PROGRAM FOCUS: HIV/AIDS

BUILDING LOCAL CAPACITY

Vietnam's HIV/AIDS epidemic is in a concentrated phase. Although 0.5% of the population was estimated to be living with HIV in 2009, the most affected groups have far higher rates of infection (for example, 23 to 65% among injecting drug users). Because drug users, sex workers, men who have sex with men, and people living with HIV (PLHIV) are often marginalized in society, it can be difficult to reach those most in need of prevention, care and support.

Local organizations are crucial to an effective HIV/AIDS strategy because they are rooted in - indeed often composed of - these populations. Pact works directly with local partners to boost the resources and capacity of Vietnam's growing ranks of community-based organizations.

Fostering sustainable success

One way that Pact has invested in local partner capacity is through the Local Partner Initiative (LPI), funded since 2007 by USAID under PEPFAR. It gives intensive pre-award training on program design and proposal writing to all organizations that make a full application, and each LPI partner awarded a grant then benefits from our full range of local capacity building services: for example, application of Pact's globally recognized Organizational Capacity Assessment tool, which informs tailored Institutional Strengthening Plans, and technical support on data collection for better programming and reporting.

LPI partners also have access to targeted support based on their work in prevention or care and treatment. Our prevention partners can take advantage of our multi-stage Behavior Change Communications Capacity Building Initiative, and they have now reached beyond traditionally recognized "high-risk groups" to work with sexual partners of injecting drug users and PLHIV. Care and treatment partners can take training on our easy-to-use, collaboratively developed client tracking system for home-based care, which helps leverage the clinical and community-based services that most provinces still need to support a comprehensive, interlinked package of services for PLHIV.

In fall 2009 local organizational capacity development became an explicit objective of Pact's program in Vietnam, allowing a yet more systemic, proactive approach to local capacity building needs. Starting in 2010 our new Organizational Development team has organized training workshops, on-site technical assistance and peer exchange on such topics as resource mobilization, human resources management, action planning and advocacy skills.

For more on our Program Focus areas in Vietnam, see Children affected by HIV and Community and home-based care.