LMG Honduras Quarterly Report: July – September 2013

The program was funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) under Cooperative Agreement AID-OAA-A-11-00015. The major accomplishments of the LMG/Honduras program from July-September 2013 include concluding the collection of information phase of the initial assessment of LMG capacities in MOH and NGOs, identifying the prioritization of interventions for the design of action plans for MOH and NGOs, and providing technical assistance to the Unit for Decentralized Administration (UGD) in their capacity building efforts with the regions in the areas of technical monitoring of grants. Honduras is a lower middle-income country that has seen improvements in certain health and economic indicators, but still suffers from serious social inequalities and low rates of several health indicators. The country has a disproportionately high HIV prevalence rate, particularly among certain populations, including the Garífuna population, men who have sex with men (MSM), and sex workers. According to the 2006 Behavior Surveillance Survey (BSS), the HIV epidemic disproportionately affects these populations, with HIV prevalence rates of 5, 9.7, and 5.5 percent, respectively. To improve health conditions among key populations, quality, usage, and financing of critical health services must be improved. This includes prevention and HIV testing services that are organized and delivered at the community level. Community participation is a critical factor in improving health status at the community level, especially as it relates to preventing disease and promoting health. The Government of Honduras has taken various steps to respond to the HIV epidemic, including the current HIV/AIDS National Strategic Plan (PENSIDA III), 2008 – 2012, which prioritizes scale-up of prevention efforts for MSM, Garífuna, sex workers, and pregnant women. The Sula Valley, North Coast, and the Tegucigalpa metropolitan area are identified as important geographical focus areas due to their higher prevalence rates, and special emphasis is given to HIV diagnosis and treatment and to monitoring and evaluation of PENSIDA III efforts. The LMG program has been working closely with the MOH and local NGOs to improve the quality, usage, and financing of critical health services, particularly HIV/AIDS services. The program has provided technical assistance to the UGD in their capacity building efforts with the regions in the areas of technical monitoring of grants, and has adapted technical audits tools in coordination with the UGD. The program has also provided technical assistance to the Unit for Extension of Coverage and Financing (UECF) to complete reporting requirements established in the USAID Financial Implementation Letters. The LMG program has also supported ECOSALU to prepare for a supervisory visit from the USAID Director. The program has been working to improve health conditions among key populations, including the Garífuna population, MSM, and sex workers, by improving the quality, usage, and financing of critical health services, particularly HIV/AIDS services. The program has been working closely with the MOH and local NGOs to achieve this goal, and has made significant progress in improving health conditions among key populations.