In December 2005, USAID/Uganda initiated a contract with Chemonics International Inc to implement a

program to provide organizational development technical assistance and engage highly specialized local

consultants to build the capacity of targeted Ugandan institutions for improved HIV prevention, care and

treatment program outcomes. This program also aimed at strengthening administrative and managerial

systems to fortify in a sustainable manner the targeted institution's ability to respond effectively to emerging

opportunities resulting from the vast increases in HIV/AIDS funding. The program, named AIDS Capacity

Enhancement (ACE) currently works with the Joint Clinical Research Centre (JCRC), Hospice Africa

Uganda (HAU), the Inter-Religious Council of Uganda (IRCU), the Uganda AIDS Commission (UAC), and

the Ministry of Health Resource Centre (MOH RC). Three organizations, JCRC, HAU, and IRCU play pivotal

roles in expanding access to HIV/AIDS prevention, care and treatment in Uganda. UAC and MOH RC

serve to coordinate the national HIV/AIDS response in terms of strategy, policy, monitoring, evaluation as

well as reporting outcomes and results. The Chemonics/ACE program will continue to consolidate the

achievements to date and support the target organizations through the entire first phase of PEPFAR. ACE

has made substantial progress in building the capacity of the targeted organizations.

In the past year, ACE has worked with several palliative care providers, building their capacity to provide

and expand high quality services. Specifically, ACE worked with IRCU to strengthen its sub-granting

mechanism to support the expansion of palliative care services through its network of faith based service

delivery sites. ACE built the capacity of IRCU to manage their grants program which supports facility-based

and community-based groups in the provision of palliative care. Grantees provide a full spectrum of

palliative care services including disease prevention through appropriate use of health products such as

LLINs, cotrimoxazole, safe water products and nutritional supplements and symptom and pain management

and control of opportunistic infections. ACE worked directly with these grantees, training them in financial

management, management and leadership, USAID compliance, and monitoring and evaluation. These

management skills will help the grantees to run higher quality programs, comply with PEPFAR regulations,

and build their sustainability. In FY 2007, ACE will continue to work with the IRCU Secretariat and the

grantees to improve their management, M&E, financial systems, and communications so that they have the

capacity to deliver palliative care services effectively. This will be done through a training of trainers

approach that first trains the Religious Coordinating Body (RCB) staff in monitoring and evaluation, financial

systems and accounting, and other skills such as planning, reporting, and management. The RCB staff will

then provide training and regular support supervision to the grantees in these areas. ACE will be

instrumental in facilitating the entire process, but will work towards building capacity and systems within

IRCU and RCB staff that can be sustained beyond ACE.

In FY 2008, ACE will continue to work with palliative care grantees, supporting new grantees that are

selected by IRCU in all the areas described above. In addition, ACE will work with all the palliative care

grantees to strengthen their service provision. Together with the IRCU staff, the ACE project will facilitate

the development of programs that will ensure that quality of care standards are clearly articulated, and that

grantees are trained and provided with support supervision in upholding these standards. Connecting with

wider palliative care networks such as the Palliative Care Association of Uganda (PCAU) and the African

Palliative Care Association (APCA) will be a priority activity for IRCU sub-grantees in FY 2008. This will give

them access to additional resources and skills for further improving their services.

With JCRC, ACE helped them to plan for the remainder of the TREAT project and has supported them in

planning for their expanded sites and services. ACE's ongoing work includes improving data collection and

collaborations between the JCRC HQ, the regional centres and the satellite sites. In FY 2008, ACE will

continue working with JCRC to ensure that the TREAT program continues to expand and remains relevant

to the HIV/AIDS situation in Uganda.

Hospice specializes in HIV/AIDS symptom control, pain management and culturally appropriate end-of-life

care and now trains both public and private service providers and sites to offer these services to HIV +

individuals and their immediate families. In the past year, ACE strengthened HAU's capacity to deliver these

services by working with them to improve their organizational structure, governance practices, human

resources policies, M&E, financial systems, and communications. These have given HAU the tools and

platform from which it can grow effectively. An important component of this for improving palliative care in

Uganda is the communications and advocacy strategy. ACE is working with HAU to develop a strategy that

will give the organization and the palliative care community in Uganda the tools it needs to more effectively

communicate about the importance of palliative care for HIV/AIDS patients in Uganda. It will also help them

develop an advocacy program that can have nationwide impact on the availability of morphine for those

experiencing extreme pain. In FY 2007, ACE will continue to finalize this strategy and to support HAU in

rolling it out so that decision-makers at the national and district levels have increased awareness on the role

of palliative care in an HIV/AIDS program and are able to make important policy changes that will improve

the lives of AIDS patients.

In FY 2008, HAU will require support in developing plans for expanding their services, helping them identify

potential additional sites or mechanisms and partnerships whereby they can expand the numbers they

reach with palliative care services. In addition, HAU is a leading provider of training in palliative care in

Uganda, filling a crucial gap in provider knowledge of pain management. ACE will work with HAU to develop

an expansion strategy that is consistent with its capacity and resources, while at the same time addressing

national needs. More importantly, the new program will be tasked to assist HAU to expand its training

services to more health care providers and to develop business models that allow for this expansion.

ACE will be required to ensure that all activities maximize systems strengthening, capacity building and

skills transfer so as to ensure the sustained ability of these indigenous institutions to expand access to high

quality palliative care services. It will also be expected to incorporate issues of gender and

stigma/discrimination into all its activities to strengthen client organizations' ability to identify opportunities

for more appropriate/sensitive programming and also to link clients to wrap around services such as food,

education, microfinance and micro-credit support programs.

Finally, as more HIV/AIDS resources become available, and new partners come on board, the capacity

building needs also grow. Therefore, in FY 2008, besides consolidating the achievements of ACE within the

partner institutions, ACE will be expected to expand to include new client organizations as identified in

consultation with USAID. As the civil society basket fund becomes the primary mechanism for funding a

number of local organizations, ACE will be a resource of capacity building to recipients of funds, working

Activity Narrative: with identified organizations in a participatory way to identify their strengths and weaknesses and then

designing capacity building interventions tailored to their needs. This will be crucial for leveraging the

investment the USG is making in the basket fund and will strengthen a wider array of organizations,

enhancing their capacity to manage HIV/AIDS programs.

In December 2005, USAID/Uganda initiated a contract with Chemonics International Inc to implement a

program to provide organizational development technical assistance and engage highly specialized local

consultants to build the capacity of targeted Ugandan institutions for improved HIV prevention, care and

treatment program outcomes. This program also aimed at strengthening administrative and managerial

systems to fortify in a sustainable manner the targeted institution's ability to respond effectively to emerging

opportunities resulting from the vast increases in HIV/AIDS funding. The program, named AIDS Capacity

Enhancement (ACE) currently works with the Joint Clinical Research Centre (JCRC), Hospice Africa

Uganda (HAU), the Inter-Religious Council of Uganda (IRCU), the Uganda AIDS Commission (UAC), the

Ministry of Health Resource Centre (MOH RC), and is initiating work with the Uganda Women's Effort to

Support Orphans (UWESO). Three organizations, JCRC, HAU, and IRCU play pivotal roles in expanding

access to HIV/AIDS prevention, care and treatment in Uganda. IRCU, also manages over 40 sub-grants

that support orphans and vulnerable children. UAC and MOH RC serve to coordinate the national HIV/AIDS

response in terms of strategy, policy, monitoring, evaluation as well as reporting outcomes and results. The

ACE project will consolidate the achievements made to date and will support the target organizations

through the entire first phase of PEPFAR. ACE has made substantial progress in building the capacity of

the targeted organizations.

One of the key components of the IRCU HIV/AIDS Program is support to orphans and vulnerable children

(OVC). This support is provided primarily through a small grants process to faith-based community

organizations who are supporting OVCs in primary education, vocational training and apprenticeship

programs, psyco-social support, health care, and other areas. In addition, they are supporting OVC care-

givers in obtaining skills in income-generating activities. ACE is supporting IRCU in strengthening the sub

granting processes to these organizations, improving their financial systems, upgrading and integrating their

monitoring and evaluation systems, and providing skills in management and leadership to IRCU staff. ACE

has supported IRCU to raise their competence and confidence in sub-granting to their implementing

partners. Specifically, IRCU was assisted to gain competence in competing, negotiating and awarding

grants. This support was crucial to finalizing the 44 OVC small grants.

Building on that support, ACE also provided capacity building support to the OVC grantees by developing

training materials in USAID compliance and financial management. ACE trained staff from the 44 OVC

grantees in leadership and management and worked with the monitoring and evaluation officers from the

grantees in developing the data collection tool. ACE is providing ongoing support in monitoring, evaluation,

and reporting so that the grantees can effectively manage their programs and evaluate their progress

against stated PEPFAR targets. In FY 2007, ACE will be rolling out further training for these grantees on

program management and will be working in close collaboration with the IRCU finance staff to provide

technical assistance in financial compliance and reporting. In FY 2007 and FY 2008, ACE will continue to

work with IRCU to improve the financial, monitoring, and reporting skills of the OVC grantees. In addition, in

FY 2008 ACE will work with IRCU's OVC Program Advisor to develop mechanisms for quality assurance in

OVC programs and ensure that all programs are being conducted in accordance with established national

standards and policies for OVC work. ACE will help IRCU connect to other OVC service providers to ensure

exchange of ideas and identification of best practices. Also, in FY 2008, ACE will continue to work with

IRCU in ensuring that all its program areas though the various service providers at the local level are

integrated and that there is an active collaboration and referral network between the palliative care/ART

providers, OVC services-providers and HIV/AIDS prevention programs. All of these skills ensure these

community-based OVC organizations can successfully implement their programs, and potentially expand

them in the future.

UWESO has been an important player in the national response to supporting OVC for more than 20 years.

It has an extensive national network that provides services to more than 70,000 OVC in four areas: food

security and nutrition, HIV prevention and care, Basic Education and Improved household incomes.

UWESO is also a recipient of PEPFAR funds through a sub-grant from another PEPFAR partner. In FY

2007, ACE will be initiating a working relationship with UWESO to further build their capacity to deliver high

quality services on a larger scale. This process will begin with ACE working closely with UWESO to

determine their greatest areas of need among the core organizational competencies that ACE supports.

While this process is not complete, some likely interventions include upgrading UWESO's financial systems,

establishing an organization-wide monitoring and evaluation framework and associated data collection tools

and database, strengthening the leadership of the organization through coaching and mentoring or

leadership training, improving their planning and management skills, and working with them to develop a

new communications strategy that can position them to take a leadership role in the national OVC

response. These interventions will be initiated in FY 2007 but will continue in FY 2008 and ACE will

leverage its experience in systems strengthening to ensure that in FY 2008, the interventions undertaken

with UWESO are consolidated and institutionalized within the organization. ACE will support UWESO to

take on the leadership role in the non-governmental community of OVC providers so that it can be an

effective partner to the Ministry of Labor and Gender, the governmental body coordinating the public sector

response.

ACE provides organizational development technical assistance and engages highly specialized local

consultants to build the capacity of targeted Ugandan institutions for improved HIV prevention, care and

treatment program outcomes. This program also strengthens administrative and managerial systems to

fortify in a sustainable manner the targeted institution's ability to respond effectively to emerging

opportunities resulting from the vast increases in HIV/AIDS funding. ACE works with the Joint Clinical

Research Centre (JCRC), Hospice Africa Uganda (HAU), the Inter-Religious Council of Uganda (IRCU), the

Uganda AIDS Commission (UAC), and the Ministry of Health Resource Centre (MOH-RC), among others.

In FY 2008, ACE will work with IRCU ART grantees, providing technical support in organizational

development, building financial and accounting systems for new grantees selected by IRCU. Additionally,

ACE will work with all the ART sub grantees to strengthen their service provision. The program will facilitate

the development of programs to ensure that quality of care standards are adhered to and that service

providers receive the necessary training needed to maintain theses standards. ACE will partner with

organizations, like the Infectious Disease Institute (IDI) that are specialized in ART services provision

training so as to source their services. Cross learning from partner organizations that have carried out ART

programs much longer that IRCU will be sought and encouraged. The program will work to ensure that a

network that facilitates the sharing of critical managerial and technical information, lessons learned, and the

dissemination of best practices is developed and supported. The program will also continue to support the

core function of the IRCU secretariat: governance and management; grants systems; financial systems,

M&E; and communications as these are all vital for the success of ART services provision.

In FY 2008, ACE will continue to upgrade the data collection systems across JCRC sites and will help

JCRC to set up a master database that can import and aggregate data from all the sites. ACE will also

work with JCRC Headquarters (HQ) staff to improve communication systems between Regional Centers of

Excellence (RCE) and its vast network of ARV service delivery satellite sites. This will enable JCRC HQ

and Regional Centers of Excellence to be more supportive of and responsive to lower level service delivery

sites resulting in improved ART service quality. ACE will work with JCRC in recruiting and training finance

officials at RCEs so that there is better reporting and accountability of use of resources of the ART program.

IN FY 2008, ACE will continue to consolidate its work in these core areas of organizational development,

M&E, communications and other management systems such as finance and ICT so that both the

headquarters and the RCEs will be able to further strengthen and expand their services to other areas. ACE

will continue to work with JCRC and the RCEs in investing in the development of the human capacity that

delivers ART services. ACE will continue to work with JCRC to ensure that all systems developed will

continue to support the smooth running of the ART program.

In December 2005, USAID/Uganda initiated a contract with Chemonics International Inc to implement a

program to provide organizational development technical assistance and engage highly specialized local

consultants to build the capacity of targeted Ugandan institutions for improved HIV prevention, care and

treatment program outcomes. This program also aimed at strengthening administrative and managerial

systems to fortify in a sustainable manner the targeted institution's ability to respond effectively to emerging

opportunities resulting from the vast increases in HIV/AIDS funding. The program, named AIDS Capacity

Enhancement (ACE) currently works with the Joint Clinical Research Centre (JCRC), Hospice Africa

Uganda (HAU), the Inter-Religious Council of Uganda (IRCU), the Uganda AIDS Commission (UAC), and

the Ministry of Health Resource Centre (MOH RC) among others. Three organizations, JCRC, HAU, and

IRCU play pivotal roles in expanding access to HIV/AIDS prevention, care and treatment in Uganda. UAC

and MOH RC serve to coordinate the national HIV/AIDS response in terms of strategy, policy, monitoring,

evaluation as well as reporting outcomes and results. The Chemonics/ACE will continue to consolidate its

achievements to date and will support the target organizations through the entire first phase of PEPFAR.

ACE has made substantial progress in building the capacity of the targeted organizations.

Over the last two years, ACE assisted UAC in the evaluation of the previous National Strategic Framework

for HIV/AIDS and the development of Uganda's HIV/AIDS National Strategic Plan 2007/2008- 2011/2012

(NSP), which is currently almost complete. ACE also supported UAC to develop the new long term

institutional arrangements which will govern the Global Fund process in Uganda, particularly HIV/AIDS

funds. In FY 2007, ACE will support UAC to improve coordination of the HIV/AIDS response through the

operationalization of both the NSP and the accompanying Performance Measurement and Management

Plan (PMMP). In addition, ACE will continue to support UAC in the development of the national HIV/AIDS

comprehensive communications strategy that will provide guidance to partners implementing HIV/AIDS

activities under the NSP.

Beyond FY 2007, UAC will require assistance to track the progress of the national HIV/AIDS response. This

will entail helping UAC coordinate a strong network of all stakeholders, civil society organizations and the

districts, and to ensure that their systems have indicators that can contribute to the PMMP. ACE will

support the UAC to take the PMMP operational plan and handbook to district leaders and work with them to

ensure they are participating in the PMMP and that they are both contributing data according to the needs

of the NSP and that they are benefiting from the information gathered by receiving reports for analysis and

application of any new strategies or lessons gleaned from the data.

At the MOH resource center, ACE is contributing to improved management and analysis of health

information through the development and initiation of several new systems. Using FY 2006 funds, ACE

developed a new national-level web-enabled Health Management Information System (HMIS). This system

will allow the MOH RC to collect, monitor, and report key health sector information, giving them a new

platform to keep government, donors, citizens, and other stakeholders abreast of health trends in Uganda.

In addition, ACE has helped the MOH RC to redesign its website, making it more interactive and user-

friendly, and has linked the site to a new digital library of MOH reports and other documents. Together these

systems give the public greater access to health information, and provide opportunities for sharing best

practices in the health sector, new findings from research and operational studies, evaluations, and new

approaches for health care delivery. Finally, to provide a strong platform to support these systems, ACE has

provided all the necessary equipment for a new local area network (LAN) at the MOH RC.

In FY 2007, ACE will work in close collaboration with the CDC Informatics team and MOH RC staff on the

district rollout of the electronic HMIS systems; both web-enabled and Epi-Info. To ensure sustainability of

these electronic systems, ACE and CDC are developing a plan to ensure there is follow up training and

support supervision at the district level both from MOH RC staff and by identifying regional IT firms who can

be resources for districts using the new electronic systems. ACE will also continue to strengthen the

center's ability to oversee and manage health information by following up on the systems installed this year,

ensuring they are working effectively and contributing to the ability of the MOH RC to perform its core

functions. In addition, ACE will continue to improve the HMIS so that there is a smooth flow of data from the

districts to the center and an effective reporting system which allows MOH RC staff to share the data

collected widely and improve their planning and decision making. ACE will facilitate linkages between the

MOH HMIS and other systems that have been developed by other donors. Deliberate plans will be made to

ensure that the HMIS and the newly developed PMMP of the NSP are linked. Additionally, all HMIS

stakeholders will be able to meet at least twice a year in order to discuss priority areas for programming,

collaborations, overlapping areas, and gaps.

Web-based monitoring is a new initiative within the MOH and hence staff at central and district level will

require substantial training and support to internalize the system. In FY 2008, ACE will work with MOH in

training the relevant staff to orient them to the new system. Further training will also be needed in data

analysis and in the development of a functional reporting system of the MOH database. This will allow the

MOH RC to use the data generated by the new system to perform high level analysis of health trends and

report clearly to the public and other health stakeholders on health trends in Uganda. ACE will also support

the continued roll out of the electronic HMIS systems to more districts, and will continue to provide follow-up

technical assistance to districts using the electronic systems. Working in collaboration with the CDC

Infomatics Unit and the MOH RC, ACE will ensure that there is a sustainable plan in place at the MOH RC

for upkeep of the system and TA provision to the districts.

With its other partner organizations, ACE is supporting the development of monitoring and evaluation tools

and systems as well as information technology systems that will help gather, manage, and analyze

information. At IRCU, ACE worked closely with IRCU to ensure they have the means to measure their

progress against their targets. Working with the Religious Coordinating Bodies (RCBs) and the grantees,

ACE developed, tested, and rolled out reporting tools for palliative care and ART. A tool for tracking results

in their OVC program is currently being tested and ACE is advising IRCU in the procurement of the required

IT infrastructure to effectively manage all the data that will be forthcoming. ACE also worked with JCRC

and HAU, providing support in their reporting to PEPFAR and in developing M&E tools. As FY 2006 comes

to an end, ACE is working closely with both of these partners to develop M&E frameworks. Through

consultations and participatory workshops, ACE has helped both organizations create the foundations for

effective organization-wide M&E systems.

In FY 2007, ACE will continue to consolidate and improve strategic information systems at these three

Activity Narrative: partners. At IRCU, ACE will complete the rollout of the OVC data collection tool and will work with the IRCU

M&E department in developing a data collection tool for prevention activities. IRCU will then have a

thematic tool for each of their three core technical areas and the grantees and RCBs will have the means to

report thoroughly and correctly To consolidate all the work done so far, ACE will ensure that a master

database is functioning that can accommodate all the incoming data and that the IRCU staff are fully able to

manage the database and the data collection and analysis process. ACE is also providing ongoing support

to HAU in developing an M&E plan and related tools for the organization. In FY 2008, ACE will work with

these indigenous partners, particularly in aspects of analysis and reporting of the data collected,

documentation and publication of their best practices.

With JCRC, ACE is providing ongoing support in the development of a new M&E framework and plan that

will encompass all of JCRC's activities. In addition, ACE is assessing the current database in use and

reporting systems to recommend how the satellite sites should work with the Regional Centers of

Excellence (RCEs) and the center in collecting data. Based on the results of this assessment, ACE will work

with JCRC staff to implement an improved reporting system. In FY 2008, ACE will continue to work with

JCRC on improving their data management and reporting. Based on the results of the analysis performed in

FY 2007 and on consultations with JCRC, ACE may assist JCRC to put in place a new data base system

that links the satellite sites, RCEs, and headquarters. This system could be web-enabled, using an SQL

platform to link all the reporting sites to one system.

Additionally, the possibilities for web based reporting for JCRC and its branches will be explored. This would

open up opportunities for real time reporting and accuracy of data collected.

In December 2005,USAID/Uganda initiated a contract with Chemonics International Inc to implement a

program to provide organizational development technical assistance and engage highly specialized local

consultants to build the capacity of targeted Ugandan institutions for improved HIV prevention, care and

treatment program outcomes. This program also aimed at strengthening administrative and managerial

systems to fortify in a sustainable manner the targeted institution's ability to respond effectively to emerging

opportunities resulting from the vast increases in HIV/AIDS funding. The program, named AIDS Capacity

Enhancement (ACE) currently works with the Joint Clinical Research Centre (JCRC), Hospice Africa

Uganda (HAU), the Inter-Religious Council of Uganda (IRCU), the Uganda AIDS Commission (UAC), and

the Ministry of Health Resource Centre (MOH RC). Three organizations, JCRC, HAU, and IRCU play pivotal

roles in expanding access to HIV/AIDS prevention, care and treatment in Uganda. UAC and MOH RC

serve to coordinate the national HIV/AIDS response in terms of strategy, policy, monitoring, evaluation as

well as reporting outcomes and results. The Chemonics/ACE program will consolidate the achievements

made to date and will support the target organizations through the entire first phase of PEPFAR. ACE has

made substantial progress in building the capacity of the targeted organizations.

Over the last two years, ACE assisted UAC in the evaluation of the previous National Strategic Framework

for HIV/AIDS and the development of Uganda's HIV/AIDS National Strategic Plan 2007/2008- 2011/2012

(NSP), which is currently almost complete. ACE also supported UAC to develop the new long term

institutional arrangements which will govern the Global Fund process in Uganda, particularly HIV/AIDS

funds. In FY 2007, ACE will support UAC to improve coordination of the HIV/AIDS response through the

operationalization of both the NSP and the accompanying Performance Measurement and Management

Plan (PMMP). In addition, ACE will continue to support UAC in the development of the national HIV/AIDS

comprehensive communications strategy that will provide guidance to partners implementing HIV/AIDS

activities under the NSP.

In FY 2008, ACE will be required to further support UAC to reposition itself as a coordinating body. UAC will

have increased responsibilities in serving as the country coordinating mechanism for the Global Fund. It will

require support to ensure there are effective and transparent systems in place for the management of the

entire global fund process, from proposal to implementation to evaluation. In addition, support is also

needed to strengthen the Partnership Committee (PC) to be able to provide strategic and policy level

oversight to the newly initiated multi-donor Civil Society Fund, managed by Deloitte and Touche. The

steering committee for the CSF sits under the PC of the Uganda AIDS Commission.

ACE will work with UAC in improving their coordination of HIV/AIDS partners in Uganda, including

development of a documentation center where UAC will collect and maintain reports, documents, and

information from major civil society and government partners in Uganda working on HIV/AIDS. ACE will

work with UAC to develop the terms of reference for how the center will work and link it with the MOH

Resource Centre, particularly with its digital library of health information.

To-date, ACE has provided significant support to IRCU, resulting into strengthened sub granting processes,

financial systems, monitoring and evaluation systems, as well as improved management and leadership.

ACE has supported IRCU to raise their competence and confidence in sub-granting to their implementing

partners. IRCU was assisted to gain competence in competing, negotiating and awarding grants. Currently,

IRCU has provided 86 sub-grants to indigenous faith-based organizations undertaking interventions in ART,

palliative care, OVC, and HIV prevention. ACE has helped IRCU to improve its financial management

systems. Specifically, ACE supported IRCU to recruit staff in the finance department and installed and

trained staff on the Navision financial system which will help IRCU develop a more robust and transparent

financial system that enables them to track and report use of funds with greater detail and accuracy. ACE

support to IRCU will continue through FY 2007, with the key focus on strengthening human resources

management and governance systems.

As IRCU further expands its sub-granting portfolio and partners, challenges exist in providing effective

oversight of the programs. Continued support will be required to enable IRCU evolve as a stronger

organization better able to manage the large HIV/AIDS program, develop a stronger and more transparent

grants program, and improve capacity to support the grantees. Therefore, in FY 2008, ACE will work with

IRCU to continue to improve its coordination abilities, particularly among the Religious Coordination Bodies

(RCBs) so that the IRCU Secretariat and the RCBs become even more effective leaders in the faith-based

response to HIV/AIDS. These coordinating bodies will then work with the grantees to strengthen their

approaches in prevention, OVC, palliative care, and ART, and will document their lessons learned and best

practices for dissemination both within their network of religious organizations and to the wider HIV/AIDS

community. In addition, IRCU will need assistance to plan for greater organizational sustainability by helping

it diversify its funding sources and create a longer term plan for funding HIV/AIDS activities. IRCU will need

support to enhance its ability to provide quality assurance to the grantees, particularly in ART and palliative

care. This may be through training certain key staff to provide this service, developing tools that the

Secretariat can use in monitoring and evaluating progress at the facilities or partnering them with other the

PEPFAR supported quality assurance institutions such as Infectious Disease Institute or the Quality

Assurance Project.

ACE is undertaking an assessment of the needs of the grantees inareas such as finance, M&E, planning,

reporting, management/leadership, and sustainability. Using assssment results, ACE will design trainings

and technical assistance tailored to the needs of these grantees. The facility-based grantees have stronger

institutions and require assistance in managing ART and palliative care. The community-based grantees

need more general support to their management systems so they are better able to manage the HIV/AIDS

grant funds.

Over the last two years, ACE strengthened HAU's capacity to deliver palliative care services by working

with them to improve their organizational structure, governance practices at the Board level, and human

resources policies. In FY 2007, ACE is supporting HAU in upgrading its accounting and financial systems

and working with HAU to develop a communications and advocacy strategy that will give HAU the tools to

more effectively communicate about the importance of palliative care for HIV/AIDS patients in Uganda.

HAU is strategically placed to increase access to key components of palliative care, particularly

management of pain and symptoms as well as end of life care. To achieve economies of scale, HAU seeks

to build the capacity of indigenous HIV/AIDS care organizations to integrate these key components within

Activity Narrative: their existing programs. To achieve this, the HAU will need support in FY 2008 to develop a business

strategy for its education program, which will help to plan better and increase the size, awareness, visibility

and impact of the education program. HAU will also need continued support in developing its plans for

expanding its directly managed services to more sites and increasing the availability of palliative care in

Uganda.

At JCRC, ACE has provided support in expanding the Navision financial system, improving ICT

infrastructure, developing a strategic plan for the organization and an annual work plan for the TREAT

program. In FY 2007, ACE will continue supporting the finance department in writing new financial

management guidelines, the M&E department in development a new M&E framework, plan and database,

and the leadership of the organization as they upgrade their organization structure, job descriptions, and

decision-making protocols.

Beyond FY 2007, JCRC will need further support to plan a longer term sustainability strategy and to think

about how it can diversify its funding sources and develop long-term business plans. To achieve this, ACE

will work with JCRC in strengthening their regional centers of excellence (RCEs) so that they are effective

fully functional institutions in and of themselves. This will involve strengthening the human resources and

staffing at the RCEs as well as helping them improve their financial systems, IT infrastructure, data

management and reporting.

As more HIV/AIDS resources become available, and new partners come on board, the capacity building

needs also grow. Therefore, in FY 2008, besides consolidating the achievements of ACE within the partner

institutions, ACE will be expected to expand to include new client organizations as identified in consultation

with USAID. As the civil society basket fund becomes the primary mechanism for funding a number of local

organizations, ACE will be a resource of capacity building to recipients of funds, working with identified

organizations in a participatory way to identify their strengths and weaknesses and then designing capacity

building interventions tailored to their needs. This will be crucial for leveraging the investment the USG is

making in the basket fund and will strengthen a wider array of organizations, enhancing their capacity to

manage HIV/AIDS programs.