TITLE: Building Capacity at Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (MUHAS)

NEED and COMPARATIVE ADVANTAGE: The Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences

(MUHAS) has a School of Medicine and a School of Public Health. In order to strengthen the human

capacity development in these schools, funds will be provided to ensure that pre-service training is able to

accept additional students and that the types of courses offered build institutional capacity and analytic skills

for public health evaluations. As MUHAS has agreements with the National Institute of Medical Research

(NIMR) and the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare (MOHSW), skills in epidemiology methods and

analysis will be strengthened to ensure data for decision making and use of information.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS: New Activity

ACTIVITIES: Funds in FY 2008 will be used to develop, pilot, and implement short-courses for students in

the School of Public Health to build capacity in analytic skills and institutional capacity building. Graduates

of the Fogarty International Training Program will be requested to participate in training students by

teaching short courses or giving lectures on specific topics.

Linkages among MUHAS, NIMR, and MOHSW, including FELTP will be strengthened through seminars

and short courses. Students at MUHAS will have the opportunity to conduct their pre-service training in

HIV/AIDS related activities

LINKAGES: Linkages with NIMR, MOHSW, and FELTP will be of importance to build the capacity of the

students at MUHAS and give as much technical support as required through the agreement.

CHECK BOXES: This activity is to develop human capacity through pre-service training in public health

evaluation, strategic information, and institutional capacity building. Students at MUHAS will have the

opportunity to work with non-governmental organizations, Government of Tanzania, and PEPFAR in their

pre-service training program.

M&E: A comprehensive M&E plan will be developed once the program begins. This plan will capture

information on who receives training, what they have been trained on, and how their skills have improved

SUSTAINAIBLITY: By building the capacity at MUHAS, future public health workers will have the expertise

to work in HIV/AIDS interventions with solid backgrounds in public health programs and institutional

capacity building. Short courses or lectures will ensure that all that are available are trained.

TITLE: Capacity building for Tanzania Health Professionals to attend Graduate Program in Monitoring and

Evaluation of Health Programs and Services in Ethiopia at Jimma University

NEED and COMPARATIVE ADVANTAGE: Strengthening the monitoring and evaluation (M&E) capacity of

Tanzanians is an essential component of the fight against HIV/AIDS. There is an unmet need for

Tanzanians with strong M&E skills in all areas of HIV/AIDS programs including antiretroviral treatment,

prevention, wellness and care programs.

Jimma University in Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia with support from Tulane University School of Public

Health and Tropical Medicine and CDC Ethiopia and in partnership with the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation

Brazil launched a successful Monitoring and Evaluation Program for Health Professionals in 2003. This

program is the first of its kind in Africa it offers post graduate and MSc degrees in Health Monitoring and

Evaluation. Course will build Tanzanian M&E professionals with skills, theory, and practice that can be

applied to HIV/AIDS monitoring and evaluation. Student attending the program are government health

workers or employees working in for health Non-governmental organizations. Student complete their thesis

work in the health sector in their home country and sign an Memorandum of Understanding to work in the

health sector for at least two years after they complete the program.

ACTIVITIES: FY 2008 Funds will support four Tanzanian health professionals for the one year certificate

program. Funds would cover, application processing, first year tuition, thesis cost, housing, transport to and

from Tanzania to Ethiopia, and IT support. The students will enter the post graduate diploma in M&E with an

option depending on funding for the two years MSc degree in M&E. The program is an intensive with 1200

contact hours that will award 30 credit hours for a one year post graduate diploma and 39 credits for the two

year MSc in Health M&E. Student will complete their M&E thesis work in the health sector with their current

employer in Tanzania. (Government or NGO). Thesis work would be completed in collaboration with a

mentor and advisor from Tanzania and Jimma University faculty. Students continue working in the health

field in Tanzania as the course is a sandwich course, intensive class time in Ethiopia following by time in

Tanzania.

LINKAGES: These students will be linked with HIV/AIDS programs and directly help building M&E capacity

in Tanzania.

CHECK BOXES: The program will involve capacity building of health professional in Tanzania in M&E

M&E: Students will be asked to present thesis and projects to a wide audience in Tanzania including GOT

and implementing partners.

Four local organizations will be provided with technical assistance for strategic information. twenty

individuals will be trained in SI

SUSTAINAIBLITY: Building in country capacity for M&E. Students will be ask to sign an MOU indicating

their commitment to work post graduation in HIV/AID M&E with their current employers (Tanzanian Ministry

of Health or Tanzania Heath related NGO)

TITLE: Behavioural and biological surveillance among most at-risk populations in Zanzibar

NEED and COMPARATIVE ADVANTAGE: The CDC Tanzania has been collaborating with the World

Health Organization (WHO) in providing technical assistance to the Zanzibar AIDS Control Program (ZACP)

of the Zanzibar Ministry of Health and Social Welfare for surveillance activities. Zanzibar has a concentrated

HIV epidemic. In a 2006 survey of injecting drug users (IDUs), the HIV prevalence was estimated to be

26% (Dahoma et al 2006). No other survey among IDUs has been conducted to date.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS: In FY 2007, Tulane University conducted respondent-driven sampling surveys

(RDS) among men who have sex with men (MSM) and commercial sex workers (CSW). Size estimation of

these populations was also accomplished. In the CSW survey, a peer-driven intervention was linked to the

actual survey.

ACTIVITIES: This activity links to #7775 (Strengthening Strategic Information Capacity at the Zanzibar AIDS

Control Program) and #8728 (Behavioral Interventions to Reduce Risk Among IDUs and Overlapping

Populations).

The concentrated epidemic in Zanzibar requires a more aggressive and effective prevention strategy than

the mainland of the United Republic of Tanzania which has a generalized epidemic. In Zanzibar, it is

important to identify the most at-risk populations (MARPS) and overlapping populations with link to the

general population. The identification of these populations and their risk behaviours will be used to develop

effective interventions to prevent the transmission of HIV, and to focus limited resources on prevention

activities. Suspected high-risk sub-populations include commercial sex workers, beach boys (male sex

workers), clients of both male and female sex workers, injecting drug users, men who have sex with men,

and others who engage in transactional sex within the tourism industry.

In FY 2008, the funds will be used to conduct respondent-driven sampling and capture/recapture for size

estimation of injecting drug users and potential overlapping populations. Other activities will include holding

a series of meetings to ensure use of the results from the previous surveys to initiate an intervention

component. The results from the previous surveys will be disseminated in meetings and appropriate forums

with non-governmental organizations and the government. In addition, this information will also be used for

modeling the epidemic using Spectrum (the UNAIDS epidemic modeling package).

LINKAGES: The survey results will be linked with peer-driven interventions being developed by a "TO BE

DETERMINED" organization. The results will also be linked with the United Nations' Development Program

efforts to ensure that HIV/AIDS does not impact negatively on commerce and tourism in Zanzibar.

CHECK BOXES: This is a strategic information activity which includes a survey and training. Through the

trainings and implementation of RDS and capture/recapture size estimation, capacity of local organizations

will be built to be able to conduct these surveys annually.

SUSTAINAIBLITY: Human capacity will be built to conduct these types of surveys in Zanzibar on an annual

basis. The linkage of the survey results with development of prevention programs for MARPS will ensure

that the data are used and programs are evidence-based.