Signing ceremony with Global Fund Round-6 partners at LGRD Auditorium, January 24, 2008

Strategies:

• High Risk Interventions: Injecting Drug Users, Female Sex Workers, People Living with HIV/AIDS, Workplace Intervention at garment industries, Advocacy and Communication
• Scaling up of prevention strategies with young People: Media Campaign, Youth Friendly Health Services, Life Skills Education & Accessing Condom, Teachers Training & Drug Resistance Education, Advocacy to create enabling environment, Generating Information for policies and programs

• Capacity Building: National level, District level, Implementing partners- GoB, NGOs, others

Targets by 2012:

• <10% increase in HIV prevalence among 15-49 year olds
• <10% of Injecting Drug Users are HIV infected
• <1% of Sex Workers are infected with HIV
• 65% of Injecting Drug Users Have used condoms and avoided needle sharing over last 12 months
• 50% of Female Sex Workers have reported condom use with every client over the last week
• 15% of Young People aged 15-24 have had sex with a non-marital, non-cohabiting partners over the last 12 months
• 50% of Young People aged 15-24 have reported use of condom during last sexual intercourse with a non-regular basis

Grant Performance Report

Achievements so far:

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Lauching ceremony of Global Fund Round-6 on February 28, 2007

Interventions for prevention and control of HIV/AIDS amongst high risk population and vulnerable young people in Bangladesh have made commendable progress. The following are some of the significant achievements:

Key Success

• HIV/AIDS prevention information inserted in school and college curriculum
• National standard for Youth Friendly Health service is endorsed and being practiced countrywide in public, NGO & private health setups. Service related data on youth is integrated within the MIS system of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS)

• Under the Ministry of Religious Affaires 4 booklets on HIV/AIDS for 4 major practicing religions in the country are published
• Public-private partnership has been proved to be an effective model for fighting AIDS
• 300 PLHIV are receiving ARV per year that is ever first time in Bangladesh
• Scaling up targeted interventions for most at risk populations (MARP)
• Integration of treatment, care and support strategies with partners
• Government of Bangladesh is playing stewardship role in advancing national strategic responses.

Major impacts*

The Global Fund supported HIV/AIDS Programs has contributed in achieving some significant impacts in prevention of HIV in Bangladesh. The impacts are as follows:

• level of correct knowledge and awareness about HIV/AIDS and risk perception has increased and people have the access to information and messages
• HIV prevalence remains low
• stigma and discrimination is gradually reducing,
• marked behavioral change is visible across all segments of population,
• condom use has increased amongst the most at risk population and;
• syphilis infection is declining and
• misconceptions remain similar along with better knowledge level on HIV.

Major impacts on the National Policy

• Information on HIV/AIDS inserted into national education curriculum (grade VII-XII) through the Ministry of Education. The government initiated teacher’s training and community sensitization in creating an enabling environment for teaching and learning about HIV/AIDS.
• HIV/AIDS prevention, care & support related information has been incorporated in the training curriculum of five different ministries including home (police)
• Workplace policy on LSE on HIV/AIDS endorsed by Bangladesh Garments Manufacturers’ association (BGMEA)

• Institutionalization of HIV into the Teachers Training Institutes (TTI) and Madrasa Training Institutes (MTI) nationwide
• The MoHFW is supporting harm reduction for IDUs and Oral Substitution Therapy (OST) Program; and services for sex workers (SWs) as a result of advocacy, training and orientation.
• Government gazette issued to functionalize District AIDS Committee nationwide
• Institutionalization of HIV into the Teachers Training Institutes (TTI) and Madrasa Training Institutes (MTI) nationwide
• Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for services to PLHIV endorsed by the government

Lessons learnt

• Public-Private Partnership modality led by the government can make it effective mechanism
• Comprehensive capacity building of partners can lead to appreciable results and responses
• Utilizing local knowledge & skills are key to achieve results for national response
• Program diversity can assure acceptance of sensitive issues among the general population

Challenges

• Capacity building of partners ranging from govt. NGOs, private sector organization, FBOs, CBOs in a unified manner
• Reaching the MARPs through the existing social and legal obstacles
• Tailoring sensitive messages for the general population
• Implement different programs with diverse groups through optimum coordination and monitoring

*Data sources: End line evaluation (results yet to be published) jointly carried out by NASP, SC USA and ICDDR,B