Program Overview

As part of the Global Fund support for Ghana to fight HIV, TB, and Malaria, interventions including Key Populations (KP), Human Rights (HR) and Community Systems Strengthening (CSS) are being rolled out with the goal of reducing new HIV infections and AIDS-related deaths through the delivery of a comprehensive package of care to PLHIV including pregnant women and KPs. This program titled ‘‘scaling up quality HIV care cascade through community engagement and addressing human rights barriers seek to address the peculiar challenges faced by this target population (FSW, MSM, PLHIV) in their quest to access HIV/TB/Malaria care and support services. Under this project, the Principal Recipient (WAPCAS) is collaborating with key actors such as GAC, NACP, NAP+, GHS, NTP, CHRAJ, Ghana Police, NMCP, other sister NGOs, Coalitions and Networks in Health, and other organizations who will be playing various roles in our quest to achieve the expected impact. This collaborative effort with key actors aims at improving the health and social outcomes of beneficiaries in order to bring about impact at the community level.

Key Population Program

The KP program is currently being implemented in 20 districts across 5 five regions in the country. For the KP program, the target beneficiaries are primarily FSW and MSM. Activities under FSW intervention, activities are currently being implemented in AMA, La Dadekotopon, Kumasi, Techiman, Ga South, Ga East, Ga Central, Tamale, CCMA, KEEA, Agona West, Koforidua, Sunyani, Sunyani West, Cape Coast, KEEA. On the part of the MSM, activities are ongoing in AMA, La-Dadekotopon , LEKMA, Ashaiman, Ningo, Prampram, Kumasi, New Juaben, Cape Coast, KEEA, Agona West and Effutu. At each year of implementation, the project seeks to reach about 17,615 FSW and 6,992 MSM with a package of HIV prevention services within the intervention period (2018-2020). This grant will be used to implement a number of interventions including;

    -  Behavioural interventions for KP

    -  Community Empowerment for KP

    -  Addressing stigma, discrimination, and violence against KP

    -  Condoms and lubricants programming for KP

    -  HIV Testing Services (HTS)

    -  Diagnosis and treatment for STIs

    -  RSSH (Research, data & strategic information)

Community Systems Strengthening (CSS)

The Community System Strengthening (CSS) program has been designed to be implemented across the three disease areas (HIV, TB & Malaria) from 2018 to 2020. The project will focus on four (4) main intervention areas namely;

    -  Capacity building for effective implementation of HIV/TB and Malaria programmes

    -  Social mobilization, building community linkages and collaboration

    -  Community-based monitoring for social accountability and advocacy.

    -  Project Management

The roles of key affected populations and communities, networks, and public- or private-sector actors that work in partnership with civil society at the community level have been outlined. The CSS intervention will be implemented in 15 HIV/TB high burden districts in year 1 and scaled up to 33 districts after an assessment. Under this program, Hope For Future Generation (HFFG) has been identified as the Sub-recipient responsible to oversee and monitor implementation on the field. However, WAPCAS being the PR will provide an oversight responsibility, provide technical assistance and manage the entire grant. This project aims at building a resilient community system through capacity enhancement of NGOs in order to deliver the needed services to beneficiary communities.

Human Rights

The HR intervention seeks to contribute to the overall quality of health and life of the KP, the PLHIV and persons affected by TB by contributing to the reduction of barriers to HIV and TB services and to enhance the uptake of services. Most of the activities proposed under the various interventions are designed to be integrated into existing programs except for a few standalone ones.

There are five (5) main intervention areas with specific activities which are:

   -  Stigma and Discrimination

   -  Training health care providers on human rights and medical ethics related to HIV and TB

   -  Legal literacy - Know your rights

   -  HIV & TB related legal services / sensitization of law makers and law enforcement agents

   -  Reducing HIV- related gender discrimination, harmful gender norms and violence against women and girls in all their diversity

Though the HR intervention is a need for the whole country, it is imperative to focus the intervention in specific districts of the country for maximum impact. Attention will be focused in the 20 KP intervention districts and (seven) 7 EQUIP supported health facilities. Activities under this module will be implemented through the collaborative efforts of key actors such as GHS, NACP, The Police, Judicial Service, Legal Aid, Religious & Opinion Leaders, CHRAJ, HRAC, EARC, GES, KP Community Members, NAP+, etc. The table below shows the intervention districts under the HR program;

Intervention Districts