Nigeria

AIHA initiated activities under the CDC1950 grant in Kenya (October 2019), Tanzania and Zambia, (April 2020), Nigeria (May 2020), Guatemala (July 2020), Haiti (October 2020), the Dominican Republic (October 2020), and the Philippines (2020) the goal of which is to strengthen Key Population (KP) and Civil Society (CSO) led organizations’ capacity to deliver services to vulnerable populations to stem the spread of HIV/AIDS through various prevention, care and treatment initiatives. The project also provides KP-led organization with the skills and abilities to enable them to operate as primary recipients (and sub-grantors) of US/PEPFAR and other donor funding. 

AIHA is conducting this work in collaboration with CDC/Atlanta and respective CDC Country Offices and National KP Consortia. 

CDC1950 also operated in Thailand and Laos where the primary focus of AIHA’s work was on index testing.

Once KP-led organizations in-country have been identified, the first step in the process is to conduct an assessment of organizational capacity. AIHA has used the Organizational Capacity Assessment (OCA tool), a self-assessment that each KP-led or KP-competent organization interested in participating in this project needs to complete to determine gaps and training needs. The OCA forms are analyzed and then shared along with recommendations with the national KP networks. This helps determine the list of KP-led CSOs to be included in the project and the input for the development of an organization-specific training plan. 

The most common gaps identified with Nigerian CSOs were in Project, Finance, Human Resources and Organizational management. Due to the COVID19 pandemic, AIHA has been conducting trainings on priority areas via a set of webinars followed by one-on-one mentorships. All CSOs are welcome to listen to webinars but one-on-one mentorship is being provided to 12-15 organizations per country selected for the project.

In July-September 2020, AIHA – in collaboration with AVAC and the CDC – arranged stakeholders’ consultations with the Nigerian CSOs to discuss the needs of KP-led organizations and identify priorities for training and mentorship. 12 KP-led CSOs were determined for one-on-one mentorship.

In Year 1 AIHA conducted three on-line trainings on Strategic Planning, Governance and Advocacy that were delivered by AVAC. All trainings were followed by mentorships.

Key results of Project Year 1:

• Organizational Capacity Assessment competed. 30 CSOs participated, 12 selected for mentorship.
• AVAC provided 3 above-mentioned trainings online: 
• 125 participants from 17 CSOs attended three online trainings;
• 116 mentorship hours were delivered by local mentors upon training completion.

In Project Year 2 AIHA focused on the following:

Objective 1: Strengthen financial resiliency through planning for diversified sources of revenue 

In accordance with gaps identified in Year 1, AIHA delivered trainings on Finance and Human Resources Management  followed by a two week-long on-line training on Social Enterprise and diversified sources of revenue. All trainings were followed up with in-country based mentorship. Upon completion of the training on Social Enterprise, participants submitted  draft business plans that included a social enterprise scheme (e.g. a profit-generating activity). 

Objective 2: Build capacity to implement and sustain social enterprise schemes

Small grants were provided to CSOs to address their capacity development needs followed by implementation of their social enterprise capacity development plans;

Local consultants and AVAC supported selected organizations in each country to implement their social-enterprise scheme.

Key results:

• 116 mentorship hours were delivered by local mentors upon training completion.
• 24 participants attended and completed the Finance Management training from 12 CSOs
• 20 participants attended and completed the Human Resource training from 12 CSOs
• 20 participants attended and completed the Social Enterprise training from 12 CSOs

Key Results of eligible CSOs’ Phase 2 Capacity Building Grants:

• 10 Nigerian KP-led CSOs awarded Organizational Capacity Grants
• 10 of 10 KP-led CSOs successfuly completed their Organizational Capacity Grants
• 3 CSOs developed their 1st Organizational Strategic Plans
• 2 CSOs developed their 1st M&E Framework 
• 2 CSOs revised all their organizational policies or developed new policies 
• 1 CSO developed their 1st Human Resource Policies and Manuals with SHEA policy
• 1 CSO enrolled and completed 8 staff training of PMP (project management course)
• 1 CSO developed their 1st Advocacy and Communication Strategic Plans 

Key Results of Phase 3 Social Enterprise Initiative:

• 10 of 12 eligible CSOs were trained in social enterprise
• 7 CSOs submitted business plans for Social Enterprise Mini-grants
• 3 CSOs awarded mini-grants to support their Social Enterprise initiatives through September 2021. 

Nigerian CSOs will share their experiences, lessons learned and recommendations for follow-up in an on-line Learning Exchange Forum scheduled for November 2021.

AIHA and partners aim to integrate evidence-informed strategies to enhance OVC services, strengthen social services for OVC, and improve the OVC systems’ services and support in Kano, Nigeria, and in other states in Nigeria. Specifically, the objective of the ICHSSA 3 Program is “to ensure that OVC are cared for and protected by their households, communities, local and state government” through civil society and partnerships. Nigeria was initially selected because at the time of the project award, there was a significant risk among adult populations not on HIV/AIDS treatment (40%) and low use of ART among HIV-positive pregnant women (30%) – indicating a significant at-risk population that could benefit from pre-OVC and OVC services as part of HIV prevention and treatment programs. Since 2019, AIHA and our partner organization THSI-N, and in conjunction with the prime contractor, the Society for Family Health Nigeria, have been working to deliver a full package of technical assistance activities to ensure that local and state governments have sufficient, high performing human resources to protect and care for OVC. Details about the project and its accomplishments can be viewed here.

At the outset of the project, HRSA, AIHA, and NASTAD held multiple calls with PEPFAR country teams to discuss their needs and expected outcomes. The project team then provided a menu of specialized technical assistance options, based on these communications, for PEPFAR country teams and CSOs to choose from, should they be interested in utilizing the project. These options included support for the following: CSO recruitment for participation in COP planning and implementation, meaningful CSO engagement in COP planning, meaningful CSO engagement in PEPFAR implementation, and evaluation of CSO engagement and dissemination of tools.

Ultimately, PEPFAR teams from four countries requested technical assistance (TA) from the CSO Engagement Initiative during the FY 2016-2019 period of performance: Ethiopia, Mozambique, Nigeria, and Uganda. The project encompassed a series of activities customized to each country’s needs and timed to coincide with COP-related activities as appropriate.

Accomplishments

• The project team conducted an assessment of the state of civil society and its relationships with PEPFAR country teams prior to additional activities in each country. While every country is unique, common themes included PEPFAR teams finding CSOs lacking in sophistication when it comes to data and unable to provide the type of information that PEPFAR requires from them. In turn, CSOs often described PEPFAR teams as insufficiently engaged with them. Both PEPFAR and CSO respondents agreed on the need for capacity building for CSOs to help them become better partners with PEPFAR in the fight against HIV/AIDS.
• The project team conducted Data Presentation Workshops. The purpose of these workshops was to help PEPFAR better communicate their highly sophisticated data to an audience who may not be as comfortable with technical terms. In some countries, CSO leadership participated in these workshops as well. There was near unanimous agreement that these workshops were helpful to all.
• After the Data Presentation Workshops, the project team conducted CSO Orientation Development Workshops and supported PEPFAR country teams as they in turn conducted CSO Orientation Meetings prior to COP 19 activities in Ethiopia. The CSO Orientation Development Workshops provided PEPFAR teams and CSO Leadership with support to design and Orientation Meeting for CSOs to help orient them to COP processes. Once again, PEPFAR team members and CSO leadership reported that the Development Workshops helped them in designing the Orientation Meetings, and Meeting participants reported that they felt more prepared to meaningfully engage with PEPFAR.
• The project took an explicitly adaptive approach, using data gathered from each activity to improve. This adaptive approach allowed the project team to be as responsive as possible to individual country needs and to change their approach when necessary, contributing to project success.

AIHA established an NGO known as the Twinning for Health Support Initiative, Nigeria (THSI) in 2014. With a similar mission to AIHA, THSI replicated the highly successful Auxiliary Social Worker Training Program (known in other countries as Para Social Worker) that AIHA piloted in Nigeria under an HIV/AIDS Twinning Center partnership with local social work training institutions in Enugu State from 2008 to 2014.

SMILE worked to improve the well-being of 500,000 vulnerable children in the target states, along with 125,000 caregivers. Other key goals included improving Nigeria’s capacity to address the needs of vulnerable children at the state level by strengthening the technical and organizational capacity of local government authorities (LGAs) in close collaboration with the local bureaus of the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Welfare, and facilitating enhanced collaboration among CSOs and communities to better integrate and manage comprehensive care and support programs for vulnerable children, including household economic strengthening (HES) services.

During its first year working on SMILE, THSI and our expert resource partners from the University of Nigeria-Nsukka and the Federal School of Social Work adapted AIHA’s Auxiliary Social Worker (ASW) curriculum to the local context and are currently rolling out initial trainings across the five project states. 

STEER was 5-year project is designed to mitigate the impact of HIV and AIDS on Nigerian children and families by creating greater country ownership and leadership through strengthened governments, civil society, and families.

For the past decade, reliance on the ability of community volunteers to interface with families at the household level, identify their needs, and link them to appropriate services has been a key element of the support community-based organizations (CBOs) and civil society organizations (CSOs) provide for orphans and vulnerable children and families in this region.

In 2013 when Project STEER was launched, AIHA was the only pre-service implementer in Nigeria that is addressing the country’s critical social welfare workforce shortage through our successful Auxiliary Social Worker (known in other countries as Para Social Worker) Training Program in Enugu State.

Under STEER, AIHA worked closely with Save the Children and its partners to bolster the professionalism of the social welfare workforce in Northern Nigeria, focusing on building the capacity of staff at CBOs, CSOs, local government authorities (LGAs), and other organizations throughout the region.

We worked with state-level bureaus of the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Welfare, LGAs, polytechnic institutes, institutes of social work, and community service organizations (CSOs) in the five project states to train Auxiliary Social Workers (ASWs). Together with these stakeholders and the Nigerian National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), AIHA adapted the current curriculum to the northern context; we’ve also upgraded it to a certificate-level course.

Tapping into the knowledge and experience of our Twinning Center partners from Enugu State, we have trained 27 master trainers from institutions of social work in the North, who are taking the lead on the rollout of the ASW Program across the five project states, delivering ASW training to 739 individuals working at the LGAs and CSOs, as well as to community volunteers associated with the project.

Based on the successful Para Social Worker Training Program being implemented in Tanzania, the Nigeria Initiative was carefully adapted to the country’s unique needs and regional cultural context. The program was closely aligned with the Nigerian Government’s health system strengthening efforts and played a critical role in building sustainable capacity to train Social Workers and Para Social Workers (PSWs) at both Nigerian universities. It was implemented in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Women’s Affairs and Social Development and the Enugu State Ministry of Gender Affairs and Social Development with funding from PEPFAR and CDC / Nigeria.

PSWs are community-level health extension workers who receive specialized courses that arm them with foundational skills in basic social work and child development concepts, as well as service delivery for OVC. In between a social worker and a volunteer, most PSWs are already working in their communities and can be quickly trained to effectively provide much-needed services to vulnerable children and their caregivers.

PSW training modules focus on:

• Improving knowledge of HIV/AIDS and available interventions;
• Making active referrals to HIV counseling and testing services;
• Linking clients to HIV-related treatment, care, and support services, as well as to other healthcare services, via active referrals;
• Providing case management to increase adherence to HIV treatment and improve health outcomes; and,
• Helping ensure access to comprehensive, holistic care, including nutrition, education, legal, psychosocial, economic, and other needed support.

To increase recognition and absorption of this new cadre of community-level social workers, AIHA worked with the Nigerian Association of Social Workers (NASOW) to have PSWs included in new national social work legislation, which is currently in its final hearing stages.

From 2008 to 2014, the two partner institutions in Enugu State trained 1,141 PSWs. These workers subsequently returned to their communities better able to provide care, support, and referrals for needed services to children in need.