1. FAITH AND COMMUNITY INITIATIVE:ENGAGING FAITH COMMUNITIES TO FIND MEN AND CHILDREN LIVING WITH HIV

1.1 Project Background and Description

Engaging Faith Communities to Find Men and Children Living with HIV is the 1st priority (Priority 1) of the Faith and Community Initiative. PHIA data show that compared to women, men and children living with HIV are less likely to know their status and to have viral load suppression. Faith-based structures are an integral part of the community in all of the countries in which we work, and have durable relationships built on trust and ministry. Thus, enhanced engagement with faith communities, and with faith and traditional leaders, represents a pivotal opportunity to accelerate uptake of optimized testing address the gap in HIV epidemic control. The activities of the Faith and Community Initiative will complement and enhance core MEN’STAR, FINDING MEN, and COP pediatric testing and treatment activities

1.2 Goals and Objectives

Rapidly increase the proportion of men and children living with HIV who know their status, are linked to care and have viral load suppression

i. To achieve transformation in perceptions about HIV by replacing old messages of fear and death with new messages of hope and life (emphasizing the benefits of early treatment, with a focus on U=U)

ii. To increase targeted case-finding, linkage, and retention for men and children living with HIV, by leveraging the specific and intimate social and organizational networks within faith communities

iii. To decrease loss to follow up by decreasing stigma and non-adherence associated with faith healing

iv. To develop the capacity of FBOs and Faith Communities to monitor and evaluate the impact of program activities using standardized PEPFAR indicators (MER and DATIM narrative indicators)

2. FAITH AND COMMUNITY INITIATIVE:JUSTICE FOR CHILDREN

2.1 Project Background and Description

Justice for Children is the 2nd priority of PEPFAR’s Faith and Community Initiative, an essential component of the broader PEPFAR Strategy for Accelerating Epidemic Control through community engagement. According to several population-based HIV impact assessments (PHIAs) and Violence Against Children Surveys (VACS), it is apparent that vulnerability for HIV is linked to sexual violence and begins very young. VACs and program experience also show that children rarely disclose sexual violence when it does occur and that community norms may serve as a deterrent to formal reporting. Thus, preventing sexual violence among 9-14 year olds and responding to sexual violence among all children to ameliorate its negative consequences are fundamental approaches for preventing HIV.

2.2 Goals and Objectives

Goal:

There are three main goals for Priority 2 – Justice for Children

• Prevent the perpetration of sexual violence against children.

• Ensure that children served by PEPAFR are protected against sexual violence while engaging in PEPFAR funded programs and services to the greatest extent possible.

• Facilitate disclosure, reporting, and appropriate system responses to cases of sexual violence against children with a focus on holding perpetrators accountable.

Objectives:

• To engage leaders and systems who can incorporate programing and policies to change the trajectory of violence against children in areas of high HIV burden.

• To identify (and encourage the use of) program and policy activities that are based on the best available evidence to prevent the perpetration of violence, and enable disclosure and reporting when violence occurs

3.PROJECT COVERAGE

This project is implemented in three Region namely, MWANZA, Geita and Tanga.