Success Stories
The USAID | Health Policy Initiative is pleased to share these success stories.
Indonesia's Islamic Schools Adopt HIV CurriculaDecember 1, 2009Following more than two years of technical assistance and advocacy by the USAID | Health Policy Initiative, Task Order 1, young people attending Islamic middle schools in East Java Province, Indonesia, are now learning about HIV prevention and stigma reduction.
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HIV Advocacy in China: Stories from the Field. Strengthening Methadone Maintenance Therapy (MMT)December 1, 2009As China continues to implement its Reform and Opening-Up policy, the number of grassroots community-based organizations (CBOs) eager for involvement and change multiplies. To support China's burgeoning HIV community sector to mobilize, strengthen its leadership, and succeed in bringing about local-level change, the USAID | Health Policy Initiative in the Greater Mekong Region and China (HPI/GMR-C) is building CBO capacity in advocacy and community mobilization. HPI/GMR-C provides training in advocacy, project management, and implementation. The training is followed by small grants to enable CBOs to implement their newly acquired advocacy skills. This series highlights the critical contribution community efforts make to HIV prevention, care, and treatment by exploring the outcome of some of these grants, the lessons learned, and the evolving meaning of advocacy in China. Since this series would be impossible without the enormous contribution and leadership of people living with HIV, the communities most at-risk for HIV, and their partners and families, we thank them for telling their stories. In Mengzi, a small county in Yunnan province, China, the vast majority of drug users are not accessing preventative HIV and injecting drug use services. This brief explores the reasons why and highlights the actions of the Mengzi Kangxin Home Support Group in working to address these issues influencing uptake of services.
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Civil Society Commitment to Collaboration: The Foundation for Effective Advocacy in Chiapas (Mexico)October 1, 2009In Chiapas, Mexico, the USAID | Health Policy Initiative, Task Order 1, has strengthened the capacity of a group of civil society organizations. As a result, the organizations were able to carry out a successful advocacy campaign to halt a proposed measure that would have criminalized transmission of HIV. In response to community mobilization, the Director of the National AIDS Program (CENSIDA) visited Chiapas to meet with the governor. Shortly thereafter, HIV-specific wording was removed from the proposed legislation.
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Capacity-building Workshop Promotes Civil Society Participation in Mexico's HIV ResponseOctober 1, 2009In 2009, the USAID | Health Policy Initiative, Task Order 1, carried out a training to orient civil society organizations to HIV funding mechanisms in Mexico and build capacity in proposal writing. As a result, 12 of the NGOs that participated in the training received funding from the National AIDS Program (CENSIDA) to carry out local HIV prevention activities. The Health Policy Initiative is working with CENSIDA to expand the training for the next round of proposals. A video of the training is available on the CENSIDA website.
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Screening Reveals the Role of Violence in Increasing HIV Vulnerability among MSM and TransgendersOctober 1, 2009Gender-based violence (GBV) is not only an issue for women. Emotional, physical, and sexual violence is often perpetrated against men who have sex with men (MSM), transgenders, and male sex workers as a form of discrimination against their gender identities. Such violence increases their risk for HIV. However, healthcare providers have been slow to address the issue of GBV among MSM and transgenders—either being unaware of their vulnerability to violence or reluctant to delve into these sensitive issues. A new GBV Screening Tool helps healthcare providers identify MSM and transgenders affected by violence so that they can be linked to appropriate counseling and services.
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Sindicatos dos Trabalhadores em Moçambique Aderem à Resposta Nacional Contra HIVOctober 1, 2009Sindicatos reivindicam direitos e negoceiam políticas de HIV no local de trabalho nas negociações colectivas anuais.
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Labor Unions in Mozambique Join the National Response to HIVOctober 1, 2009Nearly two-thirds of formal sector workers in Mozambique belong to a labor union. Despite this, while considerable attention has been paid to encouraging private employers in Mozambique to adopt and implement HIV workplace policies and programs, until recently, organized labor had not been involved in efforts to support HIV interventions in the workplace. Collaborating with labor unions complements working with employers to facilitate the private sector response to HIV. This story describes how the Health Policy Initiative partnered with the National Confederation of Free and Independent Labor Unions of Mozambique (CONSILMO), which represents 106,000 members in four affiliated labor unions across Mozambique, to incorporate HIV workplace policies and programs as a standard demand in their collective bargaining efforts.
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Rising to the Challenge: Health Policy Initiative Helps HIV-positive Teachers Tackle Stigma and Discrimination in KenyaSeptember 1, 2009While HIV-related stigma is a challenge throughout Kenyan society, it has rendered certain groups particularly vulnerable. Members of particular professions, such as teaching, have been acutely stigmatized because of their positions of trust in the society. Teachers living with HIV have experienced high levels of stigma and discrimination. Many have been forced to resign their posts because of their status. Recently, this situation has begun to change, in part due to the efforts of networks of teachers living with and affected by HIV. With assistance from the USAID | Health Policy Initiative, teachers have come together to support and educate each other about HIV, encourage each other to seek treatment, and advocate for their rights. With the project's training and support, the Kenya Network of Positive Teachers (KENEPOTE) and the Kenya AIDS Network for Post-primary Institutions (KANEPPI) are fighting stigma and discrimination, advocating for teachers' rights, and raising awareness of HIV in their workplaces and communities.
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Investing Wisely: Health Policy Initiative Helps Kenya Improve Health Financing Policies and SystemsSeptember 1, 2009Making adequate healthcare services universally available requires striking a delicate balance between a population's health needs and available resources. It also requires the equitable and efficient allocation and use of those resources. Without proper healthcare financing strategies, no government can hope to successfully meet the health needs of its citizens. This case study describes how Task Order 1 of the USAID | Health Policy Initiative and its predecessor, the POLICY Project, helped to strengthen Kenya's healthcare financing system.
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Caregivers Come Together: HIV-positive Health Workers Form New Network in KenyaSeptember 1, 2009Healthcare workers are at the heart of Kenya's HIV response; yet, they themselves are vulnerable to HIV infection. Paradoxically, healthcare workers often have restricted access to treatment, care, and support services. While their profession places them in close proximity to those services, it also exposes them to heightened stigma when they test HIV positive, making them more reluctant to seek HIV services. To date, there have been few HIV prevention, treatment, or support services targeted specifically toward healthcare workers. This brief describes how Task Order 1 of the USAID | Health Policy Initiative in Kenya helped HIV-positive health workers come together to form a network to fight stigma and discrimination in the workplace.
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Demanding Access: Health Policy Initiative Enhances Efforts of HIV Treatment AdvocatesSeptember 1, 2009Task Order 1 of the USAID | Health Policy Initiative works to foster an enabling environment for equitable access to high-quality health services. A key to the project's success is its commitment to strengthening local advocates and champions. The Kenya Treatment Access Movement (KETAM) is one local partner that has benefitedfrom this support. Together, HPI and KETAM have successfully championed Kenyans' right to access affordable HIV treatment, care, and support services—fending off legal and legislative challenges that threatened to restrict access to these services.
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Raising a Common Voice: Health Policy Initiative Helps NEPHAK Bring PLHIV Together to Pursue Shared GoalsSeptember 1, 2009Founded in 2003, the National Empowerment Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS in Kenya (NEPHAK) brings together networks of people living with HIV (PLHIV), nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), community-based organizations (CBOs), and individuals to pursue common goals—improving the quality of life of PLHIV and increasing their involvement in the national HIV response. Task Order 1 of the USAID | Health Policy Initiative has supported NEPHAK since 2006. The project's predecessor, the POLICY Project, helped facilitate the network's formation and assisted it during its first two years.This brief describes how the projects' support has helped NEPHAK emerge as a strong, sustainable institution, able to successfully champion the rights of PLHIV and others affected by the epidemic in Kenya.
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Finding Courage in Faith: Religious Leaders Challenge Stigma and Mobilize a Faith-based Response to HIV in KenyaSeptember 1, 2009Faith and religion are powerful forces in the lives of most Kenyans. The integral role religion plays in people's daily lives places religious leaders in a position of tremendous trust and influence. Unfortunately, instead of serving as places of refuge from stigma for people living with HIV (PLHIV), churches and mosques have often themselves been a source of stigma and discrimination, and religious leaders have been slow to respond to the epidemic. This case study describes how Task Order 1 of the USAID | Health Policy Initiative and its predecessor, the POLICY Project, helped establish Kenya's first national network of HIV-positive and affected religious leaders. Since its establishment in 2004, the network has grown into a strong and influential organization. Its groundbreaking work has paved the way for other national networks of faith leaders, which have sprung up in neighboring countries, including Tanzania and Uganda.
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Sustaining Policy Change: Health Policy Initiative Helps Foster an Enabling Policy Environment for Reproductive Health in KenyaSeptember 1, 2009For more than 10 years, Task Order 1 of the USAID | Health Policy Initiative and its predecessor, the POLICY Project, have worked closely with government and civil society partners in Kenya to raise the profile of FP/RH issues and foster an enabling policy environment. The projects' efforts have led to the drafting and adoption of key policies and strategies and the mobilization of additional resources for RH. The projects have also helped to raise the profile of FP issues on the national agenda, drawn attention to the RH needs and rights of women living with disabilities, and helped Kenya begin the process of integrating RH and HIV services.
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Time to Deliver on Maternal Health and Family Planning Best Practices: White Ribbon Alliances in Asia and the Middle East Make It HappenJuly 30, 2009White Ribbon Alliances (WRAs) across Asia and the Middle East have become strong advocates for evidence-based strategies to reduce maternal mortality. The USAID | Health Policy Initiative, Task Order 1, has helped to form alliances and support their efforts to scale up family planning (FP) and maternal, neonatal, and child health (MNCH) best practices in the region. This brief highlights the achievements of alliances from Bangladesh, India (Orissa), Indonesia, Pakistan, and Yemen.
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Making Policies Work for People: HIV Legal Clinics and Hotline in Vietnam Ensure that PLHIV Know and Exercise Their RightsJuly 1, 2009Beginning in December 2006, the USAID | Health Policy Initiative, Task Order 1, collaborated with in-country partners to establish and operate legal clinics and a hotline as a way to facilitate implementation and monitoring of Vietnam's Law on Prevention and Control of HIV/AIDS, which came into force in January 2007. This success story documents the progress made by those efforts.
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On the Right Track: Vietnam Adopts Rights-based Policies for HIV Prevention, Treatment, and CareJuly 1, 2009Over the past five years, Vietnam has notably improved its HIV policy and legal framework. Projects supported by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)—including the USAID | Health Policy Initiative, Task Order 1 (2005–2009), and its predecessor, the POLICY Project (2002–2006)—have been instrumental in bringing about this change in Vietnam's policy environment. POLICY and the Health Policy Initiative facilitated the adoption and implementation of significant policy instruments, including the national HIV/AIDS strategy, HIV law, and guidelines on treatment, care, and medication-assisted therapy (MAT). These projects offered expertise in policy formulation, coordinated involvement of international and national subject-area experts, and helped to build consensus among policymakers when opinions differed. Acumen in negotiating diverse interests and opinions is essential for overcoming obstacles that can delay or derail the policy process. At each step, the projects also strengthened civil society advocacy capacity and encouraged active participation in the policy process, especially by people living with HIV (PLHIV).
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Positive Beginnings: Strong Networks in Vietnam Enable People Living with HIV to Take Charge of Their FuturesJuly 1, 2009Vietnam's first case of HIV was detected in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) in 1990. Yet, by 2003, only about 20 small, self-help groups were in existence. These groups were located mainly in the big cities of Hanoi in the north and HCMC in the south. Today, five years later, the situation looks quite different. Now, Vietnam has about 200 groups, of all sizes, spread throughout the country. In 2008—building on the path-breaking efforts of regional coalitions—people living with HIV (PLHIV) came together to form two national networks: the Vietnam Network of People Living with HIV (VNP+) and the Vietnam Positive Women's Network. With a strong, united voice, HIV-positive people are poised to enter a new era of engagement in the national HIV response.
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Islamic Leaders Become a Force for Change in Indonesia's HIV ResponseMay 1, 2009To build support for HIV prevention at the community level in Indonesia, the USAID | Health Policy Initiative, Task Order 1, partnered with two prominent Islamic organizations, Muhammadiyah and Nahdlatul Ulama. Focusing on East Java, the project strengthened the HIV advocacy capacity of the organizations' provincial leaders, Syafiq Abdul Mughni and H. Sonhaji Abdussomad, respectively. These leaders have recruited additional HIV champions, forming a team of eight leaders representing district government bodies and different sectors within the Islamic community (including a university and women's group). The team members have become influential advocates for improved HIV responses at the community level. As a result, Muslim communities and organizations have become sensitized to HIV issues, are drafting HIV action plans and incorporating HIV into school curricula, and have committed to forming a network of district-level religious leaders to address HIV.
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Laying the Foundation: PLHIV in MENA Share Knowledge, Build a NetworkFebruary 1, 2009The strongest barrier to PLHIV engagement in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region has been stigma-related isolation—isolation from each other, from information about HIV, and from the regional and global PLHIV community. The work of the Health Policy Initiative and its partners has given a core group of PLHIV the tools to break the isolation PLHIV face in the region and build a network of support and a path to PLHIV leadership.
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Bolivian Communities Take Action Against GBVJanuary 1, 2009Bolivian community leaders launch the Avances de Paz (Advances of Peace) movement to prevent GBV using a community-based, grassroots approach.
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HIV-positive Women in Mexico Step Out of the Shadows (Mexico)December 1, 2008The first-ever registered NGO for HIV-positive women in Mexico promotes empowerment and networking.
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PLHIV Leaders Emerge in MENAOctober 14, 2008This document tells the story of how Arab PLHIV came together to form the region's first PLHIV network.
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Tanzanian Media Join HIV ResponseAugust 29, 2008With technical assistance from the USAID | Health Policy Initiative, Task Order 1, media houses in Tanzania are answering the call to become part of the private sector response to HIV. To date, 16 major media houses have adopted HIV workplace policies
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Tanzania Adopts HIV LawAugust 1, 2008This case study explores how the USAID-funded POLICY Project and USAID | Health Policy Initiative, Task Order 1, have worked to promote an enabling environment for HIV programs in Tanzania. In February 2008, Tanzania's Parliament passed the HIV and AIDS (Prevention and Control) Act, which prohibits discrimination against people living with HIV. The act also outlines the roles of the government, health sector, NGOs, faith-based groups, and the private sector in the national HIV response. Moreover, it calls for enhancing efforts to meet the needs of orphans and vulnerable children. These represent important steps forward. However, much work remains to clarify, disseminate, and ensure appropriate implementation of the act.
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Leading the Way: Health Policy Initiative Mobilizes Religious Leader Response to HIVAugust 1, 2008Many faith-based organizations have responded to the HIV epidemic by encouraging prevention and providing care and support. Yet, challenges such as stigma, shame, denial, discrimination, inaction, and mis-action persist. Since 2006, the USAID | Health Policy Initiative, Task Order 1, has mobilized religious leaders in response to the HIV epidemic in Tanzania. The project's partners include Christian and Muslim organizations, as well as HIV-positive religious leaders. As demonstrated in this case study, the Health Policy Initiative has established strong relationships with faith-based institutions across different religious traditions.
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Coming Together: Health Policy Initiative Helps PLHIV Build Stronger NetworksAugust 1, 2008This case study highlights a successful district and regional network building approach in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, supported by the USAID | Health Policy Initiative, Task Order 1. With the project's support, the Kinondoni District Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS (KINDIPHA+) has improved its leadership and management skills, designed a five-year strategic plan, and fostered the formation of sister networks in two neighboring districts. KINDIPHA+ then took its approach to the next level, bringing together the three district networks to form the Dar es Salaam Coalition of People Living with HIV and AIDS (DACOPHA). Building on its successes, KINDIPHA+ has begun reaching out to other regions to encourage them to build their own PLHIV networks.
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Community Activist Combats Stigma (Tanzania)August 1, 2008This story describes Jackson Ngaiti, the Secretary of the Kongwa Red Cross Society. Ngaiti has become the driving force behind a community mobilization campaign to fight stigma in Tanzania's remote Kongwa district.
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Kenya Adopts First National Reproductive Health PolicyJune 30, 2008This success story describes HPI's role in supporting the development and adoption of Kenya's first national reproductive health policy.
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Bringing Hope From Bitterness (Kenya)March 5, 2008Women and children are often deprived of home, land, and property in Kenya. This publication tells the story of Dorothy Owino, who overcame her own disinheritance to become a champion for women and children's rights in her community.
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Dr. Nafsiah Mboi Combats Gender Inequity and HIV in IndonesiaMarch 5, 2008This article tells the story of Dr. Nafsiah Mboi. As the Secretary of Indonesia's National AIDS Committee, she has encountered many challenges in her quest to stop the spread of HIV in her country, including gender discrimination.
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Guatemala Congress Establishes Policy Monitoring BoardMarch 1, 2008Policies are not always implemented after they are adopted, and often do not achieve desired results. As part of a pilot test of a new tool designed to assess policy implementation, the Health Policy Initiative evaluted the Social Development and Population Policy in Guatemala. The study's findings prompted the Congress of Guatemala to establish a monitoring board for reproductive health (RH), which will monitor the implementation of RH laws, find new funding sources, and spread RH awareness.
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Vietnam Puts HIV Law into PracticeJanuary 1, 2008This success story describes the progress Vietnam has made in the past few years to strengthen its HIV legal framework, including recent steps to implement its national HIV law.
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New Voices For Change in TanzaniaJanuary 1, 2008This document tells the story of the Health Policy Initiative's work with HIV-positive religious leaders and journalists in Tanzania. With support from the project, these groups are beginning to speak out against HIV-related stigma and discrimination.
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New Networks Bring Hope to PLHIV (China)December 31, 2007This article describes HPI's successful efforts to support the establishment of PLHIV networks in Guangxi Province, and how those networks are changing the lives of PLHIV in the area.
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PLHIV Break the Silence in Yunnan (China)December 31, 2007This article describes how HPI's support helped "Evergreen Life," a radio series exploring the experiences of PLHIV hosted by an HIV-positive individual, to bring a new voice to Chinese radio.
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HIV Legal Clinic Opens in VietnamApril 1, 2007Turning Vietnam's HIV policy framework into practice is the aim of a new legal clinic and hotline. The HIV/AIDS Legal Clinic, based in Ho Chi Minh City, provides legal advice and assistance to people living with HIV. In addition to the clinic, which provides face-to-face counseling, a legal hotline with a national toll-free number has also opened in Hanoi.
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Multisectoral Technical Group Promotes Coordinated HIV Response in Niassa Province (Mozambique)March 28, 2007MANDIMBA DISTRICT | Government and civil society groups in Mandimba District, Mozambique, have decided to establish a public forum for discussing and addressing HIV/AIDS at the district level. The decision came about during an awareness-raising session organized by the Multisectoral Technical Group (MTG) of Niassa Province on March 28, 2007.
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Jordan Moves Toward FP Self-sufficiencyDecember 18, 2006AMMAN | On December 18, 2006, the Kingdom of Jordan and USAID signed an agreement pledging ongoing cooperation to ensure access to modern contraceptive methods in Jordan. The "Contraceptive Phase-over Plan" lays the groundwork for a complete transfer of responsibility for contraceptive procurement to the Jordanian government by 2009.
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Businesses Unite to Confront Stigma (Jamaica)September 20, 2006KINGSTON | Twenty-one private sector companies committed to adopting HIV workplace programs at the launch of the Jamaica Business Council on HIV/AIDS (JaBCHA) on September 20, 2006.
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Vietnam Adopts First HIV LawJune 21, 2006HANOI | On June 21, 2006, Vietnam's National Assembly approved the country's first ever law on HIV prevention and control. The law guarantees equal treatment for people living with HIV and others affected by the epidemic and provides a comprehensive legal framework that will strengthen the national response to the epidemic.
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