USAID Community Care Program Quarterly Report: Q3–Yr 5, April - June 2015 (Q19)

The program, which began in September 2010, is designed to improve the health and quality of life of people living with HIV (PLHIV), orphans and vulnerable children (OVC), and pre- or post-partum women. CCP works in close partnership with civil society organizations (CSOs), the Ministry of Health (MISAU), the Ministry of Women and Social Action (MMAS), and the private sector to achieve its objectives. CCP's primary objectives are to increase the provision of quality, comprehensive, community-based care and support services to PLHIV and their families, and to improve health outcomes and quality of life for PLHIV, OVC, and pre/post-partum women. The program also aims to increase the number of HIV/AIDS positive individuals and affected households with adequate assets to absorb the shocks brought on by chronic illness. To achieve these objectives, CCP applies six cross-cutting strategies, including community-driven approaches, services integration, capacity building and systems strengthening, partnership and coordination, performance improvement, and gender-sensitive and age-appropriate interventions. During the third quarter of the fifth year of implementation (Q3-Yr 5), CCP marked the conclusion of its project activities. The 27 remaining active districts under FHI 360 leadership became "closed" at the end of June, complementing the closures of the 15 subcontractor-led districts in Manica and Inhambane provinces at the end of March. CCP developed a Best Practice for community-level close-outs, which is captured in the final report section. The provincial level close-out activities were also robust, being participatory and interactive. The program involved staff from the DPS, DPMAS, and SDSMAS in training and supervision activities, and technical staff was part of the supervision team in the field. The administrative side saw CCP central staff carrying out pre-close-out site visits to provide technical assistance on required documentation. A round of refresher trainings of activistas and district-level partners took place, and all FHI 360-lead CSOs continued their implementation. CCP performed well during this final implementation quarter, ending with 9 months of activities against 12-month targets, all within a very complicated project year. The program remains strong in its high focus areas, OVC care and support, and adherence support. The project overall reached the high water mark of more than 185,000 cumulative OVC receiving services this quarter. Strong linkages to the health system and community-based organizations were maintained, and the program continued to provide technical assistance and support to its partners. The CCP Results (objectives) are: 1) Increased provision of quality, comprehensive, community-based care and support services to people living with HIV and AIDS and their families; 2) Increased family-centered, community-based services that improve health outcomes and quality of life for PLHIV, OVC, and pre/post-partum women and that are implemented by the coordinated efforts of the Ministry of Women and Social Action (MMAS), the Ministry of Health (MISAU), and civil society organizations (CSOs); and 3) Increased numbers of HIV/AIDS positive individuals and affected households have adequate assets to absorb the shocks brought on by chronic illness. CCP applies six cross-cutting strategies to ensure the sustainability of project results, including: 1) community-driven approaches; 2) services integration; 3) capacity building and systems strengthening; 4) partnership and coordination; 5) performance improvement; and 6) gender-sensitive and age-appropriate interventions.