HIV/AIDS

ESTUDIO DE EVALUACIÓN DEL PROYECTO DE LA RESPUESTA NACIONAL AL VIH EN POBLACIONES CLAVE Y VULNERABLES DE ÁMBITOS URBANOS Y AMAZÓNICOS DEL PERÚ

Se desarrolló un proceso de evaluación sobre el Proyecto denominado: “Expansión de la Respuesta Nacional al VIH en Poblaciones Clave y Vulnerables de Ámbitos Urbanos y Amazónicos del Perú”, cuyo objetivo fue contribuir a la reducción de nuevos casos de infección por VIH en poblaciones clave y vulnerables en el Perú, y que fue iniciado en junio del 2019 bajo la administración de CARE Perú, con recursos financiados por el Fondo Mundial de lucha contra el SIDA, la Tuberculosis y la Malaria Read More...

Evaluation of Enhancing Mobile Populations’ Access to HIV and AIDS Services (EMPHASIS)

EMPHASIS is a 5 year project funded by Big Lottery Fund, UK, which was initiated in August 2009 and is due to conclude in July 2014. It has been implemented in Nepal, India and Bangladesh to address both HIV and AIDS vulnerability and safe mobility issues of cross border migrant populations. Its overall goal has been to contribute to reduction of vulnerability of mobile populations (particularly women) to HIV infection across selected cross border regions within India, Bangladesh and Nepal. There has however, appropriately, been an increased focus on safe mobility issues within the last two years of the project. The three main outcomes of the project focus on: 1) the development of an effective and integrated cross border model of HIV prevention, care, treatment and support to benefit mobile populations and their families and target groups at source, transit and destination locations who are vulnerable to acquiring and spreading HIV and AIDS, 2) building the capacity of partner organizations (including regional authorities, government agencies, border police, customs officials, research institutions, NGO, Community Based Organizations [CBO] and key stakeholders) to deliver improved and integrated services to mobile populations vulnerable to HIV, 3) Increasing recognition of the vulnerabilities of mobile populations and demonstration of ways to address them in source and destination communities that will inform policies and produce evidence based advocacy messages with which to lobby government stakeholders. The aim of this evaluation is to assess the project according to its three outcomes areas and to assess the effectiveness and relevance of different interventions. One week visits to India, Nepal and Bangladesh were conducted at the end of January/ early February 2014 by a team of three people, during which interviews and focus group discussion were conducted, and a Lickert Scale tool administered. These visits were then supplemented by some additional meetings in Bangladesh in April, following the production of the first draft report. An endline study was conducted in parallel to the evaluation, and its conclusions are also drawn upon in this report. [88 Pages] Read More...

A Qualitative study comparing the effects and outcomes of HIV-related interventions for Nepalese migrants – at source, transit and destination

The qualitative study, commissioned by Care Nepal, sought to explore the effects and outcomes of the EMPHASIS project, launched four years ago to reduce HIV and AIDS vulnerability among cross border migrants; and to influence national and regional policies relating to safe mobility through evidence generated regionally. The project, working along a continuum of source, transit, and destination areas, provides HIV prevention and treatment services to migrants and their families. Additionally, the project partners with local stakeholders to ensure safe passage of migrants on transit besides providing other support services. The study was, thus, designed to assess the influence of the project in addressing HIV vulnerabilities, and at the same to enquire into whether inter-country passage has been made safer for migrants. The study aimed to answer the following research questions: a) How has the EMPHASIS intervention impacted HIV vulnerabilities among Nepali migrants, b) What are the qualitative differences between HIV related attitudes and behaviors between migrants reached at destination and their spouses reached at source and those not reached either at source or destination, c) What are the qualitative differences between HIV
related attitudes and behaviors between spouses who have been reached by the project and those who have not been reached by the project, d)) What are the benefits and barriers of support services provided to migrants for safe mobility and empowerment. The study was conducted among 60 migrants and family members, and 5 key informants in four locations- two at the destination site of Delhi and two at the source site of Nepal. In depth interviews by trained researchers were conducted with the help of semi structured interview guides. [39 Pages] Read More...

Bangladeshi Sailors Vulnerability to HIV and AIDs

Enhancing Mobile Populations’ Access to HIV and AIDS Services, Information, and Support (EMPHASIS) is a 5-year initiative funded by the UK’s Big Lottery Fund. The project has been implemented by CARE in three countries,
Bangladesh, India and Nepal. This study was initiated to generate evidence around the vulnerabilities faced by migrant populations traveling to India. Both qualitative and quantitative methods were used to explore the vulnerability of sailors and a standard BCC questionnaire was used to assess knowledge around HIV and AIDS. Qualitative methods were used to compliment quantitative findings to reveal other socio-economic dynamics that can contribute HIV and AIDS related vulnerabilities. Data collection was carried out in both Bangladesh and India. Both qualitative and quantitative data collection was done in Bangladesh,. As entry into the ports in India was restricted, only qualitative methods were used there. A total of 154 were interviewed with a quantitative questionnaire and 24 sailors participated in in-depth interviews. Focus group discussions (FGD) and Key Informant Interviews were conducted with selected community members such as doctors, Noujan Srameek Union members, and vendors. [46 Pages] Read More...

Journeys: Experiences of Nepalese and Bangladeshi cross border migrants living with HIV

Enhancing Mobile Population’s Access to HIV and AIDS Information (EMPHASIS), Services and Support is a 5-year project funded by Big Lottery Fund, UK. EMPHASIS is implemented in Nepal, India and Bangladesh to address AIDS related vulnerabilities of cross border populations who are moving between Bangladesh, India and Nepal EMPHASIS is an operations research project and one of the pioneer regional projects to address HIV and AIDS vulnerability among cross border populations. The project aims to address its goals through service provision,
capacity building of relevant partners/stakeholders, and advocacy through generating evidence. As part of generating evidence, EMPHASIS developed a research study to investigate the dynamics associated with accessing services for mobile groups who are already affected by HIV and AIDS. This study examines people and questions that were not covered by the EMPHASIS baseline survey that was previously conducted.

Three separate studies were conducted in Bangladesh, Nepal and India. Bangladesh and Nepal first initiated the study aiming to understand the dynamics of HIV infection among migrant populations and also to assess barriers to accessing services at source. In India the study was initiated later, to assess the barriers to accessing services at destination. The prime objective of the study was to present these barriers to services at the regional level among the regional stakeholders. Sharing the findings at South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) could be an important way to initiate dialogue between the governments of Nepal and India to formalize a cross border referral system. Country specific barriers to services will be provided as evidence to inform policy at the national level. [45 Pages] Read More...

Vulnerability to HIV & AIDS: A social Research on Cross Border Mobile Population from Bangladesh to India

There are a growing number of people migrating between Bangladesh, Nepal and India. Mobility has long been linked with heightened vulnerability to HIV & AIDS. While overall
HIV prevalence is low in Bangladesh and Nepal, there is a growing concern that vulnerable mobile populations are forming a bridge between high prevalence areas of India and low prevalence areas in Bangladesh and Nepal. Enhancing Mobile Populations’ Access to HIV & AIDS Services Information and Support (EMPHASIS) is a regional program being implemented by CARE Bangladesh, CARE India and CARE Nepal and led by CARE International UK (CIUK) to reduce AIDS related vulnerabilities among mobile populations crossing the borders of Bangladesh and Nepal into India. This 5-year (August 2009 – July 2014) program, is funded by the Big Lottery Fund (BIG) of United Kingdom.

Baseline Research on cross border migration was initiated to understand the drivers of mobility, access to services for migrants at source and destination, and to understand the risk and vulnerabilities associated with migration and HIV & AIDS. The study was conducted using quantitative methods and a separate qualitative study was conducted to enhance and complement the quantitative data. [57 Pages] Read More...

Mid-term Performance Evaluation of the “Continuum of Prevention, Care and Treatment (CoPCT) of HIV/AIDS with Most at-Risk Populations in Cameroon (CHAMP)” Project

The USAID/West Africa, Cameroon field office requested a mid-term performance evaluation in 2017 to determine which approaches are best contributing towards the USAID-funded “Continuum of Prevention, Care and Treatment (CoPCT) of HIV/AIDS with Most at-Risk Populations in Cameroon (CHAMP)” program’s purpose to “improve the Government’s and civil society technical capacity to implement evidence-based prevention, care and treatment services to key populations (KPs) in Cameroon,” and the extent to which this program purpose will likely be achieved at the end of the program in 2019. This Executive Summary presents highlights of the evaluation findings and summarized recommendations, followed by the full report which includes further detail.
Review of findings from this mid-term evaluation show that the USAID and PEPFAR-supported CHAMP program has made significant strides in expanding services to key populations in Cameroon over the life of the project to date, despite significant challenges and violence directed towards KPs. While CHAMP’s predecessor program, the USAID HIV/AIDS Prevention Program (HAPP), focused on the provision of prevention services from 2009-2013, CHAMP has since 2014 expanded services across the full cascade from HIV/AIDS prevention to treatment and retention. While HAPP had a relatively small budget under $1 million a year, CHAMP is an $18.5 million program over 5 years, with concurrent scale-up of key populations reached with prevention, testing, linkage to, and retention in treatment in Yaoundé, Douala, and Bamenda city clusters. The Global Fund and PEPFAR are the major donors for KPs in Cameroon and have worked closely to align and harmonize efforts and monitoring approaches, including a joint PEPFAR/Global Fund KP cascade assessment in 2016 that was organized through the LINKAGES project working through CHAMP.
Particularly notable advancements are the introduction of enhanced peer education and mobilization (EPEM) models for outreach and extensive microplanning used to identify new individuals and new networks beyond traditional peer to peer contacts for intensified case finding, and key populations living with HIV (KPLHIV) receive extensive support from peer navigators, counselors and linkage and retention agents in both community-based drop-in-centers (DICs) and in linked referral health facilities providing ART initiation and tertiary care. The drop-in center “one-stop shop” model now has added community based ART dispensation at the DIC, and there has been systematic engagement, collaborative training
and partnership between CHAMP and the Government of the Republic of Cameroon, other PEPFAR agencies including CDC and DOD, and the Global Fund, to reinforce the provision of improved quality services to KPs and to build capacity and coverage and data within the national program. Prevention efforts led by CHAMP and the Global Fund have contributed to a documented decline in HIV prevalence among female sex workers in Cameroon in recent years. Moreover, CHAMP’s research initiatives have produced high-quality data to document the KP epidemics in Cameroon, allowing for far more accurate measurement and tracking of results of prevention, care and treatment approaches. Read More...

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