Requesting for expression of interest: To develop a manual on Home Based Care

[Guest guest]

Dear Forum,

We are on the lookout for a consultant who can help us in putting together a

manual on Home Based Care of HIV/AIDS infected and affected Children. Please

find below the SOW giving all details. We would appreciate receiving expression

of interest along with detailed CVs from individuals who have undertaken similar

activities by the 11th of July 2003.

Scope of work for Manual development on Home Based Care for Children Affected

(CAA) by HIV/AIDS

I. Introduction

Catholic Relief Services (CRS) is an international relief and development agency

with programs in more than 80 countries. Its international headquarters are in

Baltimore, MD. CRS has emerged as one of the world's leaders in providing

assistance to people infected and affected by HIV/AIDS. It has more than 100

ongoing HIV/AIDS programs in 31 countries with a value of more than $44m. More

than 75% of this money is out of private funds. These ongoing programs serve

more than 4 million people infected and affected by HIV/AIDS.

CRS provides assistance to India under the Indo-US Agreement since 1951.

Initially Title II food resources were used to support the " family feeding

program " . Programming evolved to include maternal and child health, education,

agricultural and emergency and non-emergency general relief components. Over the

years this humanitarian assistance program evolved to direct interventions in

mother and child health, education, agriculture and humanitarian assistance.

Since FY1997 CRS concentrated its efforts on the transition from a development

program focusing on needy individuals to a community based approach that

actively engaged CRS partners, village level groups, and program participants to

develop and implement sustainable development activities at the grassroots

level.

Keeping in view the enormity of the HIV/AIDS prevalence and its consequences CRS

/India has been implementing programs in the area of care and support of both

HIV/AIDS infected and affected in the country since FY 97. Currently it is

supporting 20 projects in 8 states of the country.

CRS is implementing a project specific to providing community based care to the

infected / affected children in Peddapuram Mandal of Andhra Pradesh and 3

selected slums in east Delhi since October 2002. This project is for a period of

eighteen months and covers 1000 and 250 HIV infected/affected children. The

project is one of its kinds in the country. Home based care manual is available

for institutional care of children but probably on home-based care this would be

one of the first initiatives in the country.

The overall goal and objectives of the project are:

Goal: To improve the well being of HIV/AIDS infected and affected children in

the target area through provision of comprehensive care and support programs

within an enabling environment.

Objectives:

1.. To provide supportive care through the provision of nutrition, primary

medical care facilities and education to the affected and infected children

2.. Advocate and sensitize the family and wider community for providing care

and support to orphans, affected and infected children

3.. Empower children through psychosocial support to cope with their

situation.

4.. Establish and strengthen linkages with institutional facilities for

education and health through referrals

5.. Build capacities of two implementing partners and other local NGOs for

effective delivery of services for the vulnerable community through on going

support.

In order to meet the set goal and objectives following strategies are adopted in

the project:

· Community based care and support through social workers and peer

educators

· Community based medical care and treatment for affected and infected

children through clinic

· Community sensitization, mobilization and participation of key

stakeholders in project activities in creating an enabling environment

· Generate optimal utilization of services (institutional facilities)

through established referrals and linkages for medical, IGP and education

· Capacity building of implementing partners and local NGOs and provide

technical support to them

Activities carried out in the project are:

1.. Regular supply of nutritional supplements for the affected and infected

children

2.. Running community based clinics for the treatment of opportunistic

infections for the affected and other medical needs of the affected

3.. Conducting clinic based awareness generation activities on curative and

preventive care

4.. Conducting camps for awareness generation and demonstration of nutritional

needs

5.. Conducting home visits for interpersonal communication

6.. Conducting group meetings for collective communication

7.. Using local events and forums in the community for mass communication

8.. Stakeholders meets to ensure participation, planning and review

9.. Developing and producing a range of need based BCC materials to be used at

different points of communication

10.. Counseling affected and infected children through clinics and home visits

11.. FHI will provide technical assistance and develop a protocol on

counseling of children and their parents and referral to VCTs

12.. Setting up and running drop-in centre(s) for recreational activities for

the infected and affected children

13.. Organizing programs and establishing linkages with other institutions for

vocational training and/or extra-curricular activities

14.. Peer education

15.. Establishing linkages with government and private institutions for HIV

testing and treatment services

16.. Rehabilitation for CAA

17.. Mainstreaming drop-out children to local educational institutions

18.. All the children below poverty line will be given financial assistance

for education of children after ascertaining their needs

19.. Orient implementing partners on the program, program design and help in

development of project implementation plan

20.. CRS to coordinate with FHI to provide ongoing technical support to the

implementing partners at various stages of the project

21.. Planning and designing programs

22.. Conducting workshops, training, and orientation programs for different

functionaries

23.. Design and develop manual on home based care for CAA

24.. Organize exposure visits

25.. Participation in international and national conferences

26.. Sharing of lessons learnt

Objective of the assignment:

· To develop a manual on Home Based Care of CAA

Various functionaries and caregivers would extensively use the manual in the

project. It would also be shared with the external world; anybody would be free

to adopt it as per need and location.

Responsibilities of External consultant

CRS is looking for an external consultant with prior experience and expertise in

similar assignments and having track record of working within specified time

schedules. The consultant will work with CRS Technical Advisor HIV/AIDS based in

Kolkata.

The external consultant will be responsible to:

Develop a detailed activity plan for the assignment

Review project documents: proposal, Baseline survey report, BCC strategy

document, Project progress reports etc

Review all existing material on HBC esp. in the Indian context

Make field visits: hold meetings with project staff, peer educators,

stakeholders committee, and representatives of the referral points, local

government etc

Develop the manual

It is anticipated that about 30 days will be required to complete the

assignment.

The work is to be completed in August / September 2003

Consultancy deliverables

The external expert will be responsible for the following deliverables:

1.. Detailed activity plan

2.. Field visit reports

3.. The manual: in English, Telugu and Hindi

Thanking you

Sincerely

Dr. Ashok Kumar Agarwal, MBBS, MD

Technical Advisor- HIV/AIDS

Catholic Relief Services

4/2 Orient Row, Kolkata - 700 017

India

Tel. No. 91-33-247 6433/1969

Fax No. 91-33-240 8652

E-mail : drashok@...