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This report comprehensively summarizes the FHI/AIDSCAP program in Zimbabwe (1992-1997). The report includes a country context description, accomplishments, constraints, and outcomes of the program, and a series of lessons learned and recommendations.
Table of Contents II.Country Program Description C.Accomplishments and Outcomes III.Lessons Learned & Recommendations IV.Subproject Highlights VI.Attachments
II. Country Program Description (continued) 4. Capacity Building Capacity building in this project was defined as enhancing the ability of country programs and their implementing agencies to design, implement, manage and evaluate HIV prevention activities. Capacity-building included assessing strengths and weaknesses of participating groups and designing interventions to meet their needs. When defined needs were crosscutting, such as developing networking skills and gender sensitivity, IAs were brought together to learn from each other as well as from experts in the field. When needs were specific to an implementing agency, such as incorporating AIDSCAP accounting methods into a large general accounting system (NRZ or NECTOI), technical assistance was provided on-site. The AIDSCAP/Zimbabwe approach to capacity building was to encourage a high level of participation from IAs to ensure ownership and promote sustainability, understanding that sustainability, in many cases, may mean a combination of leveraging material, personnel and financial resources from donors as well as internally. The examples which follow highlight key capacity building initiatives over the life of the project. a. Technical skill building The AIDSCAP Country Office, with support from AIDSCAP regional and headquarters offices, provided technical assistance to implementing agencies to strengthen or develop specific BCC, mass media and evaluation skills. An example of this is the technical assistance given to mass media projects. Two journalists were supported to write weekly news columns in national papers, one in English and one in a local language. This was the first time a weekly column specifically on AIDS was not only approved by the national papers but was given the space without charge. Over time this became a space where controversial issues such as the "pros and cons of legalizing prostitution" and "not dragging our feet in developing a national AIDS strategy" were discussed. With this provocative approach in keeping AIDS on the agenda, the news columns may be responsible for both social and political mobilization. It is important to note that the author of one of the columns was commissioned by the GOZ to chair the seven member team tasked with evaluating the effectiveness of the NACP in coordinating a multi-sectoral national response to HIV/AIDS. The University of Zimbabwe received technical assistance to develop and pilot a curriculum for incorporating HIV/AIDS issues into the Diploma Program in Mass Communication in the Department of English. This may be the first time a university in a developing country has specifically designed a program to strengthen skills in reporting on HIV/AIDS issues. In time, this program could influence the level of AIDS-specific reporting on the entire continent. Since interventions in worksites were initiated by management and not workers, AIDSCAP/Zimbabwe was very sensitive to issues of control and tried to provide "leadership from behind" when promoting decentralization of management and/or activities to either the general work force or members of the surrounding communities. AIDSCAP acted as a catalyst in helping Triangle strengthen the preventative aspect of their worksite health care program. As a result of implementing a peer education program, the needs of women became more apparent. Triangle also launched a well-women's clinic to better address these needs. b. Organizational and management skill building AIDSCAP/Zimbabwe tried as much as possible to make full use of "arising" opportunities to transfer technology, rather than relying on formal teaching events such as workshops. Implementing agencies received technical assistance on planning and proposal writing from the country office when they did the preliminary work for follow-on subagreements. Monthly meetings between AIDSCAP and IAs were used to monitor and evaluate progress, assist with management and technical problems/constraints, and identify areas where technical assistance was required. This information was then used to plan agenda items for workshops. The Country Office financial officer and his assistant took the IAs through a step-by step process to strengthen or teach general accounting skills. All IAs were given a pre-award financial assessment followed by an introductory session on setting up the books, writing checks, and using AIDSCAP financial reports. In large organizations this introductory session was held with financial personnel only. In smaller projects where there was no financial person, the project manager was trained in basic accounting. In larger organizations, such as NRZ, assistance was given to integrate the AIDSCAP system with the larger institutional system. The financial staff at the County Office credit a high caliber of financial reporting with comprehensive technical assistance at the start of each project. Two key components of the capacity building program were the leveraging of financial, material and level of effort support from IAs and promoting collaboration among IAs. Leveraging not only resulted in an amplification of AIDSCAP efforts, but fostered greater ownership and created the foundation for project sustainability. The following are results of AIDSCAP's leveraging efforts:
AIDSCAP-funded initiatives were significantly enhanced when individual activities combined efforts. The following are just a few examples of collaboration.
c. Networks and global learning enhancement Not only do networking efforts, especially regional projects, take advantage of economies of scale and promote sustainability, they have a greater potential of enhancing global learning. Whenever possible AIDSCAP supported representatives from IAs to present at and attend local, regional and international conferences. Conference attendees from CFU take notes at all lectures they attend and conferences and circulate them around the commercial farms to keep all informed. At the 1996 International AIDS and STD Conference in Vancouver, Canada, AIDSCAP presented six awards to projects throughout the world for overall excellence, including project design, planning, management, innovation, leadership, achievements and value for material and financial resources. NECTOI was one of two recipients in Africa. AIDSCAP also sent representatives to international, regional and local conferences and workshops. This gives AIDSCAP staff an opportunity to enhance their own skills, network, and share and gather information relevant to projects they are or want to implement. Local conferences and workshops are viewed as forums to influence social and political change as well as educational and networking opportunities. The NACP and AIDSCAP hosted a gender workshop for NGOs and GOZ affiliates, and AIDSCAP hosted two networking workshops. The CFU hosted a conference for their members, NGOs and the GOZ at a major hotel in Harare in November 1996 which started out as a CFU yearly workshop and ended up as national event opened by The Honorable Dr. S.T. Sekeremayi M.P., Minister of State Security, who stayed on to listen to the keynote speaker Alan Whiteside, Associate Professor of Economics at the University of Natal. NECTOI has been looking at the possibility of regional collaboration among counterpart transport organizations in South Africa, Mozambique, Malawi, and Zambia. Through regional workshops and study tours, the strategies and interventions developed by NECTOI could be extended throughout the region. As a result of the recognition his newspaper column in the Herald has given him in reporting on HIV/AIDS issues, Andrew Mutandua received an invitation to attend the African Media Convention on HIV/AIDS and Reproductive Rights which was held in Lusaka, Zambia between March 17-23 1997. He is receiving correspondence from researchers and university students from other countries, including Botswana and South Africa. Representatives from CFU have been invited to Pietermaritzburg in South Africa to present their AIDS project to commercial farmers, NGOs and government officials. People operating commercial farms in South Africa are considering starting a similar project and would like to benefit from CFU's experience. D. Implementation and Management Issues 1. Implementation AIDSCAP Zimbabwe made remarkable progress in less than three years. Excellent collaborative relationships and communications were established by the key players. Despite considerable support from USAID/Harare and the AIDSCAP Regional Office, setting up the office and getting it fully operational, with staff hired and two signed subagreements by March 1995, required a tremendous effort. With only two years to implement an HIV/AIDS control and prevention project and show results, it was crucial to set up an office, begin projects and conduct a country baseline assessment. The Zimbabwe country program was designed to focus on BCC interventions, with support for condoms, STI diagnosis and treatment, and collection and reporting of biological impact/surveillance data coming from other donor-supported activities. By 1992/3, donor support for the national sentinel surveillance system had been withdrawn. The condom social marketing project was no longer functioning and had been replaced by a commercial organization (Johnson & Johnson). Fortunately, the World Bank/ODA STD Project did commence, and PSI revitalized the condom social marketing project. As in many countries, there was little or no supportive policy framework to work within. It was expected that this would change early on, however things were moving very slowly. The Intersectoral Committee on AIDS and Employment which is chaired by the Ministry of Public Service Labor and Social Welfare drafted a National Code of Practice on AIDS and Employment in November 1995, however it has not yet been published. The NACP is being supported by USAID to draft a national HIV/AIDS document; the first draft was released in December 1996. Since policy issues surrounding pre-employment HIV testing and confidentiality remain issues within the workplace and permeate the environment, support of IAs related to these areas was at times a challenge. Activities outlined in the amended delivery order were fulfilled. Other initiatives were supported as opportunities arose. One example of this was the project with the Women and AIDS Support Network (WASN), a Zimbabwean NGO. This project to empower adolescent girls through the provision of adequate and correct information and equip them with interpersonal skills appropriate to HIV/STI prevention followed discussions held at a five day AIDSCAP regional gender workshop in Mombasa, Kenya. Due to financial constraints, and a change in program direction, the initial idea of funding all the armed services in Zimbabwe to strengthen and/or develop HIV/AIDS projects was limited to Zimbabwe National Army and the Air force of Zimbabwe. This change in plan allowed for a more comprehensive program than would have been possible if all services had been targeted. AIDSCAP/Zimbabwe supported five subagreements, seven letters of agreement, six purchase orders/contracts and two projects funded by rapid response funds. Please refer to Section IV. of this report for complete descriptions of these projects. 2. Management The AIDSCAP Country Office was managed by a resident advisor who was also the project monitor for all subprojects. This three year project had two resident advisors; one for the initial two years and one for the remaining year. The second resident advisor was a Zimbabwean national who had been working with projects related to HIV/AIDS/STIs over the last several years and therefore did not require time to orient to the local and international HIV/AIDS/STI environment. This assisted greatly with sustaining program momentum. The resident advisor was supported by three professional and six support staff. Once the office was set up and staff were hired, Country Office finance staff wrote an operations manual to serve as a quick reference for the financial and administrative procedures. It was used in conjunction with FHI standard operational manuals and covers such things as country-specific internal financial control, operating systems, meetings, travel, and financial reporting/accountability. Monthly meetings were held with IAs to review progress and PIFs against workplans, discuss problems encountered, and anticipate future needs and problems. Crosscutting problems were identified and addressed at workshops and quarterly meetings. Implementing agencies were provided with training in project close-out at both the pre-lessons learned and the lessons learned workshops which were held in January and March of 1997 (the last year of project implementation). At times it was difficult to set up meetings with large organizations such as NRZ and NECTOI that had offices/bases in several geographical areas. Therefore field visits with these organizations were not quite as regular. The Country Office found that it was important to maintain a strong working relationship among financial, program and project staff in order to facilitate:
Funding well-established organizations with their own functional financial units realized the benefits of efficiency and compliance in general as well as better internal controls. Much less time and effort was spent in providing technical assistance because there was an understanding of generally accepted accounting principles. Often, the disadvantage was the pervasive bureaucracy. Continuous budget reviews assisted in forecasting budget deficiencies or gaps in funding. Reviews with project personnel assisted in early detection of inconsistencies in recording activities and their applicable costs. AIDSCAP/Zimbabwe facilitated networking with other organizations that are implementing AIDS prevention activities in the same geographical areas. Duplication was generally avoided and efforts were coordinated. Subprojects identified this promotion of collaboration as an important country office role during the "Lessons Learned Workshop." A review of the Zimbabwe country program was held by AIDSCAP management and staff in March 1996. The following is a table summarizing the issues reviewed, recommendations made by the team, and the action taken:
3. Capacity Building Two levels of capacity building were considered: the country office and the implementing agencies. Regional workshops were held in Nairobi for country office staff on project management, evaluation, BCC and accounting and the appropriate staff attended. Technical assistance from the Africa Regional Office and Headquarters was provided on-site in the above areas as well as on BCC, STIs and gender issues. Area-specific technical assistance was also given to IAs. It was found that periodic program and financial reviews with top management from IAs were necessary to foster ownership of the project. It also served as a mechanism to share information between organizations and promote networking. Country Office staff worked with IAs to identify areas where technical assistance was needed. For example, NECTOI, ZNA, AFZ, Triangle and Delta were assisted in developing curricula and training of trainers and peer educators. Some IAs did not have the skills to respond to donor requests. County Office staff provided on-site training in project reporting, including financial, PIFs and quarterly narrative reports. Technical assistance was provided in generic proposal writing. |
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