Detailed Mechanism Funding and Narrative

Years of mechanism: 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

Details for Mechanism ID: 12027
Country/Region: Central Asia Region
Year: 2013
Main Partner: Columbia University
Main Partner Program: International Center for AIDS Care and Treatment Programs
Organizational Type: University
Funding Agency: HHS/CDC
Total Funding: $750,000

This ongoing cooperative agreement supports the CARs PEPFAR Strategy Objective 3. The goal is to provide TA to the MOH staff in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan to strengthen and build local capacity on HIV strategic information, including surveillance, surveys, M&E, and health information systems. Based on assessments conducted in FY11, SOPs will be developed to allow strategic information systems in the targeted CAR countries operate more efficiently. The project will become more cost-efficient over time as most of the cost intensive activities will take place early in the project. As SOPs are written and incorporated into government prikaz (orders), and trainings completed, more local MOH staff will be responsible for on-going implementation and trainings.

Activities funded through this cooperative agreement will primarily target MOH staff (epidemiologists, data management specialists, policy makers, and clinicians) and through the provision of TA, knowledge and skills will be transferred to the host MOHs.

Monitoring and evaluation plans will be developed for all project activities, which will be monitored by USG staff during regular site visits, meetings, and review of monthly activity reports.

Funding for Strategic Information (HVSI): $750,000

This activity is linked to (1) HVSI BCN/IM # 12746; (2) HVSI BCN/IM 13975; (3)HVSI BCN/IM 12889; (4) HVSI BCN/IM 12799; (5) HVSI BCN/IM 12889. This mechanism supports the CAR PEPFAR Strategy Objective 3. The aim is to strengthen MOH capacity in CAR to collect, manage, analyze, and use HIV data effectively to inform programming and, in turn, impact the epidemic.

Surveillance & Surveys: From 2003-2007, USG helped launch IBBS among MARPs, which has been regularly conducted in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. Before the MOHs in these countries could develop adequate capacity to fully conduct IBBS without TA, funding constraints between 2008 and 2010 forced USG to withdraw support for this activity. Results of USG-supported IBBS assessments in TJ (in 2010) and in KZ and KG (in 2011) revealed the need to improve IBBS practices (sampling, data quality assurance, analysis, and data use) in CAR and to develop SOPs to ensure reliability of results. A similar assessment was conducted in November - December 2011 by the SUPPORT project, in collaboration with a GFATM-funded UNDP project in UZ. In FY12, based on these assessments, the SUPPORT Project, in collaboration with the MOH in the four CAR countries, will develop and introduce detailed SOPs, including pre-surveillance, formative assessment activities; integrate MARPs size estimation into the IBBS; improve data analysis, interpretation, dissemination and use; and pilot electronic data entry and automated data analysis algorithms to reduce data entry errors and improve timeliness.

In addition, the SUPPORT project will provide TA in IBBS expansion, particularly training of staff in sub-regional levels, as well as support piloting IBBS surveys among non-injecting sex partners of PWID in KZ, KG, and TJ. This will be done as a matching activity to the successful Gender Challenge fund proposal. Accurate and timely IBBS are critical to supporting the national strategic plans for HIV response in CAR, as they are an important source of data on the HIV epidemic and allow for informed program planning.

Health Information Systems: In FY10-11, an electronic HIV cased-based surveillance management system (EHCMS) was piloted in CAR, and the SUPPORT project provided TA to the national EHCMS rollout in KZ.

In FY12, the SUPPORT project will help with the national rollout of EHCMS in KG and TJ, further improve security and safety of EHCMS data, and develop data quality assurance and data analysis algorithms. Expansion of EHCMS will help countries establish standard data collection methods related to HIV surveillance, care & treatment and will improve quality of data used to construct national indicators.

Monitoring and Evaluation: In FY11, the SUPPORT Project conducted a national M&E System Strengthening Workshops in KG. Workshop participants from different ministries (MOH; Labor; Social Protection; Justice; Youth; Education) and NGOs assessed components of the national M&E system and developed a joint M&E strengthening plan. In October 2011, the project conducted similar workshops in KZ. The same workshop will be conducted it in TJ. In FY12, USG will support implementation of the national M&E system strengthening plan in CAR.

The SUPPORT project will closely collaborate with other PEPFAR-funded programs as well as with GFATM and other development partners to leverage resources and avoid duplication of efforts.

Cross Cutting Budget Categories and Known Amounts Total: $398,000
Gender: Gender Based Violence (GBV) $128,000
Human Resources for Health $270,000