One vehicle was purchased in year 2; & no other vehicles or leases are planned un

Funding for Testing: HIV Testing and Counseling (HVCT): $282,720

COP12 will continue to support comprehensive voluntary counseling and testing (CT), STI services and family planning (FP) counseling for youth and young MARPs at, and in communities around Youth Friendly Centers (YFCs) with the quality of services supervised by Youth and MARP Friendly Services and district health authorities. COP12 will continue to fully support management and technical implementation at 4 fixed sites and extend MARPs-targeted outreach services to an additional 4 sites, improving youth and MARPs access to high quality CT. VCT centers will be systematically referring to HIV care and treatment services at health facilities convenient for the clients. The program will develop vouchers to link and track referred clients. In COP12, Youth and MARP Friendly Services will also work on analyzing and documenting successfully linked clients as part of the periodic VCT data analysis that is underway. COP12 VCT efforts will continue to emphasize the importance of couples testing.

Supportive supervision and QA: Regular, joint supervision visits will be carried out by district health authorities and technical Youth and MARP Friendly Services staff (VCT QA Manager) to provide support to VCT counselors and ensure high quality counseling and data collection. Client intake and satisfaction forms will be entered by PDA at site level and analyzed regularly to inform program activities.

Funding for Sexual Prevention: Other Sexual Prevention (HVOP): $555,976

OP messages will focus on the identified factors influencing correct and consistent condom use, including condom stigma, relationship trust, and knowledge of how to use a condom correctly. Delivered by comprehensive youth- and MARPs-friendly services in and around Dushishoze centers, these messages will target most-at-risk and out-of-school youth, living in high HIV transmission zones and youth frequented hotspots.

Youth and MARP Friendly Services and Rwandan Partner Organizations will continue implementing moonlight( road show edutainment interventions at hotspots) to promote correct and consistent condom use and VCT in the evening during weekends. Hotspots will include restaurants, bars and cabarets where MARPs frequent. This strategy will provide integrated youth and MARPs prevention interventions.

All condom outreach activities will employ a condom demonstration kit produced in FY09, which provides a flip chart of demonstration instructions and condom activities, consumer leaflets, and demonstration materials.

To support OP communications efforts, Youth and MARP Friendly Services will work with Rwandan Partner Organizations and existing private networks to increase condom access and availability for youth and MARPs, particularly in areas around hot spots and at night. This includes retail outlet creation efforts, and condom distribution at youth centers and through mobile outreach services. COP12 PE trainings will continue to primarily target out-of-school youth, sex workers and MSM.

Subpartners Total: $0
Eglise Episcopal au Rwanda: NA
National Youth Council - Rwanda: NA
Cross Cutting Budget Categories and Known Amounts Total: $123,288
Human Resources for Health $10,903
Key Populations: Sex Workers $79,676
Key Populations: MSM and TG $32,709
Key Issues Identified in Mechanism
Implement activities to change harmful gender norms & promote positive gender norms
Increase gender equity in HIV prevention, care, treatment and support
Increasing women's legal rights and protection
Family Planning