This activity has two main components: 1) Strengthening MGLSD's role in HIV prevention and 2) technical

resource development and assistance for Civil Society Fund implementing partners in HIV Prevention.

Strengthening Ministry of Gender, Labour, and Social Development (MGLSD)'s role in HIV prevention.

CORE Initiative will continue providing support to MGLSD's National Implementation Unit, strengthening

MGLSD's efforts to reach youth with HIV prevention initiatives. In particular, support to the National

Implementation Unit (NIU) will focus on improving the integration of HIV prevention initiatives and OVC

service delivery programs. Improved integration will ensure not only comprehensive HIV prevention

initiatives are included within a comprehensive response to OVC, but also that OVC reached through HIV

Prevention programs for youth are effectively linked into existing OVC service delivery structures. CORE

Initiative will also continue to support MGLSD involvement in an interministerial plan for providing HIV

prevention services to youth, and MGLSD involvement with the National HIV Prevention Committee. Within

the HIV Prevention component of the National Strategic Plan for HIV/AIDS, CORE Initiative will have used

FY07 funding to assist MGLSD and Uganda AIDS Commission (UAC) with the development of ABC Policy

Guidelines, and, within those, will have supported MGLSD in the formulation of an interministerial plan

delineating line ministry and key stakeholder roles in the provision of comprehensive HIV prevention

services among Uganda's youth. Building on this initiative, CORE Initiative will assist MGLSD with the

development of a ministry wide plan supported through the NIU for fulfilling MGLSD's role in the national

plan for HIV Prevention. With FY08 funding, CORE Initiative will continue to provide technical support to

the NIU in the implementation of this plan. AB resources in particular will be used to ensure that Uganda's

youth have access to age and risk appropriate abstinence, faithfulness, behaviour change and condom

information and services. AB resources will also assist MGLSD in appropriately addressing the shifting

nature of the epidemic, and expand attention to faithfulness and partner reduction initiatives among newly

married young couples. In addition, CORE Initiative will support MGLSD's mandate in the social services

sector to specifically address the vulnerability factors of specific categories of youth such as young people

involved in transactional or cross-generational sexual relationships, young people living with HIV, and

addressing the underlying causes of the vulnerabilities faced by Uganda's youth that increase their risk of

exposure to HIV. In particular, CORE Initiative will assist MGLSD in addressing cultural norms and

practices, sexual coercion, poverty and economic security vulnerabilities, and gender discrimination issues

that make youth, and in particular young girls at increased risk of exposure.

Technical support and resource development for HIV prevention implementing partners: CORE Initiative

will continue to identify, obtain, and adapt technical resources in HIV prevention with the aim of developing

a comprehensive and standard package of resources for the use by MGLSD's HIV prevention partners, as

well as the HIV prevention partners supported through the Civil Society Fund's multi-donor-funded HIV

prevention support. AB resources will be used to promote the adaptation of materials needed to support

integration of HIV prevention initiatives into existing social service programs, including MGLSD's orphans

and vulnerable children VC program and its civil society partners funded through the Civil Society Fund

(CSF). In addition, CORE Initiative will provide technical support to zonal Technical Services Organizations

ensuring that they are strengthening district and civil society integration of HIV prevention initiatives within

the national response to OVC.

Under the direction of the Uganda AIDS Commission, the CSF Steering Committee manages multiple donor

resources supporting the civil society response to HIV/AIDS, OVC, TB, and malaria. The CSF is receiving

donor support from USAID, DfID, DANIDA, Irish AID, and the Uganda Global Fund for AIDS, TB and

Malaria. The fund is managed by the CSF Steering Committee, which held its inaugural meeting March

2007. In FY08, funding under this component will support CORE Initiative's provision of technical support to

the CSF Steering Committee through CARE Uganda as the Technical Management Agent. Technical

support will include strengthening the CSF Secretariate at UAC, supporting the operational functions of the

CSF Steering Committee, supporting the institutionalization of transparent and competitive granting

mechanisms used by the CSF to solicit, review, and award civil society grants, and providing technical

support to CSF grant recipients. Grants to CSF grant receipients will be managed through Deloitte Touche,

a USAID contractor, as the CSF Financial Management Agent, which will also provide financial

management technical assistance to CSF implementing partners. The monitoring and evaluation of CSF

supported grants, and strengthening grantee monitoring and evaluation capacity, will be supported through

the CSF's Monitoring and Evaluation Agent.

In addition, through its role as the Technical Management Agent for the CSF, AB resources will be used to

provide technical support to CSF implementing partners providing comprehensive and integrated HIV

prevention services, including PEPFAR-supported grants. Technical support to HIV Prevention

implementing partners will fall into four areas: 1) strengthening capacity of universities receiving grants

from the CSF to ensure that HIV prevention efforts on their campuses are comprehensive and age and risk

appropriate, offering as needed a complete range of prevention interventions, including abstinence,

faithfulness, and condom use, and that separately supported prevention interventions do not undermine

each other; 2) providing technical support to AB grantees working with out of school youth that frequently

encounter high risk sexually active youth in need of condoms; 3) providing technical support to civil society

implementing partners working to support engaged and newly married couples as well as married and

cohabitating adult partners in being faithful to each other; 4) providing technical support to civil society fund

implementing partners working extensively with high risk groups such as those engaged in transactional

sex, and street youth, to provide economic strengthening support as a mechanism of addressing the

vulnerabilities placing them in high risk status and to ensure adequate protection from HIV infection.

Targets reached through the CSF will be reported by Deloitte and Touche, the Financial Management

Agent.

Through this component CORE Initiative will provide technical support to MGLSD's National Implementation

Unit supporting MGLSD's plans and strategies for providing comprehensive HIV Prevention interventions for

Uganda's older and at risk youth. OP resources will complement activities supported with AB resources to

assist MGLSD in the coordination of an integrated and comprehensive age appropriate package of

interventions aimed at helping Uganda's youth, and in particular, out of school youth, prevent HIV infection.

Strengthening MGLSD's role in HIV prevention. CORE Initiative will continue providing support to MGLSD's

National Implementation Unit, strengthening MGLSD's efforts to reach youth with HIV Prevention initiatives.

In particular, support to the NIU will focus on improving the integration of HIV Prevention initiatives and OVC

service delivery programs. Improved integration will ensure not only that comprehensive HIV Prevention

initiatives are included within a comprehensive response to OVC, but also that OVC reached through HIV

Prevention programs for youth are effectively linked into existing OVC service delivery structures. CORE

Initiative will also continue to support MGLSD involvement in an interministerial plan for providing HIV

prevention services to youth, and MGLSD involvement with the National HIV Prevention Committee. Within

the HIV Prevention component of the National Strategic Plan for HIV/AIDS, CORE Initiative will have used

FY07 funding to assist MGLSD and UAC with the development of ABC Policy Guidelines, and, within those,

will have supported MGLSD in the formulation of an interministerial plan delineating line ministry and key

stakeholder roles in the provision of comprehensive HIV prevention services among Uganda's youth.

Building on this initiative, CORE Initiative will assist MGLSD with the development of a ministry wide plan

supported through the NIU for fulfilling MGLSD's role in the national plan for HIV Prevention. With FY08

funding, CORE Initiative will continue to provide technical support to the NIU in the implementation of this

plan. OP resources in particular will be used to ensure that Uganda's youthhave access to age and risk

appropriate abstinence, faithfulness, behaviour change and condom information and services. OP

resources will also assist MGLSD in appropriately addressing the shifting nature of the epidemic, and

expand attention to faithfulness and partner reduction initiatives among newly married young couples. In

addition, CORE Initiative will support MGLSD's mandate in the social services sector to specifically address

the vulnerability factors of specific categories of youth such as young people involved in transactional or

cross-generational sexual relationships, young people living with HIV, and addressing the underlying

causes of the vulnerabilities faced by Uganda's youth that increase their risk of exposure to HIV. In

particular, CORE Initiative will assist MGLSD in addressing cultural norms and practices, sexual coercion,

poverty and economic security vulnerabilities, and gender discrimination issues that make youth, and in

particular young girls at increased risk of exposure.

Under the direction of the Uganda AIDS Commission, the Civil Society Fund Steering Committee manages

multiple donor resources supporting the civil society response to HIV/AIDS, OVC, TB, and Malaria. The

CSF is receiving donor support from USAID, DfID, DANIDA, Irish AID, and the Uganda Global Fund for

AIDS, TB and Malaria. The fund is managed by the Civil Society Fund Steering Committee, which held its

inaugural meeting March 2007. In FY08, funding under this component will support CORE Initiative's

provision of technical support to the CSF Steering Committee through CARE Uganda as the Technical

Management Agent. Technical support will include strengthening the CSF Secretariate at UAC, supporting

the operational functions of the CSF Steering Committee, supporting the institutionalization of transparent

and competitive granting mechanisms used by the CSF to solicit, review and award civil society grants, and

providing technical support to CSF grant recipients. Grants to CSF grant receipients will be managed

through Deloitte Touche, a USAID contractor, as the CSF Financial Management Agent, which will also

provide financial management technical assistance to CSF implementing partners. The monitoring and

evaluation of CSF supported grants, and strengthening grantee monitoring and evaluation capacity, will be

supported through the CSF's Monitoring and Evaluation Agent.

In addition, through its role as the Technical Management Agent for the Civil Society Fund, Other

Prevention resources will be used to provide technical support to Civil Society Fund implementing partners

providing comprehensive and integrated HIV prevention services, including PEPFAR supported grants to

universities. Technical support to HIV Prevention implementing partners will fall into four areas: 1)

strengthening capacity of universities receiving grants from the Civil Society Fund to ensure that HIV

prevention efforts on their campuses are comprehensive and age and risk appropriate, offering as needed a

complete range of prevention interventions, including abstinence, faithfulness, and condom use, and that

separately supported prevention interventions do not undermine each other. 2) Providing technical support

to AB grantees working with out of school youth that frequently encounter high risk sexually active youth in

need of condoms. 3) Providing technical support to civil society implementing partners working to support

engaged and newly married couples in being faithful to each other. These implementing partners frequently

are unable to meet the needs of discordant couples. Technical support will help ensure that outreach

workers counseling and informing couples about being faithful to each other are, if the couple's status is

unknown, referred for VCT, and, if they are known to be discordant, provided with condoms and trained in

their use as one means through which they can remain faithful to each other and prevent HIV infection. 4)

Providing technical support to civil society fund implementing partners working extensively with high risk

groups such as those engaged in transactional sex, and street youth, to provide economic strengthening

support as a mechanism of addressing the vulnerabilities placing them in high risk status and to ensure

adequate protection from HIV infection. Targets reached through the CSF will be reported by Deloitte and

Touche, the Financial Management Agent.

This activity has three main components: 1) Strengthening the capacity of Ministry of Gender, Labor and

Social Development (MGLSD) to lead, manage, coordinate, monitor and evaluate the national response to

Orphans and Other Vulnerable Children; 2) Improving the quality of OVC services provided through civil

society implementing partners; and 3) providing technical support to the Civil Society Fund Steering

Committee.

Institutional strengthening: This funding will support three areas of institutional strengthening a)

management, planning and coordination, b) monitoring and evaluation, and c) advocacy and

communications. Last year, CORE Initiative assisted MGLSD with completion of the central and district level

capacity building strategy. With FY08 support, management systems development will focus on

strengthening central level planning and coordination of the national response, principally through technical

support to MGLSD's National Implementation Unit responsible for managing the ongoing partnership with

civil society organizations and district community based services departments to implement the National

Strategic Programme Plan of Interventions for Orphans and Other Vulnerable Children. During the past

year, CORE Initiative assisted MGLSD's OVC monitoring and evaluation systems with the completion of

national OVC program indicators, and the design and specifications for a national OVC Management

Information System. Monitoring and evaluation support will include continued support for the national OVC

management information system through MGLSD's Community Information System, and strengthening the

use of primary and secondary data for program decision making, ensuring that that CSOs, districts, and

MGLSD are allocating resources to particular interventions based on documented need and program

efficacy. MGLSD will make regular use of data obtained through the CIS, national field surveys, and

program assessments aimed at identifying the most effective interventions in high priority core programme

areas and replicating innovative models for the provision of comprehensive OVC services at district and

subcounty levels. The advocacy and communication component has completed a qualitative study of

MGLSD advocacy and communication needs, and completed development of a national Advocacy and

Communications Strategy. In FY08, CORE Initiative will continue technical support for implementing the

national OVC advocacy and communications strategy aimed primarily at positioning MGLSD as the focal

point for the national response and securing increased donor and GOU budget allocations for OVC,

publicizing and promoting use of Technical Services Organizations, and MGLSD's partnerships with civil

society through the Civil Society Fund. This component will include the provision of operational support to

MGLSD's NIU and the policy and planning unit through a grant. The grant will support MGLSD central level

coordination efforts, the functioning of the NIU, the OVC website, communications, equipment and supplies,

and travel.

Improving OVC program quality. Last year CORE Initiative assisted MGLSD with the development and

completion of national OVC program quality standards, and a guide for applying these standards at the local

service delivery level, and assisted MGLSD with the launching of the zonal Technical Services

Organizations model strengthening technical leadership and district capacity building for the national

response to OVC. FY08 funding will support two main activities improving the quality of the national

response a) working with 8 civil society partners serving as zonal Technical Services Organizations linking

the national level with Uganda's 82 districts, and b) managing, implementing, monitoring and evaluating

MGLSD's national OVC quality standards.

TSOs have two main functions: 1) rolling out national policies, principles, quality standards, guidelines and

protocols to districts, subcounties and civil society implementing partners; and 2) strengthening the capacity

of district Community Based Services Departments to map, plan, supervise, monitor and evaluate

comprehensive district level OVC services supporting the National Strategic Programme Plan of

Interventions for Orphans and Other Vulnerable Children. Capacity building with the CBSDs will focus on a)

development of comprehensive district OVC plans b) technical assistance/capacity building of civil society

c) building district capacity to provide supportive supervision of civil society partners implementing service

delivery activities d) institutionalizing district coordination mechanisms and e) monitoring and evaluating

OVC service provision. Financial support to the TSOs and to the District CBSDs will be provided through

the Civil Society Fund's Financial Management Agent.

Civil Society Fund. Under the direction of the Uganda AIDS Commission, the Civil Society Fund Steering

Committee manages multiple donor resources supporting the civil society response to HIV/AIDS, OVC, TB,

and Malaria. The CSF is receiving donor support from USAID, DfID, DANIDA, Irish AID, and the Uganda

Global Fund for AIDS, TB and Malaria. The fund is managed by the Civil Society Fund Steering Committee,

which held its inaugural meeting March 2007. In FY08, funding under this component will support CORE

Initiative's provision of technical support to the CSF Steering Committee through CARE Uganda as the

Technical Management Agent. Technical support will include strengthening the CSF Secretariate at UAC,

supporting the operational functions of the CSF Steering Committee, supporting the institutionalization of

transparent and competitive granting mechanisms used by the CSF to solicit, review and award civil society

grants, and providing technical support to CSF grant recipients. Grants to CSF implementing partners will

be managed through Deloitte Touche, a USAID contractor, as the CSF Financial Management Agent, which

will also provide financial management technical assistance to CSF implementing partners. The monitoring

and evaluation of CSF supported grants, and strengthening grantee monitoring and evaluation capacity, will

be supported through the CSF's Monitoring and Evaluation Agent. Targets reached through the CSF will be

reported by Deloitte and Touche, the Financial Management Agent.

As this is the final year of project funding, it is expected that by the end of the year the MGLSD NIU and the

8 Technical Services Organizations will be positioned to continue the technical direction and support that

has been provided by CORE Initiative.