Detailed Mechanism Funding and Narrative

Years of mechanism: 2008 2009

Details for Mechanism ID: 3803
Country/Region: Ethiopia
Year: 2009
Main Partner: University of Gondar
Main Partner Program: NA
Organizational Type: University
Funding Agency: HHS/CDC
Total Funding: $126,000

Funding for Treatment: Adult Treatment (HTXS): $126,000

ACTIVITY UNCHANGED FROM FY2008

Gondar University (GU), one of the oldest in Ethiopia and the only one in the north-west, trains various

health cadres and other professionals using curricula that particularly focus on community-oriented practical

education tailored to address the trained human resources needs of the country. The teaching hospital of

the university is a referral hospital providing health services to people coming from different areas of the

Amhara region, the second-largest region in Ethiopia—and the one where HIV/AIDS is most prevalent. It is

also strategically placed to support the Afar region, which along with Tigray and Amhara constitute ART

Operational Zone 1 in PEPFAR Ethiopia's regionalized support to the national ART program. In its strategic

plan, GU has identified HIV/AIDS as one of the major health and social threats for the institution and the

country at large. The university has thus committed itself to mitigating the impact of HIV/AIDS by creating

university-wide prevention, treatment, and care and support programs. To this end, has initiated anti-

HIV/AIDS activities in its teaching, research, management, and community-outreach programs.

In FY05 and FY06, GU identified key interventions required to initiate and strengthen HIV/AIDS-related

interventions within the university community and the regions its referral hospital currently serve. Main

interventions identified by the university include: making HIV/AIDS an institutional priority; establishing an

HIV/AIDS coordination unit; planning and executing anti-AIDS activities with involvement of students;

expanded multidimensional response to HIV/AIDS epidemic - voluntary counseling and testing (VCT)

service, treatment, care and support, curriculum integration, community outreach, research, and the

creation of external partnerships; and incorporating policies and sanctions that safeguard female students

from the risks of vulnerability and assault, intimidation, and exploitation.

In FY07, GU is implementing the planned activities and initiating various HIV/AIDS-related activities that will

require consolidation and expansion over the coming years. Through support from PEPFAR Ethiopia, the

university is systematically institutionalizing HIV/AIDS program and building capacities that will enable it to

provide assistance to the regional health bureaus (RHB) and the health networks in Amhara, Tigray and

Afar regions. Using the collaboration link the university will establish with the University of Washington/I-

TECH through support from PEPFAR Ethiopia, it will strengthen its anti-HIV/AIDS response and technical

assistance (TA) to regional activities in FY07, including: mainstreaming HIV/AIDS in the curricula of all

faculties; strengthening pre-service training on comprehensive HIV/AIDS treatment, care, and prevention;

conducting baseline studies on the impact of HIV/AIDS on students, staff, and supportive groups of the

university; undertaking studies on the existing structure of HIV/AIDS activities in the university hospital's

teaching, research, and service as a spring-board for networking and main-streaming strategy;

strengthening the existing VCT service of the university; promoting advocacy and gender education; and

reducing HIV/AIDS stigma and discrimination in the university community.

In FY08, for GU to establish itself as a long-term technical support center for its ART operation zone, it

needs to build adequate managerial and leadership capacities. There is a need for deliberate action to

establish managerial and technical capabilities by offering the university the opportunity and challenge to

handle directly the administration and management of the technical and logistical arrangements required to

support the health networks delivering ART and other HIV/AIDS-related services. The university will

strengthen its support for in-service training and direct TA to Amhara RHB and initiate pre-service training

on HIV/AIDS, including ART. GU will be involved in targeted evaluation of HIV/AIDS program

implementation and in regional activities related to data processing, documentation of best practices, and

dissemination of scientific information. GU will collaborate with Washington University/I-TECH and

Management Sciences for Health (MSH) and also undertake review meetings with other local universities

and stakeholders. By closely working with and getting intensive technical support from I-TECH, GU will be

provided with an opportunity to get engage directly in managing its HIV/AIDS program and its support to the

national and regional health networks. It will help the university start building the capacity it will need to take

over the technical support currently provided by I-TECH, when the latter pulls out its support through a well-

thought-out exit strategy.

New/Continuing Activity: Continuing Activity

Continuing Activity: 16706

Continued Associated Activity Information

Activity Activity ID USG Agency Prime Partner Mechanism Mechanism ID Mechanism Planned Funds

System ID System ID

16706 5674.08 HHS/Centers for Gondar University 7515 3803.08 Strengthening $140,000

Disease Control & HIV/AIDS, TB,

Prevention and STI

Prevention,

Control and

Treatment

Activities

10560 5674.07 HHS/Centers for Gondar University 5535 3803.07 $100,000

Disease Control &

Prevention

5674 5674.06 HHS/Centers for Gondar University 3803 3803.06 $100,000

Disease Control &

Prevention

Table 3.3.09: