Support to the HIV/AIDS Response in Zambia (SHARe II) Quarterly Report: April to June 2015

The project is implemented by John Snow Inc. and partners, including Initiatives Inc., LEAD Program-Zambia, Zambia Interfaith Networking Organization on HIV, and others. SHARe II operates at two levels: structural and behavioral. At the structural level, SHARe II provides technical support to help leaders, including traditional leaders and parliamentarians, formulate and enact appropriate HIV/AIDS-related policies and laws. The project also provides technical guidance for providing leadership to change harmful socio-cultural practices and norms, and advocacy support to increase local resource allocation for the national HIV/AIDS response. At the behavioral level, SHARe II works with leaders and other key players to build their skills and competencies so that they can use their authority and reach to enhance the HIV/AIDS response. These champions and partners can then lead efforts to discourage harmful behaviors, promote helpful interventions, and apply a gender, human rights, and HIV/AIDS framework to the justice system. A fundamental cornerstone of the SHARe II strategy in HIV/AIDS leadership engagement is to help build understanding that HIV/AIDS is a developmental issue, and that action taken by leaders in HIV/AIDS now will ultimately contribute to national development. SHARe II encourages leaders to incorporate HIV/AIDS advocacy into their duties and responsibilities, as citizens in positions of influence and authority. To address the capacity gap among leaders and public institutions to adequately address HIV/AIDS issues, SHARe II has taken a two-pronged approach to build HIV response and leadership competencies. The first approach trains in-service practitioners, including magistrates, police officers, and religious leaders, in HIV/AIDS case-management and leadership. The second approach integrates HIV/AIDS into training schools, equipping practitioners with the necessary HIV knowledge and skills as part of their core training. SHARe II has trained 533 Zambian magistrates, 898 police officers, and 486 religious leaders in HIV/AIDS case-management and leadership. The project has also integrated HIV/AIDS into the curricula of law schools, police training academies, and theological colleges and universities. With SHARe II technical guidance and support, universities and colleges have started providing pre-service training to legal practitioners and law enforcement officers in basic HIV/AIDS facts and appropriate HIV-related case management. Five institutions of higher learning have integrated HIV/AIDS modules into their coursework, including the National Institute for Public Administration, the University of Lusaka, Zambia Open University, Livingstone International University of Tourism Excellence and Business Management, and Mulungushi University. These programs will train at least 500 law students each year. Three police training colleges have integrated HIV into their curricula, training 1,456 officers to date and expecting to train 1,500 more. The SHARe II project aims to improve the policy and regulatory environment for people affected by HIV/AIDS and for people living with HIV (PLHIV). The project works closely with government institutions and other key stakeholders to improve the policy and legal environment for PLHIV. SHARe II also aims to reduce stigma and discrimination against PLHIV and those affected by HIV/AIDS, and to promote a culture of hope, refuge, and redress for PLHIV and those affected by HIV/AIDS. The SHARe II project has made significant progress in building HIV response leadership competencies among in-service practitioners and pre-service students. The project has trained a large number of leaders and practitioners in HIV/AIDS case-management and leadership, and has integrated HIV/AIDS into the curricula of training schools. SHARe II has also improved the policy and regulatory environment for PLHIV and those affected by HIV/AIDS, and has promoted a culture of hope, refuge, and redress for PLHIV and those affected by HIV/AIDS. The SHARe II project has been supported by the United States President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and was made possible by the support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) under the terms of the Support to the HIV/AIDS Response in Zambia (SHARe II) Project. The contents of this report are the sole responsibility of SHARe II and John Snow, Inc., and do not necessarily reflect the views of PEPFAR, USAID, or the United States Government.