The Local Partner Capacity Building (LPCB) Project is designed to enhance the organizational capacity and sustainability of local non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that are working to respond to the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Partner organizations (POs) will be based throughout the nine provinces in Zambia in both rural and urban areas, and will comprise a variety of entities, including faith-based and community-based organizations. The project specifically focuses on strengthening the management, financial, technical, and monitoring and evaluation (M&E) capacities of Zambian organizations; it also supports a number of Capacity Leader Organizations and Organizational Development (OD) Advisors to develop their capabilities and expertise to work directly with local organizations as institutional strengthening service providers. This is an important design component of the project and will be LPCB's legacy of sustainabilityone benefiting both the NGO sector, as well as the professional cadre of organizational development professionals in Zambia. In FY 2008-2009, LPCB has targeted 80 partner organizations (Cohorts 1 4) from nine provinces: Lusaka, Southern, Copperbelt, Eastern, Luapula, North-Western, Western, Northern, and Central. Beyond the 80 POs, LPCB also helped strengthen multiple other Zambian organizations through their participation in LPCB-sponsored capacity building events and the distribution of LPCB tools and resources.

In FY 2010, LPCB will identify an additional 20 partner organizations through an Expression of Interest (EOI). This 5th Cohort of POs will follow the same course as the first four: a 1 year intensive program of capacity strengthening, which LPCB expects will prepare POs to receive LPCB and other donors' funding. Phase 1 of this process-oriented approach consists of selecting Partner Organizations through an EOI, a launch workshop, participation in the Institutional Development Framework assessment, and development of an organizational strengthening plan. Phase 2 introduces POs to a suite of Capacity Building Events in six different OD areas that include but are not limited to financial management, resource development and human resource management. Capacity Leaders and OD Advisors will be strategically matched with POs to provide targeted technical assistance, guidance, and mentoring according to the POs organizational strengthening plan. Phase 3 offers POs an opportunity to apply for grant awards. An RFA/bidders meeting is held, proposals are submitted, a best and final (BAFO) negotiation process takes place and finally grantees are selected and awarded funds for HIV/AIDS service delivery. Once organizations receive service delivery awards they will graduate from the program but will remain part of the LPCB Network and will continue to have access, if needed, to one-on-one assistance from Capacity Leaders, OD Advisors and LPCB staff.

Also in FY 2010, Cohort 3 will pursue electives to target specific capacity needs, and those POs that were successful in their grant application will begin receiving grants. Cohort 4 will be ending their core trainings, preparing grant applications, andfor those POs that are selected for awardimplementing those grants. Successful POs from Cohorts 1 and 2 will have the opportunity in FY 2010 to apply for scale-up grants to expand their HIV service delivery programs in the areas of Prevention with positives, Testing and Counseling (TC), Other Prevention with and without Most at-risk Populations (MARPS), and Abstinence/ Be Faithful (AB) services.

In fiscal years 2008 and 2009, LPCB provided 50 organizations with grants ranging from $5,000 for commodity purchases to $20,000 for HIV/AIDS service delivery. In addition, Capacity Leader Organizations were provided with grants ranging from $75,000 to $125,000 to carry out organizational development activities with POs and implement HIV services. During FY 2010 LPCB will continue to provide small grants to POs who have demonstrated commitment and progress in the capacity development program, and will increase to $250,000- 350,000 the average award to medium-large size organizations that have demonstrated success in both technical service delivery as well as organizational development.

By design, LPCB is changing the dynamics of organizational technical assistance by creating a cadre of Zambian service providers that cater to the needs of those who are on the front lines of fighting the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Over the course of the project, LPCB is developing a network of top-notch local organizations (Capacity Leaders) and OD Advisors that understand the particulars of the organizations engaged in this battle, both in terms of their individual characteristics and as a committed group with specific funding and reporting imperatives. LPCB also is enabling a large number and range of organizations throughout Zambia to become aware of their organizational assets and liabilities, and understand why attention to the health of their organizations is as critical as the substance of the activities they implement. These organizations will more ably identify and scale up good practices, they will better manage and report on their resources, and they will pay attention to the needs of their staff and volunteers.

In FY 2010, LPCB will identify an additional 20 partner organizations through a new call for expressions of interest. The LPCB technical team will target organizations that have proven capacity in Voluntary Testing and Counseling (VTC) with a particular focus on those organizations that are working in rural and off-the-rail areas. LPCB will work with several organizations to promote community-based counseling and testing and where appropriate introduce the practice of door-to-door testing. LPCB will support local partners to train care givers using the Zambian National Guidelines in family based, group and mobile testing.

In addition, LPCB will award grants to 2-3 organizations to conduct TC primarily in underserved rural areas using mobile TC centers. These organizations will deliver TC to youth and adults using a group counseling method in settings such as schools, farms, churches and other public arenas.

Family based testing will be carried out through door-to-door sessions by trained caregivers. HIV testing will be conducted on-site immediately after consent is given. Families that agree to be counseled and tested together will be able to provide stronger support if a member of the family is found to be HIV positive, and will receive reinforcing messages for those who are negative. Individual family members opting to take an HIV test will be provided with specific and individualized counseling and couples in families that request counseling together be counseled together. HIV-positive family members will be linked to prevention, care, and treatment facilities. Their family members will also have the opportunity to be trained in treatment adherence, psychosocial support and positive living in order to provide additional support.

In addition to TC service delivery, LPCB will aim to increase the number of volunteer care givers in rural areas that can provide counseling and testing services. More volunteer caregivers will be trained in family-based TC. The training will cover a range of issues including current HIV testing protocols as per national guidelines, group, couples and child counseling, and mobile TC. LPCB will counsel and test 10,000 individuals and train 70 caregivers in TC.

In FY 2010, LPCB will identify 20 partner organizations through an expression of interest. This 5th cohort of partners will follow the same course as the first four: a facilitated organizational self-assessment; development of an organizational strengthening plan; an introductory workshop; a core training series; an individualized pairing with a Capacity Leader organization or OD Advisor for training, guidance, and mentoring; and, opportunity to apply for a grant to develop institutional capacity and implement HIV/AIDS services. Capacity Leaders and OD Advisors will be matched with POs to provide targeted technical assistance. At the same time, Cohort 3 will be pursuing electives to target capacity needs, those POs that will have been successful in their grant application and will begin receiving grants. Cohort 4 will be ending their core trainings, preparing grant applications and throughout the remainder of the year implementing those grants if awarded.

The 20 new partner organizations will be expected to participate in the core suite of 6 Capacity Building Events. As in FY 2009, these sessions will cover up to 7 different topics as a way to provide educational opportunities and improved capacity to individuals within organizations that are working to scale up the HIV response in Zambia. Topics that will be covered in the core event series include M&E, Financial Management, Human Resources, Resource Development and Marketing, Program Design, and Board Governance. Additional elective courses will be made available to organizations that have completed the core series.

Concurrently, LPCB will provide continuing support to four Capacity Leader organizations and eight Organizational Development Advisors. In FY 2010 LPCB will identify and add two new Capacity Leader organizations and more OD advisors if necessary. As in FY 2009, Capacity Leader organizations will continue to provide one-on-one mentoring and organizational development technical assistance, but in FY 2010 we expect that they will also receive funding in specific technical areas to provide grants to local organizations as well.

In FY 2010, LPCB will identify an additional 20 partner organizations in nine provinces through a new call for expressions of interest. The LPCB technical evaluation committee and Technical Advisory Group will select 12-15 of these organizations to carry out AB prevention activities. In addition, existing partners that have demonstrated success in scaling up AB programs will continue to be funded in FY 2010. In order to promote sustainable models, LPCB will fund Capacity Leader Organization to establish grant programs to fund existing partners from Cohorts 1 and 2. The average grant award for scale-up will be $100,000.

LPCB grantees will be responsible for training 200 people to promote HIV/AIDS prevention through comprehensive AB programs. Those trained will reach 40,000 people through community outreach activities that address key drivers of the epidemic in Zambia: male and female behavior norms that increase vulnerability and risk, economic and legal issues that affect women's ability to respond to the challenges of HIV/AIDS, and problems associated with early sexual debut of youth. High priority target populations include youth, young people planning to marry, men (targeting adult male behavior change with a focus on partner reduction), and women. An additional and related focus of within these target groups is to help maintain HIV free status of individuals.

Capacity Leader Organizations, OD Advisors, and LPCB's technical team will provide technical assistance to PO grantees to develop context specific approaches to HIV/AIDS prevention. At the same time, LPCB will continue to provide a range of other capacity-building support to increase the impact of these activities.

In FY 2010, LPCB will identify an additional 20 partner organizations in -nine provinces through a new call for expressions of interest. The LPCB technical evaluation committee and Technical Working Group will select 5-10 of these organizations to carry out other prevention activities. In addition, existing partners that have demonstrated success in implementing HIV prevention programs will be funded in FY 2010 to expand services to include other prevention activities. In order to promote sustainable models, LPCB will fund Capacity Leader Organizations to establish grant programs to fund existing partners from Cohorts 1 and 2. The average grant award for scale-up will be $100,000.

LPCB grantees will be responsible for training 50 people to promote HIV/AIDS prevention through comprehensive ABC programs including the promotion of condoms. In addition to community outreach activities, LPCB will also fund innovative and best practice approaches to reach HIV negative and positive individuals and MARPs. These may include, but are not limited to: incorporating prevention with positives into ART programs; using technology to reach hidden and rural populations, developing support groups for HIV+ and for discordant couples; and expanding alternative income generating opportunities for sex workers. In total, LPCB-funded activities will reach 4,000 HIV-positive individuals and 4,000 MARPs and 20,000 individuals in the general population.

Capacity Leader Organizations, OD Advisors, and LPCB's technical team will provide technical assistance to PO grantees to develop context specific approaches to HIV/AIDS prevention. At the same time, LPCB will continue to provide a range of other capacity-building support to increase the impact of these activities.