Detailed Mechanism Funding and Narrative

Years of mechanism: 2010 2011

Details for Mechanism ID: 12289
Country/Region: Zimbabwe
Year: 2010
Main Partner: ICF International
Main Partner Program: ICF Macro
Organizational Type: Private Contractor
Funding Agency: USAID
Total Funding: $1,140,000

With FY2009 Supplemental funding, USG will support the MEASURE Phase III Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) mechanism to initiate Zimbabwe's DHS-2010/11. The purpose of MEASURE Phase III DHS is to improve the collection, analysis and presentation of data and promote better use in planning, policymaking, managing, monitoring and evaluating population, health and nutrition programs. The project seeks to increase understanding of a wide range of health issues by improving the quality and availability of data on health status and services and enhancing the ability of local organizations to collect, analyze and disseminate such information. Primarily, the DHS project seeks to provide up to date information on fertility levels; sexual activity; awareness and use of family planning methods; breastfeeding practices; nutritional status of mothers and young children; early childhood mortality and maternal mortality ; maternal and child health; awareness and prevalence regarding HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted illnesses.

Zimbabwe has conducted four DHS projects to date 1988, 1994, 1999 and the 2005/06. The DHS project is highly valued by the GOZ and its major stakeholders within the health sector and has been widely used for decision making in-country on HIV/AIDS and maternal and child health. The DHS 2005/06 also included a gender-based violence module which has proven useful in HIV prevention, OVC, and other health and human rights programming.To date the country has been relying on the 2005/06 DHS information hence the need to conduct another DHS in 2010/11 which will provide updated information. The probability of an election in the coming years further adds the impetus for an urgent DHS to avert a possible information gap.

One of the key elements of the national HIV/AIDS strategy is the need for one agreed country level monitoring (and evaluation) system to which the DHS conforms to. In other words, DHS, as part of the national monitoring and evaluation system, provides a comprehensive tracking system to collect , analyze and sharing information on HIV and AIDS that enhances decision making at all levels in the implementation of interventions under the multi-sectoral response to HIV and AIDS in Zimbabwe. With USG wraparound Population and Child Survival funding, the new DHS will also provide critical information on maternal and child health, including malaria. The DHS should provide up-dated information on the numbers of orphans and vulnerable children in Zimbabwe, by age, gender and by province. The new DHS will again include the gender-based violence module which is expected to enhance USG and other stakeholders knowledge and programming in this area.

The DHS is designed to provide population and health indicator estimates at national and provincial levels. In other words, the survey covers the whole country and the sampling targets all population groups men, women, children among other population sub-groups.

The USG SI team will collaborate closely with and monitor the MEASURE DHS team and its partners in Zimbabwe to assure efficiency and quality of the work for the period of the exercise.

Locally Macro International will be working with the Central Statistical Office, a government institution mandated with data collection, collation, analysis and report writing.

With FY2010 funds, Macro International will also be offering implementation technical assistance for the Service Provision Assessment (SPA). SPA is a nationally representative survey of services and the quality of care provided through HIV service delivery sites. It is meant to provide a comprehensive body of information on the performance of the full range of public and private health care facilities that offer HIV/AIDS services and serve as a baseline and allow comparison of services across provinces and facility-type (i.e. governmental, non-governmental). While recent efforts, notably the Atlas Project, have been undertaken to determine what health services are being provided through various health facilities, there is little information regarding the quality of various HIV-related services that are being offered. Given the recent "collapse" in the health sector, continued depletion of health care workers, and changes in health financing, the current state of health care provision and therefore the most pressing areas for improvement are largely unknown.

Thus Macro International will help conduct this assessment across the country and help update decision and policy makers on the status of the services being offered within the HIV/AIDS realm.

Funding for Strategic Information (HVSI): $1,140,000

With FY 2009 Supplemental funding, Macro will offer technical assistance for the overall implementation of the DHS+ activities including the overall questionnaire structure (design), training of trainers and coordinators, training of enumerators, data analysis and report writing. The DHS will commence in CY2010, in line with the health information needs of the country. The major areas (modules) to be covered will include the following fertility levels; sexual activity; awareness and use of family planning methods; breastfeeding practices; nutritional status of mothers and young children; early childhood mortality and maternal mortality ; maternal and child health; awareness and prevalence regarding HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted illnesses. Also to be included will be a gender-based violence module.

With FY 2010 COP funding, Macro will also offer overall technical assistance for the implementation of Service Provision Assessment in the country. This will provide information about the quality of HIV/AIDS service provision within the country's health sector.

Key Issues Identified in Mechanism
Malaria
Child Survival Activities
Safe Motherhood
Family Planning