Last October 11-15, 2004 , Remedios AIDS Foundation, Inc along with the other seventeen NGOs attended the Global Funds (GF)- AIDS Project and Fund Management Orientation Workshop held in Oasis Hotel Angeles city. The workshop is organized by Philippine NGO Council for Population, Health and Welfare (PNGOC), who is the sub-recipient of GFTAM AIDS Project and Tropical Disease Foundation, Inc who is the GFTAM Principal recipient.
What is Global funds?
Global funds came about as a public-private partnership based in Geneva. It is a financial instrument by itself and not an implementing agency. GF serves as partner to govts, NGOs and international agencies in the coordinated fight against the world's deadliest diseases (HIV AIDS Malaria and Tuberculosis) It aims to increase resources available to fight these disease in countries in need. GF is considered the largest global fund domain in the health domain committed from govt and private donors worldwide. It is a mechanism to attract, manage and disburse additional resources to make a substantial contribution to mitigate the impact caused by HIV AIDS TB and Malaria.
The Philippines' proposal entitled: Accelerating STI and HIV AIDS Prevention and Care through Intensified Delivery of Services to Vulnerable Groups and People Living with HIV AIDS in Strategic Areas in the Philippines. The proposal was approved, during the third round call of GFTAM, the amount of USD 3,496,865 Category 2A (Source GFO Newsletter Issue 13: October 20, 2003) for the intial two years. GF utilizes performance-based funding support and depending on the results of the first two years will the additional GFTAM support for the next three years will be provided.
GFTAM Philippines overall all goal is to contribute to the national goal of preventing STI/HIV/AIDS infection and reduce its impact on those already infected and affected. The project has two main thrusts: Prevention and Care and Support and Treatment.
For prevention, the objective is to improve behavior change communication and STI management among vulnerable groups (PIPs, IDUs, MSM, migrant workers) in 11 risk sites namely Bauang La Union, San Pablo Laguna, Lucena, Gumaca, Legaspi, Tabaco, Sorsogon, Matnog, Ormoc, Lapu-lapu City, Mandaue by 2009.
For care, support and treatment, the objective is to scale up voluntary counseling and testing (VCT), support, care and treatment for PLHAs and their families in 4 geographic areas namely: Manila, Cebu, San Fernando and Davao City.
These sites were determined through the analysis of the various HIV AIDS intervention vis-à-vis donor and site coverage.
Table 2. Summary of Respondents' Experience of Discrimination
by Healthcare Workers |
| 10 AIDS Surveillance and Education Program (ASEP) sites |
8 USAID/The Futures Group (TFG) /PNAC DILG sites (2001) |
22 Risk sites (2001) |
8 PNAC-UNAIDS PAF (2003) |
**Baguio City
Angeles City
Pasay City
Quezon City
Cebu City
Iloilo City
General Santos City
Davao City
Zamboanga City
** Cagayan de Oro City** Cities that have started to allocate its own budget for surveillance activities since 1998 to date |
Laoag City
San Fernando City
Urdaneta City
Dagupan City
Batangas City
Naga City
Butuan City
Dipolog City |
Candon
*Bauang, La Union
Tarlac
*San Fernando City
*San Pablo City
*Gumaca
*Legaspi
*Tabaco
*Sorsogon City
*Matnog
**Tacloban
**Maasin
**Calbayog
**Catarman
**Catbalogan
*Ormoc
*Lapu-lapu (IDU)
*Mandaue (IDU)
Danao
***Tagbilaran
Dumaguete*11 Global Fund sites
**presence of GTZ
*** Cities that has formulated its own policy and Local AIDS Council since 1999 |
Gapan
Cabanatuan
Palayan
Munos
San Jose
Cauayan
Santiago
Baliwag |
| Source: GFTAM Philippine Proposal May 30,2003 |
Full implementation of the project in identifies sites starts October 2004 up to May 2006 (20 months). The co partner agencies for implementation are: Department of Health (DOH), National AIDS/STD Prevention and Control (NASPC), National Epidemiologic Center (NEC), STD AIDS Central Control Laboratory (SACCL) through 11 Municipal Health Offices (MHOs)/ City Health Offices (CHOs) and partner Local government unites (LGUs).
DOH through referral hospitals namely San Lazaro Hospital, Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM), Philippine General Hospital (PGH), ITRMC, Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VSMMC), Davao Medical Center (DMC)
Remedios received two fund grants under GFTAM, one in prevention and one in care and support from GFTAM.For prevention, RAF will implement the project entitled: " HIV AIDS Empowerment Initiatives through Peer Approach among People in Prostitution (PIP)s in Southern Tagalog namely: San Pablo City and Gumaca Quezon. For care and support, the project is entitled: "Post Test Counseling: Fast Track Access to HIV AIDS Care and Support Services" in Manila and Cebu and Ormoc City.
