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Global Health Projects: Pakistan

HIV/AIDS Prevention and Care (2006-2009)

Client/Agency

United States Agency for International Development

Background

The HIV situation in Pakistan is changing dramatically, with a concentrated epidemic rapidly expanding among injecting drug users (IDUs) and prostitutes. The concern is that, if infections are not contained in these groups, HIV will continue to spread among most-at-risk populations (MARPs) and reach a 'critical mass' that will spread HIV across the general population. Controlling the magnitude and pace of the epidemic has been identified as a priority, as well as a need to scale up access to comprehensive prevention interventions for MARPs in addition to care, support and treatment for those already infected.

Purpose

To support the provision of effective prevention, care and support activities for most at-risk populations and people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHAs). RTI and its partner, Family Health International (FHI 360), are implementing the project, which is meant to establish effective interventions that can be adopted for national scale-up.

Activities and Results

The project is implementing activities in Sindh and Punjab Provinces through local NGOs, and will expand to Balochistan and the Northwest Frontier Provinces near the end of its first year. The project is also providing support to the Ministry of Health’s National and Provincial AIDS Control Programs to build technical capacity.

RTI is providing overall project management, quality assurance, monitoring and evaluation, technical leadership, and capacity building to strengthen program reporting and documentation of program effectiveness to identify successful interventions for replication and scale-up. FHI 360 is carrying out on-the-ground prevention, care and support activities through local NGOs.

A primary focus of the project is to develop and strengthen technical and organizational capacities of the Pakistani NGOs, community-based organizations (CBOs), networks and other institutions to:

• Implement targeted HIV/AIDS prevention interventions for MARPs and high-risk youth that will result in changed behavior, reducing risk and transmission
• Provide assistance that supports PLWHAs with appropriate care
• Establish a competitive and transparent grants program that supports Pakistani NGOs, CBOs, and networks serving MARPs and PLWHAs to better ensure long-term self-sufficiency and sustainability beyond the life of this project.