According to the 2004/05 Uganda National HIV Sero-behavioral Survey (UHSBS), the HIV prevalence rate

in Uganda stands at 6.4% among the adult population and there were 135,000 new infections in 2006.

These figures have fueled concern within the Government of Uganda (GOU) that successes achieved to

date could be threatened. The main mode of HIV transmission in Uganda remains sexual, and the key

driver is higher risk sex, defined as multiple concurrent partners and unprotected sex. Peace Corps

Volunteers and partner organization counterparts will work to scale up AB prevention activities mainly

targeting the youth with abstinence messages and being faithful messages among married couples.

Prevention priorities identified in response to the drivers include behavior change for risk reduction and risk

avoidance, counseling and testing, PMTCT and condoms. Peace Corps Volunteers will design activities

aimed at promoting comprehensive prevention among the general prevention including promotion of

voluntary counseling and testing.

Under AB, Volunteers are among the major partners in terms of numbers served in community outreach

programs. In the FY07 SAPR, a total of 24,765 individuals were reached with AB messages including 8,207

individuals who were reached with "A" only messages. In addition, 571 service providers were trained. In

FY08, Peace Corps plans to reach a total of 35,000 individuals with AB messages and to train 5,000 service

providers.

A large part of this program will support abstinence and being faithful activities targeting in-school youth,

especially upper primary school children (school children and those below 15 years of age) and younger out

-of-school youth along with highly targeted "being faithful" messages for married individuals designed in

collaboration with FBO partners in particular. Peace Corps Volunteers will work with other USG partners to

continue the roll-out of the PIASCY program to secondary schools. Volunteers will disseminate age

appropriate information and activities for this target population - beginning with life skills and self-esteem

development for younger age groups and moving to more specific HIV/AIDS messages and youth

empowerment for older youth. Volunteers and their Counterparts will continue to support the roll-out of

PIASCY activities to schools in their work areas and through their affiliation with primary teacher colleges

and coordinating centers and the work these institutions do to provide in-service teacher training, promote

school clubs, support educational materials development and advance linkages with other community

organizations

Activities in this area include capacity-building support for organizations including CBOs, NGOs, FBOs, and

government health facilities aimed at strengthening HIV prevention programs. These activities will include

information dissemination through various channels; education and appropriate communication on

reproductive health issues; sexually transmitted infections management; education about condoms and

usage; and other related areas that support HIV prevention. These activities will target vulnerable groups,

specific at-risk populations, and community members at large through activities implemented by Volunteers

and their Counterparts. Promotion of Counseling and Testing and PMTCT for prevention purposes will also

be encouraged. Community members will be encouraged to be tested for HIV, hence further preventing

transmission. HIV-positive pregnant mothers will be better equipped to prevent transmission of HIV to their

babies. In addition, Volunteers and Counterparts will be supported to develop various behavior change

promotion materials to support this program area.

This program area supports Volunteer Activities Support & Training (VAST) activities implemented by

Volunteers and their partner organizations. VAST grants may be used for community health trainings, life

skills activities, HIV/AIDS prevention activities that incorporate sports and entertainment, the development

of HIV/AIDS prevention materials in accordance with USG and in-country policy, and the development of

HIV/AIDS resource centers.

The major portion of this activity is building the capacity of community based organizations, faith based and

other, operating in underserved areas to improve and expand access to care through enhanced

understanding of and ability to deliver services to those affected by HIV/AIDS. Peace Corps Volunteers will

work with local organizations to undertake activities that develop organizational capacity, provide

opportunities to practice improved skills, and develop systems to sustainably increase organizational ability

to deliver services. In addition to organizational development, activities will address innovative ways to

insure clients have access to the basic preventive care package, including low labor/low input gardening for

improved nutrition, improved clean water access, treated bed net use among families affected by HIV,

improved sanitation and hygiene, access to cotrimaxazole, and in-house access or referral to treatment and

prevention services. Volunteers and Counterparts will work with PLWA and OVC caregivers to develop

income generating activities especially those that can contribute to improved nutrition such as vegetable

production and other permaculture activities. Small projects may include livestock improvements, piggeries,

and food security support among others.

This program area also supports VAST activities implemented by Volunteers and their partner

organizations. VAST grants may be used to improve access to clean water and improve hygiene, improve

nutrition and nutrition counseling, train caregivers, support their host organization to build systems for

meaningful referral mechanisms, and support for PLWA networks

According to the 2004/05 national sero-status survey, there are approximately two million orphans in

Uganda, nearly half of them orphaned due to HIV/AIDS. This has exacerbated poverty in many households

and communities and demands meaningful programming to improve the situation. Peace Corps Volunteers

have been at the forefront of providing services to OVC and their families. In FY07 SAPR, Peace Corps

Uganda reported serving a total number of 3,422 male and female OVCs and training 755 service providers.

FY08 USG strategic approaches for serving OVCs include expanding access to comprehensive and quality

OVC services through family & community interventions, gender sensitive and age appropriate

interventions, integrating HIV prevention, care and treatment in OVC programming, and strengthening

linkages and referrals among OVC service providers. Peace Corps Volunteers will fully and effectively

participate in OVC service delivery guided by these approaches with an aim of increasing the capacity of

family and community-based responses to provide comprehensive services and support for children

affected by the epidemic.

In FY08, Peace Corps Uganda is planning to dramatically increase the number of OVCs it reaches to 5,000

and the number of caregivers it trains to 2,000. The main portion of this support will focus on improving the

lives of OVCs and families affected by HIV/AIDS. Volunteers working in this program area are assigned to a

CBO, FBO or NGO that do OVC work. Volunteers provide capacity building services, VAST grants and

linkages to wraparound services.

In addition, existing OVC services will be strengthened and expanded to assist OVCs to obtain secure

livelihoods. OVCs and their families will also be supported to access basic care requirements through

supplemental direct provision of consistent basic care services by organizations directly supported by

Volunteers or through having these organizations link clients to other service providers for complete basic

care. Volunteers will support the provision of comprehensive care for OVCs to include psychosocial support,

access to education, economic support through income generation etc. Sports and entertainment outreach

programs will also be supported to enhance HIV/AIDS prevention and life skills development. Youth will

gain leadership skills by serving as peer educators, teamwork skills through engaging in sports, and

responsibility as they engage in economic projects. Economic livelihood activities may include livestock

improvements, piggeries, and food security initiatives.

This program area also supports VAST activities implemented by Volunteers and their partner

organizations. VAST grants may be used to improve access to education for OVCs; improve OVC nutrition

through small agriculture projects, linking families to World Food Program support, nutrition training, and

school feeding programs; vocational skills enhancement; life skills through sports and entertainment and

other social support activities.

The Peace Corps Uganda PEPFAR program supports the USG EP for Uganda. Through supporting the EP,

Peace Corps Uganda contributes to the Ugandan National Strategic Framework (NSF) for HIV/AIDS, and in

turn, to the goals and objectives of the partner organizations hosting our Volunteers. The program is

designed so that Volunteers are closely engaged with communities at a grassroots level in a manner that

allow them to develop the close personal relationships necessary and deep cultural understanding

necessary for effective innovation in underserved areas. The PEPFAR program allows Peace Corps

Uganda to strengthen community and Volunteer HIV/AIDS expertise, and to support community

organizations in a variety of HIV/AIDS functions. Volunteers and partner organizations work together to

identify areas of need and develop appropriate evidence-based strategies that support sustainable

interventions.

Management, program direction and supervision, and financial oversight of EP activities is provided by the

Peace Corps Country Director, Associate Peace Corps Director for Administration, and Associate Peace

Corps Director overseeing the CHED project (3 USDH). Additional support is provided by, Post's Cashier,

and Financial Specialists, (3 LES). This level of effort is supported through direct Peace Corps appropriated

funds and is required to engage the full cohort of over 100 Peace Corps Volunteers who carry out EP

activities. The EP Coordinator, EP Administrative Assistant, and EP Technical Advisor provide support to

the PEPFAR program especially in monitoring and reporting, training, resource development, and Volunteer

support.

To achieve expanded level of EP support in FY08, Peace Corps Uganda requires two additional staff

members. One staff member will assume the role of EP Team Leader to coordinate PEPFAR activities and

provide overall program management to Post's EP activities and Volunteers. The second new staff member

will be a part-time Medical Officer needed to provide medical support to what will eventually be

approximately 50 full-time Volunteers and soon-to-be constant stream of Crisis Corps Volunteers. The EP

Coordinator, EP Administrative Assistant, and EP Technical Advisor will continue to provide support to the

PEPFAR program especially in monitoring and reporting, training, and volunteer support for nearly 50

PEPFAR-funded, two-year Volunteers as well as Post's 100 other Volunteers. All EP staff members will

support the USG PEPFAR country team and serve on various PEPFAR technical workgroups.

During FY08, management, program direction and supervision, and financial oversight of EP activities will

be provided by the Peace Corps Country Director, Associate Peace Corps Director overseeing the CHED

project, and Associate Peace Corps Director for Administration (3 USDH). Additional support will be

provided by Associate Peace Corps Director for Education, Associate Peace Corps Director for Economic

Development, Cashier, two Financial Specialists, and Program Assistants for Education and Health (7 LES).

This level of effort is supported by Peace Corps appropriated funds and is required to engage the full cohort

of well over 100 Peace Corps Volunteers who carry out EP activities.