Linkages Across the Continuum of HIV Services for Key Populations Affected by HIV (LINKAGES) Project

The project is implemented in 17 countries, with 10 countries transitioning to the Meeting Targets and Maintaining Epidemic Control (EpiC) project in FY21. The countries include Burundi, Cambodia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Eswatini, Haiti, India, Indonesia, Laos, Lesotho, Liberia, Mali, Middle East and North Africa, Nepal, Thailand, and Uganda. The project received Headquarters Bridge Funding (HBF) in the amount of $368,061 to cover the period from May 1, 2020 to March 31, 2021. The HBF was used to support various activities, including the development of a virtual case management approach to support HIV programs in Africa. The virtual case management approach aims to support both clinic-based case managers and community peer navigators to continue supporting their clients virtually. Case managers using this approach will use the Online Reservation App (ORA) to organize their cohorts and record their client's contact information and clinical outcomes. This will primarily support people living with HIV to initiate and be retained on antiretroviral therapy (ART) and may also be used to support virtual case management for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and other routine medical needs for key populations and people living with HIV. The progress of activities during the reporting period is presented in Table 2. The table shows that upgrades or roll out of the ORA platform have been ongoing, with the global ORA platform QuickRes.org launched in June 2020. Drafted developer's scope of work to add new functions on QuickRes and started development. Upgraded existing ORA platforms to the latest version in Nepal and Eswatini. ORA platforms built (but not yet adapted) for partners EMH and ANOVA in South Africa. The project also supported a global agenda and roadmap for supporting HIV programs to go online and rely less on physical contact to support continuation of HIV services. The progress of activities during this reporting period is presented in Table 3. The table shows that assessments and reports have been completed for Guyana, and ongoing for several other countries, including CI, Senegal, Burkina Faso, Burundi, CAR, and others. The project has also provided technical assistance to implement virtual case management using ORA in several countries, including Namibia, Senegal, DRC, Lesotho, and Zambia. Devices for case manager use in four countries have been cancelled due to budget constraints. The project has received funding from various sources, including USAID, the Global Fund, and the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). The total funding received by the project as of September 30, 2020 is $36,284,231. The project has also received Headquarters Bridge Funding (HBF) in the amount of $368,061 to cover the period from May 1, 2020 to March 31, 2021. The project has implemented various activities to support HIV services for key populations, including virtual case management, going online, and technical assistance. The project has also provided funding to support the implementation of these activities. The project has received funding from various sources, including USAID, the Global Fund, and the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).