Detailed Mechanism Funding and Narrative

Details for Mechanism ID: 10269
Country/Region: South Africa
Year: 2009
Main Partner: To Be Determined
Main Partner Program: NA
Organizational Type: Implementing Agency
Funding Agency: HHS/CDC
Total Funding: $0

Funding for Care: Adult Care and Support (HBHC): $0

SUMMARY:

Activities will focus on a family-centered approach to care and support. This will include enhancing facility-

based management of palliative care (including pain and symptom management and cotimoxazole

prophylaxis). Strengthening pre-antiretroviral therapy (ART) and ART support care based in the clinics and

at community level will help to support down referral from hospitals and health centers. This will include

particular emphasis on implementation of the Basic Care Package.

ACTIVITY 1: Family-centered approach to care and support

The awardee will strengthen existing support groups and form new support groups that is linked to a health

clinic in the community(each clinic should have at least 1 support group. Expert patients (PLHIV) and other

support group facilitators will be trained on implementing a basic package of care and support services that

will include (acceptance of status;Disclosure; HIV and AIDS and TB/HIV; Alcohol and Substance abuse and

HIV and AIDS; Prevention with Positives; Treatment Literacy; Nutrition assessment and counseling and

Treatment adherence and support). PLHIV will be encouraged to join the support groups from the time they

are tested HIV-positive where they will receive information on HIV and AIDS, ongoing counseling and

support, referral for additional care when needed, thus forming a link for continuity of care to community

level. PLHIV will be encouraged to bring along family members and other community members so they can

receive information and support. Family counseling sessions will be conducted where counseling and

testing for other family members will be encouraged and other prevention messages (e.g. prevention with

positives) will be disseminated. Children within families will be referred to the health facility for HIV testing

and support.

ACTIVITY 2: Nutritional support through gardens

To promote quality, economical nutrition, the team will work with the Department of Health (DOH) to

develop a local low-literacy cookbook (in Xhosa) and home economics guide. Clinic nurses will be trained

on the use of the guide. Community health workers and support group leaders will be trained on the national

curriculum for HIV and AIDS and nutrition using the national training manual and reference guide. Cooking

demonstrations will be established at clinics and selected churches on using nutritious foods, especially the

foods and herbs from the permaculture gardens. Funding will support referral for nutritional support and

monitoring as well as training clinic teams and as budget allows, outfitting modest kitchens, such as adding

a table, stove or sink to existing clinic kitchens.

ACTIVITY 3: Gender-related activities

The awardee will integrate gender norms, roles and behaviors into the support group activities. Activities

will focus on exploring behaviors that may lead to gender violence, exploitation and abuse and together find

ways and alternatives to deal with/avoid such behaviors. Negotiation skills will be developed through role

plays and discussion around gender issues.

New/Continuing Activity: New Activity

Continuing Activity:

Emphasis Areas

Gender

* Addressing male norms and behaviors

* Increasing gender equity in HIV/AIDS programs

* Reducing violence and coercion

Human Capacity Development

Estimated amount of funding that is planned for Human Capacity Development

Public Health Evaluation

Food and Nutrition: Policy, Tools, and Service Delivery

Food and Nutrition: Commodities

Economic Strengthening

Education

Water

Estimated amount of funding that is planned for Water

Table 3.3.08:

Funding for Treatment: Adult Treatment (HTXS): $0

SUMMARY:

The project will provide support to antiretroviral (ARV) services in the district in which they will be operating.

The aim of this program area is to extend access to antiretroviral therapy (ART) through increased uptake

and the accreditation of more health care facilities within the district.

ACTIVITY 1: Increased access to ARV services

The project will work with district HIV and AIDS managers to identify health facilities for strengthening to

provide ART services. The project will work with health care providers within these facilities to identify

strategies that will increase access to ART. This would include introduction of treatment readiness

programs from the time one is tested HIV-positive through the support groups, thus shortening the time to

initiate ART. Also, the project will facilitate down referral of stable patients on ART to primary health care

sites and recruit and train private general practitioners in the area to support primary health care clinics to

provide ART services.

New/Continuing Activity: New Activity

Continuing Activity:

Table 3.3.09:

Funding for Care: TB/HIV (HVTB): $0

SUMMARY:

Africare's Injongo Yethu Project encourages identification of HIV infection among TB clients, and TB

disease detection and management among HIV clients. Major emphasis is on local organization

development of clinics in the Hewu Hospital catchment area in the Eastern Cape and the feeder clinics for

Frontier Hospital and Glen Grey Hospital. Emphasis of project interventions is also on training, monitoring

and evaluation support through information technology development (the ARV and HIV electronic register)

and developing supportive supervision. FY 2008 will include Nkonkobe LSA and a selection of the clinics

feeding those hospitals.

BACKGROUND:

This is an follow-on activity that has received some support for training of nurses in TB and HIV care and an

orientation of Service Corps Volunteers on the frequency of HIV infection among TB clients. Activities will

focus on providing tools and mechanisms to improve the quality of home- and facility-based management of

TB screening and management in HIV-infected clients, and HIV screening and management for clients on

TB treatment. Tools for monitoring, supportive supervision and referral will also be provided.

ACTIVITIES AND EXPECTED RESULTS:

ACTIVITY 1: Improve HIV Testing Rates of TB Clients

This activity will support development of a standard HIV education flip -chart for TB clients similar to the

CDC-supported antenatal care (ANC) counseling guide that achieved much success in Botswana. Nurses

from 10 clinics will be recruited to field-test the flip chart and the counseling routine and note any effect on

HIV testing among TB clients. Nurses will be encouraged to offer counseling at the initiation of TB therapy

and after the two-month intensive treatment phase to clients who had declined testing at initiation. South

African government DOT supporters from selected clinics will be provided with additional basic HIV and

AIDS training, particularly for those not recently trained or provided with an update and refresher course.

The flip chart piloted by clinics will be made available to DOT supporters from the same clinics in order to

further encourage HIV testing among the TB clients.

ACTIVITY 2: Improve TB Screening Among HIV Clients

Active TB screening will be implemented in home-based care along with an orientation of HIV chronic care

nurses on TB screening. In addition, key support group members will be trained to help screen for

pulmonary TB and key signs of non-pulmonary TB and refer to the clinic. Increased screening will be

captured in the home-based caregiver records and the clinic chronic care record.

ACTIVITY 3: Training and Capacity Building

To ensure effective integration of TB and HIV care, doctors and nurses from Hewu Hospital, Sada

Community Health Clinic, Frontier Hospital and Glen Grey Hospital will be prioritized for updated training on

TB and HIV co-management, using recent WHO and NDOH materials. Training for doctors will be open to

20 local general practitioners. Routine technical information packets consisting of e-newsletters, tools and

guides from PEPFAR partners, publications from USG cooperating agencies, such as WHO and the AIDS

Vaccine Bulletin will be collated and distributed to the doctors, HIV service managers and nurses in

antiretroviral treatment clinics. The project will subscribe to newsletters and training materials from various

membership organizations on behalf of the health-care providers at the three hospitals.

ACTIVITY 4: Strengthen Organizational and Supervisory Support for TB and HIV Integration

The project will support the Chris Hani District HIV, AIDS, STI, TB (HAST) committee to create objectives

and a standing agenda item for monitoring progress toward integration of TB and HIV services.

Development of tools to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of integration will be advocated.

ACTIVITY 5: Ensure and Monitor Cotrimoxazole Therapy Implementation

Cotrimoxazole therapy is widely given to HIV clients, but the effects are not routinely monitored. To ensure

that all appropriate clients benefit from cotrimoxazole, relevant data elements will be included in the HIV

patient electronic register and therapy will be included in the algorithms as will the proposed HIV client care

plans.

ACTIVITY 6: Effective Monitoring of TB and HIV-infected Patients

The flow of information and documentation of information between services to HIV-infected and TB patients

will be assessed for bottlenecks and potential for losing follow-up of clients using client flow analysis and

current client records to find where clients drop out of the system and delays are experienced. Africare will

collaborate with another PEPFAR partner, QAP to capitalize on, and to reinforce, principles and processes

of quality assurance that will allow facility teams to uncover their local constraints and to plan solutions.

ACTIVITY 7: Support to TB Clients as Potential or Diagnosed HIV Clients

TB clients will be informed of, and welcomed to the new HIV support groups at the clinics. It is understood

that some TB clients are not ready to be tested for HIV and might find support to do so in the group. FY

2009 activities will also include dissemination of the new TB guidelines, accompanied by refresher training

for hospital and private doctors.

New/Continuing Activity: New Activity

Continuing Activity:

Table 3.3.12:

Funding for Care: Orphans and Vulnerable Children (HKID): $0

SUMMARY AND BACKGROUND:

The project's activities will emphasize the development of sound public sector and community responses to

OVC needs. Public sector departments involved are the Department of Social Development (DOSD),

Department of Health (DOH) and Department of Education (DOE). FY 2008 will include efforts to engage

the Department of Labor (DOL) and the Department of Agriculture (DOA).

ACTIVITIES AND EXPECTED RESULTS:

ACTIVITY 1: Strengthen Communities to Meet the Needs of OVC Affected by HIV and AIDS

Service Corps Volunteers (SCVs) will be recruited to support OVC community-based activities. To support

the identification and tracking of support to OVC, the project will support the Eastern Cape DOSD in

designing and developing an OVC services tracking system and other tools for identifying vulnerable

households, their needs, and tracking services delivered. SCVs, health sector community care-givers and

the Child Protection Committees (CPCs) members will be trained to identify OVC and vulnerable

households, and ongoing household needs assessments will be initiated and made routine. CPCs will

continue to be developed for 15 wards (or clusters of wards) to provide a mechanism for coordinating

resources to meet the children's needs. CPCs will also function as the accountability body for local OVC

identification, monitoring and services coordination. Small grants will be provided to the CPCs to enable

them to meet and coordinate activities for OVC. A memorandum of understanding will be signed with each

CPC, each will be assessed for its development and resource needs; each forum will meet at least

quarterly. Teh project support will be provided through a Service Corps Volunteer to establish patterns of

OVC needs identification, work planning, and the development of an OVC community service plan. Kids'

Clubs will be established with Africare support, designed in conjunction with the DOSD and their district

committee for HIV and OVC ("DACCA"). Workshops will continue to be held to jointly establish roles,

functions, and the service complement of CPCs and Kids' Clubs. CPCs, Kids Clubs, and community

caregivers will link OVC and child heads of households to social services for necessary support in addition

to providing direct support where they are capable.

ACTIVITY 2: Community-based Responses in Support of OVC and Their Households

The project will provide grants and technical assistance to selected community-based organization (CBO)

members of CPCs. Two CBOs have been engaged and provided with initial grants. Orientation on financial

management and monitoring and evaluation will be provided to CBOs and as well as those engaged in OVC

activities. Grants will focus on enabling CBOs to provide care and support to OVC in their communities.

Training of CBO caregivers will enable them to monitor, directly provide, and refer to specific services. Both

service CBOs and public sector health volunteers will be provided with tools and training to monitor health

status and to promote child utilization of well-child health services and to be cared for when sick. OVC

households will be linked to ongoing and expanding food garden projects, soup kitchens and locally

available food parcels distributed by the DOSD, churches and CBOs. A local legal aid service will be

engaged to train child forums and volunteers in basic legal aid support for OVC and families, such as wills,

succession planning, identity documents, deferment of school fees, etc. The project will facilitate the

development of a referral system between the community, DOSD and legal aid for common legal needs.

The South African Depression and Anxiety Group (SADAG) will continue to provide specific support in

developing community-oriented psychosocial support training. They will initiate caregiver support groups,

and train the support group leaders. The SADAG 'talking book' for OVC will be used by community and

household caregivers for facilitating discussion and engaging children and youth. They will also establish a

toll-free call line for support.

ACTIVITY 3: Direct Assistance to OVC

The project will facilitate establishing effective referral patterns and access to social services and various

benefits. SCVs will be trained to assist CPCs and train child-headed households on home management,

services and entitlements. To foster school compliance with the provincial no-fee policy in disadvantaged

areas, minor repairs and rehabilitation or other school-wide benefits will be undertaken in exchange for

waiving fees for OVC. Enrollment by OVC in school and routine attendance will be monitored. The project

will capacitate the community volunteers and child care forums to ensure that OVC in need of shelter get

referred. Monthly monitoring of access and utilization of a standardized package of services will continue in

FY 2008. Children and youth attending Kids' Clubs will be trained in Life Skills. Kids' Clubs leaders will be

trained in HIV prevention, AIDS care and support of OVC. The project will provide small grants to Kids'

Clubs to organize recreational activities. The project will seek leveraged matching funds. Peer Educators

(40) and Peer Counselors (40) will be trained to support children and youth attending Kids' Clubs and in the

community. Children heading households and older OVC will be targeted for training in vocational and

livelihood skills through vocational training centers and training organizations. Local organizations will be

trained to support the development of income generating activities (IGA), and OVC and caregivers will be

assisted in securing funding for IGA activities.

ACTIVITY 4: Access to Health Care

Home-based caregivers based at clinics will ensure that OVC under two years old encountered in the

homes of their HIV clients are weighed, immunized, and those that are HIV-exposed are screened for

infections, receive their follow-up HIV test, and access care and treatment, when required. OVC caregivers

(OVCGs) deployed by the CBOs under each CPC will monitor clinic utilization for growth monitoring and

immunizations and will support the clinics in direct weight monitoring for high-risk children. Older children

encountered in the home will also be linked to clinic care and treatment services as needed. Schools and

Kid's Clubs will be alert to children and youth, who need referrals for healthcare and HIV treatment, linking

them through the structures above to ensure that clinic or hospital level care is provided.

CPC members will continue to be trained in FY 2008 to provide community-based support and advocacy,

Activity Narrative: e.g. prevention of exploitation and abuse, prevention of "land-grabbing", and identification of children and

households in distress. CPC development will continue to be nurtured to provide a sustainable response to

the need for OVC identification and service coordination.

New/Continuing Activity: New Activity

Continuing Activity:

Table 3.3.13:

Funding for Testing: HIV Testing and Counseling (HVCT): $0

SUMMARY AND BACKGROUND:

The project will expand access to counseling and testing (CT) at community level and strengthen

counseling and testing services at health facility level.

ACTIVITIES AND EXPECTED RESULTS:

Africare will carry out two separate activities in this program area.

ACTIVITY 1: Strengthening CT services at health facility level

The project will mentor staff at facility on implementing CT services including provider initiated CT for

sexually transmitted infections (STIs), tuberculosis (TB) and antenatal care (ANC) clients. The project will

train and place lay counselor at health facilities to counsel and refer clients for CT. All clients testing for HIV

irrespective of their results will be referred to the support groups where they will receive more information

and support on HIV/AIDS.

ACTIVITY 2: Implementing mobile CT services within the community

The project will implement mobile CT services that will services communities. These mobile services will

operate during and after clinic hours. The project will provide mobile CT services whenever there is an

event in the community e.g. candle light memorials, World AIDS Day, Stop TB Day, STI week and other

sporting events in the community. This service will be coupled with mass media activities (radio talks about

the mobile CT services, flyers) and community mobilization efforts to encourage community members to

seek counseling and testing for HIV.

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New/Continuing Activity: New Activity

Continuing Activity:

Table 3.3.14: