Detailed Mechanism Funding and Narrative

Years of mechanism: 2007 2008 2009

Details for Mechanism ID: 4632
Country/Region: South Africa
Year: 2007
Main Partner: Southern African Clothing & Textile Workers' Union
Main Partner Program: NA
Organizational Type: NGO
Funding Agency: HHS/CDC
Total Funding: $1,000,000

Funding for Sexual Prevention: Other Sexual Prevention (HVOP): $90,000

INTEGRATED ACTIVITY FLAG:

The Southern African Clothing and Textile Workers Union's programs aim to provide comprehensive prevention, care and treatment services. Related activities are described in CT (# 7932) and ARV Services (# 7934).

SUMMARY:

The Southern African Clothing and Textile Workers Union (SACTWU) project has received PEPFAR funding in previous years through a sub-agreement with the Solidarity Center, but in FY 2007, SACTWU will receive direct PEPFAR funding. SACTWU has a well-structured training program, initiated in 1999, that has evolved within the dynamics of the industry and includes basic facts on HIV, AIDS, abstinence, being faithful and condom use. The major emphasis area of the activity is training, with minor emphasis on workplace programs, community mobilization/participation, human resources and information, education and communication. Target populations include factory workers and people affected by HIV, HIV-infected positive women and business/ community/ private sector.

BACKGROUND:

The Southern African Clothing and Textile Workers Union is South Africa's largest trade union organizing textile and clothing workers. It also organizes footwear, leather and retail workers. Hence, SACTWU members form part of the economically active population that has been identified as being the hardest hit by the HIV and AIDS epidemic. Further, around 66% of SACTWU's membership is female. The prevention program is a three-level training program that starts with a foundation phase on the basic facts of HIV and AIDS, abstinence, being faithful and consistent and correct condom use (ABC). These facts are reinforced and strengthened with the intermediate and advanced modules of training. The intermediate module deals with legal aspects and workplace policy development. In the advanced module, delegates are trained to become trainers, lay counselors and home-based carers. SACTWU also has an HIV and AIDS awareness workplace program where trainers take the training to floor level in 30-minute sessions in the factories. The major emphasis of the workplace program is on prevention.

SACTWU has a membership of approximately 110,000 members nationally. The SACTWU AIDS Project is a national program that provides prevention and care services in five provinces, KwaZulu-Natal, Western Cape, Gauteng, Eastern Cape and Free State. The SACTWU AIDS Project was initiated in 1998 and developed a national comprehensive program, with an initial focus on prevention. It has matured over the years to the point where it now has a well-structured comprehensive training program, provides "in house" voluntary testing and counseling (VCT) services, access to a social worker in KwaZulu-Natal, runs income generating workshops, provides a primary package of care through the VCT service, and provides home-based care through its regional nurses and a home-based care network in KwaZulu-Natal. The nurses provide some level of support in the home through home visits, but this activity is mainly implemented by the home-based care network of 19 home-based carers who provide ongoing home-level support.

Prior to FY 2007 SACTWU received PEPFAR funding as a sub-grant from the Solidarity Center. In FY 2007 SACTWU becomes a prime partner, and will receive direct funding.

ACTIVITIES AND EXPECTED RESULTS:

The training program serves as an education program and addresses stigma and discrimination associated with HIV status for all workers, shop-stewards, managers and healthcare staff within the industry nationally. It also serves as an instigator for the demand for the voluntary counseling and testing program. With PEPFAR funding SACTWU employs two trainers and a training coordinator fulltime to deliver all prevention programs in-house and achieve set targets. This activity will aim to educate shop-stewards and workers within the industry in the five provinces where the program is active and to address issues of HIV prevention, stigma and discrimination by empowering the delegates and repeatedly reinforcing the facts on HIV. The basic module emphasizes the ABC message of the South African government and aims to prevent new infections. SACTWU also has an intermediate module that deals with the worker's rights and HIV as well as

development of workplace policies. Empowering individuals on their rights directly addresses the issue of stigma and discrimination.

The program will also distribute male and female condoms. One of the reasons why the epidemic is more prevalent amongst women is the lack of power of women in the relationship, which impacts on negotiating condom use. By making available the female condom SACTWU allows women additional protection if the male partner refuses to wear a condom. The prevention training is complemented by activities like the condom man campaign as well as using drama to reinforce the prevention message--this helps to get HIV "out of the closet" and make it an interactive and informal discussion.

PEPFAR funding will be used for human resources costs related to the prevention program. These figures will link into overall PEPFAR objectives of 7 million infections averted.

Funding for Testing: HIV Testing and Counseling (HVCT): $400,000

INTEGRATED ACTIVITY FLAG:

The Southern African Clothing and Textile Workers Union programs aims to provide comprehensive prevention, care and treatment services, described in Condoms and Other Prevention (#7933) and ARV Services (#7934).

SUMMARY:

This activity will provide access to comprehensive voluntary counseling and testing (VCT) services in five provinces. The Southern African Clothing and Textile Workers Union (SACTWU) program will also provide training, support and supervision to VCT counselors. SACTWU has five existing VCT sites and intends to establish two additional sites in KwaZulu-Natal and one site in Western Cape, the two provinces with the largest membership. The emphasis area is human resources, with minor emphasis on commodity procurement, infrastructure, quality assurance and supportive supervision, training, and information, education and communication. Target populations include factory workers, nurses and other healthcare workers.

BACKGROUND:

The Southern African Clothing and Textile Workers Union is South Africa's largest trade union organizing textile and clothing workers. It also organizes footwear, leather and retail workers. SACTWU members form part of the economically active population that has been identified as hardest hit by the epidemic and, due to work constraints, cannot access offsite VCT services. Onsite services allows access to all employees including the nearly 66 percent of SACTWU's membership which is female.

SACTWU has a membership of approximately 110,000 members nationally. The SACTWU AIDS Project is a national program that provides services in five provinces, KwaZulu-Natal, Western Cape, Gauteng, Eastern Cape and Free State. The SACTWU AIDS Project was initiated in 1998 and developed a National Comprehensive Program.

Prior to FY 2007 SACTWU received PEPFAR funding as a sub-grant from the Solidarity Center. The voluntary counseling and testing (VCT) program was initiated in June 2002 and is ongoing nationally, and received PEPFAR funding in FY 2006 through the sub-agreement. In FY 2007 SACTWU will become a prime partner and will receive direct funding.

ACTIVITIES AND EXPECTED RESULTS:

SACTWU will carry out two separate activities in this Program Area.

ACTIVITY 1: Capacity Building for VCT Services

This activity will provide access to workplace VCT services for SACTWU members and their dependents who are members of the communities in the five provinces. SACTWU has three general settings for service delivery: 1) the clinic setting, 2) the regional office setting, and 3) stand-alone sites within factory-based settings. The program also includes training, support and supervision of VCT counselors using the National Department of Health (NDOH) training model. PEPFAR funds will be used for human resources to employ nurses and counselors who will provide VCT services, infrastructure (minor refurbishment), procurement of test kits, quality assurance using NDOH guidelines and supportive supervision and capacity development of the counselors. The nurses will provide a rapid test while lay counselors will perform pre and post-test counseling.

ACTIVITY 2: Commodity Procurement

SACTWU will purchase rapid test kits and other expendable materials from a competitive pharmaceutical supplier. Purchasing staff will make sure that the tests used are recommended by the NDOH.

In FY 2007 SACTWU will provide VCT nationally and train new lay counselors. These activities will contribute to the overall PEPFAR objectives to reach 10 million people in

care.

Funding for Treatment: Adult Treatment (HTXS): $510,000

INTEGRATED ACTIVITY FLAG:

The Southern African Clothing and Textile Workers Union programs will provide comprehensive prevention, care and treatment services, described in Other Prevention (#7933), Counseling and Testing (#7932) and ARV Services (#7934).

SUMMARY:

The Southern African Clothing and Textile Workers Union (SACTWU) has a comprehensive HIV program that has received PEPFAR funding in the past through a sub-agreement with the Solidarity Center. In FY 2007, SACTWU will receive direct PEPFAR funding, and will utilize the funding for prevention, care and treatment activities, with the prevention and care program focused in five provinces: KwaZulu-Natal, Western Cape, Gauteng, Eastern Cape and Free State. The treatment program described here is limited to KwaZulu-Natal. The major emphasis is human resources, with minor emphasis on commodity procurement, infrastructure, and training. The target population of the overall program is factory workers.

BACKGROUND:

The Southern African Clothing and Textile Workers Union is South Africa's largest trade union organizing textile and clothing workers. It also organizes footwear, leather and retail workers. Hence, SACTWU members form part of the employed population. Around 66 percent of SACTWU membership is female.

SACTWU has a membership of approximately 110,000 members nationally. The SACTWU AIDS Project is a national program that provides services in five provinces. The SACTWU AIDS Project was initiated in 1998 and developed a national comprehensive program. It has matured over the years to the point where it now has a well-structured comprehensive training program, provides in house voluntary and counseling services, provides access to a social worker in KwaZulu-Natal, runs income generating workshops, provides a primary package of care through the voluntary and counseling testing service, and provides home-based care through its regional nurses and a home-based care network in KwaZulu-Natal.

SACTWU will initiate a pilot antiretroviral therapy program in the KwaZulu-Natal province as a public-private partnership (PPP) with the Department of Health. SACTWU is finalizing a partnership model with the provincial Department of Health. SACTWU utilizes South African government protocols. SACTWU has designed confidentiality protocols as well as client care flowcharts, and is working closely with the King Edward VIII Hospital in Durban to finalize a formal confidential referral system via a public-private partnership.

ACTIVITIES AND EXPECTED RESULTS:

SACTWU will contract medical practitioners to provide treatment services per the South African guidelines and eligibility criteria. Lay counselors or field workers will be employed (one per site) as well as one contracted social workers per site to serve as part of the multidisciplinary team. The long-term goal will be to develop a partnership with the public sector to replicate the model developed with the King Edward Hospital where the clients are prepared for initiation of treatment (which includes laboratory tests, and adherence counseling sessions), then referred to King Edward VIII Hospital for the initiation of treatment, and then down referred back to SACTWU once stable. The South African government will provide the antiretroviral drugs for the program. Patients will be identified for the program through the counseling and testing program, in one established site and two new rural sites in KwaZulu-Natal. In addition, patients will be referred from the existing SACTWU home-based care program, factories and the Bargaining Council Clinic in KwaZulu-Natal. In partnership with the Dream Centre in Durban, patients will have access to step-down care.

In FY 2007 SACTWU will provide antiretroviral treatment. These activities will contribute to the overall PEPFAR objectives to reach two million people on treatment.

FY07 reprogramming funds will be used to expand ARV service provision in the rural sites

to the surrounding communities as well as strengthen community capacity to deal with the epidemic in a sustainable way and pilot a ‘Nurse on wheels" initiative to strengthen onsite factory-based services. Partnerships with Community leaders and Community facilities as well as local government Councilors and local Government facilities will be sought to ensure sustainability of all rural site initiatives.