Benjamin W. Mkapa HIV/AIDS Foundation Organizational Capacity Assessment Report

In its first strategic plan (2008−2012), the organization operationalized this mandate by dedicating itself to the focus areas of reinforcing HIV/AIDS services, strengthening health systems, and strengthening institutional capacity. BMAF has pursued these objectives through the promotion and strengthening of human resources for health (HRH) in Tanzania. BMAF traces its origins to the first Mkapa Fellows Program (2005−2010), an initiative funded by the Government of Norway with the goal of recruiting, training, and deploying skilled health workers to underserved, rural districts in Tanzania. Since BMAF was formally registered as a trust in 2006, the organization's role and influence in the health sector have grown rapidly, due in part to successful partnerships with the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare (MOHSW) on the Global Fund-sponsored Emergency Hiring and Health Systems Strengthening projects, through which over 400 skilled health workers were recruited to rural areas. The organization's influence and portfolio have developed significantly, leading to the revision of its strategic plan to better reflect its changing position and broader aspirations. The Revised Strategic Plan (2008−2012), finalized in late 2010, explicitly committed BMAF to collaborate with the government to improve HRH policies, guidelines, and strategies. The subsequent Strategic Plan (2013−2018) further expanded this objective, with BMAF becoming recognized as the preeminent Tanzanian civil society organization promoting HRH, and actively collaborating with MOHSW, civil society, and international donors. Throughout this growth, BMAF has proactively sought organizational self-improvement, with previous collaborations with partners identifying strengths and areas for improvement that have strongly influenced strategic planning. However, since the adoption of the current strategic plan in 2013, BMAF has not undertaken a formal, organization-wide capacity assessment to understand strengths and weaknesses in the areas of HRH research and advocacy. In late 2014, as part of its ongoing research collaboration with the USAID-funded Health Policy Project (HPP), BMAF requested that HPP facilitate an organizational capacity assessment (OCA) focused on the strategically important areas of data analysis and use (DAU), knowledge translation (KT), and advocacy (ADV). The OCA self-assessment workshop took place on January 20 and 21, 2015 in Dar es Salaam, with sixteen BMAF staff attending the workshop, representing the majority of BMAF's Dar-based staff members. The OCA is a facilitated self-assessment exercise using a tool tailored to the organization's mission, with the capacity assessment process supporting the organization by establishing a baseline of the organization's capacity in key areas, promoting organizational dialogue, learning, and standard setting, and informing the development of a capacity-strengthening plan for addressing organizational priorities. The OCA reflects four core principles: appreciation, context-specificity, internal reflection, and joint decision making about how to improve performance. The OCA process involves a participatory assessment, which can be an important diagnostic, learning, and growth tool, providing time and space for staff members to share their perspectives about the organization's functioning, strengths, and challenges. The OCA tool is tailored to the organization's mission, and the capacity assessment process supports the organization by establishing a baseline of the organization's capacity in key areas, promoting organizational dialogue, learning, and standard setting, and informing the development of a capacity-strengthening plan for addressing organizational priorities. The OCA self-assessment workshop took place on January 20 and 21, 2015 in Dar es Salaam, with sixteen BMAF staff attending the workshop, representing the majority of BMAF's Dar-based staff members. The workshop aimed to conduct organizational self-assessment in strategic areas of expertise, select priority area(s) for organizational improvement, and develop a detailed capacity-strengthening and monitoring plan for priority areas. The OCA process will inform the development of a capacity-strengthening plan for addressing organizational priorities, with the goal of improving BMAF's capacity in key areas and promoting organizational growth and development.