Mobilization of civil society organizations and support to national AIDSservice organizations Region

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Mobilization of civil society organizations and
support to national AIDS-service
organizationsRegional overview

• Saltanat Ashymova
• CAPACITY Country Director, Kyrgyzstan

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Background (1)

• Situation analysis conducted in 2005
• Insufficient experience and participation of NGOs
  and civil society in the provision of prevention,
  care, and support to MARPs.
• Very few AIDS-service organizations (ASO),
  including government and non-government, worked
  with the MARPs.
• In 2005, only 69 ASOs targeting IDUs existed in
  Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan
  reaching approximately 53,000 out of the
  estimated 300,000 IDUs.

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Background (2)

• Community mobilization strategy (CMS) developed
• To build organizational, institutional, and
  technical capacity among ASOs
• To mobilize a broad geographic scale-up of
  successful models of prevention services

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Main steps (1)

• Assess the capacity of ASOs in order to select
  and motivate appropriate organizations to
  participate in the strategy
• Create Umbrella Organizations to support existing
  ASOs and to help create new Initiative Groups to
  implement HIV prevention and to scale-up these
  interventions and activities
• Develop scale-up strategy jointly with selected
  ASOs to achieve broad geographic coverage of IDUs
  and Sex Workers with an essential comprehensive
  package of HIV/STI prevention services

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Main steps (2)

• Build capacity of ASOs, including PLHIV networks
• Train selected ASO representatives on how to
  develop project proposal and work plans
• Fundraise among donors to support scale-up
  activities by ASOs
• Create work groups to support and monitor this
  strategy
• Monitor and evaluate capacity building and
  scale-up activities and
• Scale-up HIV prevention interventions by the ASOs.

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Assessment and selection of program participants

• 26 pilot oblasts selected
• Since many pilot oblasts had few ASOs targeting
  IDUs and Sex Workers, a wide range of
  participants representing civil society and
  governmental structures were invited
• ASOs were assessed for their capacity and
  motivated to be involved in the CMS strategy
• Candidates for the regional and oblast level
  capacity-building trainings were also selected

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Umbrella model

• To ensure mobilization and capacity building of
  a large number of ASOs, the CMS Strategy
  developed
• the Umbrella Model
• under which the most capable and experienced
  organizations in each of the 26 pilot oblasts
  would provide assistance and support to other
  ASOs.

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Capacity building of ASOs and development of
scale-up strategies (1)

• First round
• 8-day regional workshop for representatives of 45
  umbrella organizations followed by oblast-level
  trainings for local ASOs
• built proposal development skills
• prepared specific project proposals
• provided training on key aspects of financial
  management.
• Results
• project proposals for each pilot oblast were
  drafted.
• draft proposals discussed, finalized and adjusted
  during 28 follow-up oblast-level workshops.
• finalized and submitted proposals to grant
  programs (i.e. CAAP, CARHAP, AFEW, country GFATM
  projects).

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Capacity building of ASOs and development of
scale-up strategies (2)

• Second round
• 5-day regional workshop for trainers for 21
  trainers followed by oblast-level trainings for
  local ASOs
• organizational and institutional development,
  including overall management, financial
  management, human resources, monitoring and
  evaluation, and other essential areas to improve
  organizational function
• Results
• a team of consultants created in each country who
  would be available for continuous and sustainable
  technical assistance to ASOs

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Outcomes

• 318 ASOs from 28 oblasts were involved in
  capacity building and civil society mobilization
• 61 individual and 50 joint project proposals were
  developed
• 39 projects totaling 1.8 million and targeting
  IDUs, Sex Workers, and PLHIV were approved by
  donors
• 48 umbrella organizations have become centers of
  excellence for ASOs
• 18 oblast-level TWGs have been established/activat
  ed
• National teams of trainers continue providing TA
  to ASOs with support of other donors
• High coverage targets (60 and higher) have been
  included into the National HIV/AIDS programs of
  Central Asian countries as well as national
  applications to GFATM.

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Coverage of MARPs and budget of the projects
supported by donors
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Lessons learned and recommendations (1)

• TWGs were instrumental for ensuring cooperation
  between all sectors of society
• Organizations that never worked with MARPs can
  become effective ASOs if due diligence and
  commitment is demonstrated by their staff
• Approaches to civil society mobilization need to
  be flexible to take into account the variability
  in the political and social contexts
• The level and volume of technical assistance
  should be tailored to the capacity building needs
  of individual ASOs

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Lessons learned and recommendations (2)

• Capacity building of ASOs is an on-going process.
  
• Regional- and oblast-level trainings need to be
  complemented by follow-up and on-going technical
  support
• Motivation of ASOs to participate in scaling up
  of HIV prevention interventions is sustainable
  only if there is funding
• Greater leadership and ownership by the national
  AIDS coordinating mechanisms are needed to
  improve coordination of donor efforts.

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• Thank you!