How The Avahan HIV Prevention Program Transitioned From The Gates Foundation To The Government Of India

Monitoring and evaluating transition and sustainability of donor-funded programs: Reflections on the Avahan experience

“…These NGOs in turn sub-contracted smaller, local NGOs to provide a range of prevention services (Sgaier et al, 2013). Services provided included peer education, condom distribution, testing and treatment of sexually transmitted infections, clinical service referral, community mobilization, as well as structural interventions aimed at reducing stigma, violence, and barriers to accessing entitlements (The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, 2008).…”

Unintended Consequences of Community-Based Monitoring Systems: Lessons from an HIV Prevention Intervention for Sex Workers in South India

“…The NGO ran the intervention from 2004 to 2009. In 2010, the Gates Foundation's Avahan program began phasing out and transferring the administration of interventions to the Government of India (Rao, 2010;Sgaeir et al, 2013). Control over the Rajahmundry intervention has changed hands twice since 2009, but at the time of writing, the handover to the CBO has not yet occurred.…”

Rolling out new biomedical HIV prevention tools: what can be learned from Avahan, the India AIDS initiative?

“…44 To manage this transition of STI clinical services to government clinics, several activities occurred: (1) KPs were encouraged to access services at these facilities by KP peer outreach workers who cited the advantages of having various services (STI consultation, syphilis screening, HIV testing and counselling, tuberculosis screening and treatment, and other health services) offered at a single location; (2) 'Know your doctor' campaigns (meetings between community members and public-sector healthcare providers) were conducted; (3) several public-sector campaigns for KPs helped increase their confidence about using government services; (4) through capacity-building workshops and interactions with the community at the NGO office, public-sector healthcare providers were sensitised to the needs of KPs, and the requirement for providing nonstigmatising services and maintaining privacy and confidentiality,; (5) a community member was placed at some large government hospitals to help KPs access the requisite services at the hospital; and (6) the NGO assisted government sites that provided routine STI check-ups for KPs on predetermined days, by supplying colour-coded prepackaged STI treatment kits used in the project, and by placing a nurse or counsellor to assist the public sector physician. From a structural perspective, under National AIDS Control Program III KP community members were ex officio members of the District AIDS Prevention Control Unit, where sharing the KP community's experiences of accessing public sector health facilities was a routine agenda item at the monthly meetings.…”