RFP invited To Register As Sub-Sub Recipients (Ssr) For Vihaan – A Global Fund Supported Programme

Introduction

India HIV/AIDS Alliance (Alliance India) as Principal Recipient (PR) has been awarded the Grant funded by Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM), for the programme known as Vihaan (which means Dawn’s First Light) care and support programme for People Living with HIV across India.  

Background of the programme:

India revised care and support strategies in 2013 under NACP IV and under new strategy, National AIDS Control Organization (NACO) is providing all treatment including treatment for opportunistic infections through Govt. health care facilities and a civil society organization will provide care and support services to all needy PLHIV.India Country Coordination Mechanism (CCM) selected India HIV/AIDS Alliance as Recipient (PR) to implement care and support programme across the country. The programme is being named as ‘Vihaan’ (Sanskrit word which means dawn’s first light) is providing care and support services to needy PLHIV since June 2013.  Till November 2017, the programme has reached to 1,037,856 PLHIV (82% of total PLHIV registered at ART centres and on active care) provided with care & support servicesthrough 358 care and support centres and 32 Help Desks. The programme is being implemented in close coordination with NACO, SACS and ART centres at national, state and district level respectively.

Alliance India has received the approval from Global Fund for continuation of programme from Jan 2018 to March 2021. During this period, 310 (10 TG specific) care and support centres (CSCs) exclusively supported by Global Fund will be functional to cater the service needs of PLHIV enrolled in ART centres across the country.  In addition to this, there are 7 CSCs supported by NHM in Gujarat and 1 CSC supported through CSR initiative in Maharashtra will continue to be functional.

Objectives of Vihaan:

Vihaan programme has evolved over a period of time as one of the good models of community based care and support programme supporting national HIV programme through enhancing the quality of life of PLHIV.

The specific objectives of Vihaan include:

• Early linkages of PLHIV to Care ,Support and treatment services
• Provide differentiated care and support services to most needy PLHIV
• Improved treatment adherence and education for PLHIV and addressing behavioural & social factors impacting adherence
• Expanded positive prevention activities
• Improved social protection and wellbeing of PLHIV
• Early detection and management of co-infection-Tuberculosis among PLHIV

What are Care Support Centres?

Care and support centres (CSCs) are friendly places where PLHIV receive information on care and support, access to a range of health referrals, education and linkages to social welfare schemes and entitlements. 

Apart from these, clients will be able to access the services including counselling services, resting, recreational facilities, entertainment etc. The team at the CSCs would also conduct home visits for the registered clients on their convenience and agreed timing to provide information and education on home based care, adherence, any health referrals not only to the registered clients, but the family, which would be taken as a unit for information, education and referrals especially to social welfare schemes and entitlements. Building on the lessons learnt from the programmatic experience since inception, the programme will now adopt provision of differentiated care and support services to different categories of clients.

For more details of functions of a CSC and other details, please visit: NACO CSC guidelines

CSC: Key features

• Link between health care service delivery & community
• Peer led treatment literacy, adherence counseling and other related care & support services
• Peer led outreach activity tracking LFU and MIS cases
• Access to health referrals
• Education & referrals to social welfare schemes
• Easily accessible
• Differentiated care for PLHIV
• Safe space for PLHIV &HRGs (FSWs, MSM, transgender, hijra and IDUs)
• Provision of differentiated care and support services for PLHIV, first of its kind in the world
• ART dispensation at CSCs for PLHIV on ART with good adherence in coordination with ART centres
• Effective use of eMpower Tablet Application to enhance outreach activity for improved health monitoring of clients
• Key population led outreach model, Peer Model for treatment literacy, adherence and retention.
• Transgender specific CSCs to enhance access to Care and Support Services

Management of CSCs

Any Non Govt. Organization (NGO) or Community Based Organization (CBO) who have legal entity, with appropriate expertise of implementing HIV programmes at district or state level and presence in the district where application has been called for are eligible to apply.

The core area of CSC’s work is linking PLHIV in to various services. Hence the agency should have excellent rapport with all key stakeholders in the district and proven leverage skills. Therefore, a track record of working successfully with the local PLHIV community/KP groups and proven experience of effective advocacy with SACS/DAPCU or local government for treatment or care of PLHIV will be advantage.

Submission of Proposal

Madhya Pradesh Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS (MPNP+)   is working as Sub Recipient (SR) for Vihaan programme in the State of Madhya Pradesh invites request for proposal from the all eligible agencies to implement CSC in Sagar district attached to Sagar ART centre. The application has to be submitted in the prescribed format (form1)on or before 20 January 2018 by 6:00 PM to MPNP+, 116, Ashok Vihaar, Nagar Nigam colony, near Ashoka Garden Police Station, Bhopal (M.P.)through by hand, registered post or courier. The proposal should be submitted in a sealed envelope. 

Mention “PROPOSAL TO REGISTER AS SUB-SUB RECIPIENTS (SSR) FOR VIHAAN – A GLOBAL FUND SUPPORTED PROGRAMME on the top of the envelope.

Applications received after the above date and time shall be summarily rejected. Upon receipt of application, expert team from PR and SR will shortlist organization based on the selection criteria for Joint Appraisal Team (JAT) comprised of representatives of PR, SACS and SR visit.

Agencies meeting the eligibility criteria and who are interested in carrying out this assignment are requested to submit their proposal for the same as per the details outlined in the RFP.

Pre-bid queries: Agencies who have any query regarding this RFP or the selection procedure are requested to forward the same in writing to mpnpplus@gmail.com latest by 13 January 2018 by 6:00 PM. The queries will be consolidated and the response will be sent to the interested agencies by 15 January 2018.  By 6:00 PM.

Eligibility Criteria for NGO/CBO Setting Up CSC

• The agency should be a non-profit organisation and legally registered under The Societies Registration Act of 1860 or an equivalent Act of a State; or The Charitable and Religious Act of 1920; or Indian Trusts Act of 1882; or an equivalent Act of a State; or Section 25 C Company ACT
• The agency should have all statutory requirements including 12 A, renewal as per Govt. norms, separate bank account etc
• It should have a clearly defined organisational structure.
• It should have established administrative and management systems.
• It should have sound financial track record with an established financial management
• System (three years audit reports and audited accounts required in case of NGOs and two years report for CBOs).
• It should have a minimum of three years’ experience in managing public health programmes or allied programmes in health.
• Experience in the field of HIV/AIDS, especially in the area of care and support, will be an added benefit.
• The organisation should have been working for minimum three years in case of NGOs and one year in case of CBOs in the same district and have a good track record in providing services. Only those organisations previously working in the district will be considered for the selection
• Readiness to make available adequate infrastructure deemed necessary to carry out all the activities planned in CSC.

 To download detailed ToR, click here