HIV and AIDS

In the Dominican Republic and in Guyana, HIV prevalence rates among key populations are significantly higher than those in the countries’ general population. This disparity highlights the disproportionate vulnerability of populations such as female sex workers (FSW), men who have sex with men (MSM), transgender (TG), migrant and mobile populations to HIV. High HIV prevalence among these key affected populations also suggests the potential for continued spread of the virus. In both the Dominican Republic and Guyana, Advancing Partners & Communities’ (APC) efforts are geared towards contributing to a sustainable reduction in HIV transmission among key populations and an improved quality of life for people living with HIV. By strengthening the technical and organizational capacity of NGOs and community-based organizations through sub-grants, monitoring, and mentoring, APC enables grantees to establish the foundations for increasing the quality of HIV services and reduce stigma and discrimination. APC provides technical and organizational capacity building for USAID-supported NGOs implementing HIV prevention, counseling and testing (HCT) and care and support programming, as well as technical assistance (TA) to the Ministry of Health (MoH).

Photo credit: This child is HIV-positive and has come to the Muranga District Hospital in Kenya for treatment from a USAID-backed program run by the International Center for AIDS Care and Treatment Programs, Columbia University School of Public Health. Photo credit: Casey Kelbaugh, International Center for AIDS Care and Treatment Programs, Columbia University School of Public Health

Below you will find links to resources created by APC and other organizations.

APC Resources

Gender-Based Violence Screening Tool
November 2017 | Training Guide

This screening tool was developed by APC Guyana to screen gender-based violence.

Overcoming Gender-Based Violence
November 2017 | Brochure

This brochure from Guyana provides information and important contacts for overcoming gender-based violence.

Guyana Gender-Based Violence Services Resource Directory
November 2017 | List

This directory from Guyana provides a rating system that is geared towards collecting information on how acceptable GBV services of each organization are for members of the key population.

Addressing Stigma and Gender-Based Violence to Improve HIV Service Delivery to Key Populations
November 2017 | Assessment

This rapid assessment was conducted to gather information on the programmatic and capacity needs of the NGOs supported through APC to implement services for key populations as well as the structural challenges faced by these NGOs.

Integrating Gender-Based Violence Screening Into HIV Services Provided by Non-governmental Organizations in Guyana
November 2017 | Toolkit

The following protocol was created to assist community-based nongovernmental organizations in Guyana with implementing gender-based violence screening. Social workers can use this tool to understand ways to detect GBV and to better prepare themselves for implementation of GBV screening.

Pilotaje RIE República Dominicana
August 2016 | Publication

Lecciones aprendidas de una estrategia de colaboración entre la Dirección Regional de Salud V, organizaciones comunitarias, organizaciones nogubernamentales, y la sociedad civil.

DIAGNÓSTICO DE LAS NECESIDADES DE SALUD DE LAS POBLACIONES TRANS DE LA REPÚBLICA DOMINICANA
August 2016 | Study

En la República Dominicana, la epidemia del Virus de Inmunodeficiencia Humana (VIH) se caracteriza por estar concentrada en poblaciones como la de hombres que tienen sexo con hombres (HSH) y las mujeres trans. La prevalencia del VIH en HSH es de un 5.2 % , mientras que en algunos estudios en poblaciones trans, el VIH oscila entre 12 y 17 % .

Dominican Republic Results: October 2015 to March 2016
June 2016 | Project Highlight

In the Dominican Republic (DR), APC project serves populations with the highest HIV prevalence by expanding coverage and improving the quality of HIV-prevention, care, and support services.

CHW Central - A Global Resource For Community Health Workers
April 2016 | Website

CHW Central, launched in 2011, is an online community of practice managed by Initiatives Inc. that provides a forum for online discussions and exchanges with public health professionals and program managers, policy makers and CHWs in the U.S. and across the globe.

FACT
June 2015 | Video

FACT (Family, Awareness, Consciousness, and Togetherness) is an NGO that supports the entire family. Ms. Annette Jaundoo, Executive Director and her dedicated team are proud of FACT’s accomplishments in strengthening families. Since January, FACT has assisted over 500 families.

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Below are select resources related to key issues within gender.

Gender-Based Violence

Gender-based violence is pervasive worldwide. Violence against women in particular has implications for community health programs, especially those that address family planning. Women and girls who experience sexual violence and coercion have an urgent need for family planning, including emergency contraception, to prevent unintended pregnancies. Women experiencing intimate partner violence may have lower demand for family planning, are more likely to use contraception in secret, and have higher rates of both unintended pregnancies and unsafe abortions.

Gender-based violence also increases during pregnancy, which has serious implications for maternal health. Children of women who experience violence during pregnancy also suffer poor health outcomes.

Community health services present an opportunity to screen women and girls for gender-based violence and to refer them to appropriate services for support.

Flowchart: Integrating GBV Screening Within HIV Support Services in Guyana
November 2017 | Infographic

This flowchart breaks down the process for GBV screening within HIV support services in Guyana.

Gender-Based Violence & You: Know Your Rights
November 2017 | Brochure

This brochure provides information on how to get help for gender-based violence.

Gender-Based Violence Screening Tool
November 2017 | Training Guide

This screening tool was developed by APC Guyana to screen gender-based violence.

Guyana Gender-Based Violence Services Resource Directory
November 2017 | List

This directory from Guyana provides a rating system that is geared towards collecting information on how acceptable GBV services of each organization are for members of the key population.

Addressing Stigma and Gender-Based Violence to Improve HIV Service Delivery to Key Populations
November 2017 | Assessment

This rapid assessment was conducted to gather information on the programmatic and capacity needs of the NGOs supported through APC to implement services for key populations as well as the structural challenges faced by these NGOs.

Integrating Gender-Based Violence Screening Into HIV Services Provided by Non-governmental Organizations in Guyana
November 2017 | Toolkit

The following protocol was created to assist community-based nongovernmental organizations in Guyana with implementing gender-based violence screening. Social workers can use this tool to understand ways to detect GBV and to better prepare themselves for implementation of GBV screening.

HIV and AIDS

Final Report: APC Guyana HIV/AIDS Reduction and Prevention Project
September 2019 | Report

From September 2013 to September 2019, JSI Research & Training Institute, Inc. implemented the USAID-funded APC Guyana HIV/AIDS Reduction and Prevention Project. The project design included innovative, evidence-based, and cost-effective solutions, tailored to meet the needs of populations at risk of HIV in Guyana, in the contexts where programs are implemented, and where individuals reside.

Developing Policy Advocacy Strategies: Session 15 - Closing
March 2019 | Manual

This manual is part of a learning package focused on developing an advocacy strategy, specifically to advocate for policy change to address barriers to HIV prevention, care, and treatment services. The five-day curriculum is broken into 15 modules. Session 15 ensures that expectations were met; evaluations, and closing remarks.

Developing Policy Advocacy Strategies: Session 15 Manual (PDF, 1.3 MB)

Workshop Curriculum: Developing Policy Advocacy Strategies
March 2019 | Training Curriculum
Workshop participants hold string creating a web.

A learning package focused on developing an advocacy strategy, specifically to advocate for policy change to address barriers to HIV prevention, care, and treatment services.

This five-day curriculum is broken into 15 modules; a facilitator’s manual provides overall guidance on how to use the module components including, session plans, PowerPoint slides, and participant handouts for use during the sessions and as job aids after the workshop concludes.

APC created this curriculum as part of the PEPFAR-funded Local Capacity Initiative, which strengthened sustainability of national HIV and AIDS responses in 14 countries and regions. As part of the program, APC provided technical assistance to increase the advocacy capacity of local nongovernmental organizations (NGOs).

Facilitator’s Manual - Provides background on the workshop, tips for preparation, and sample agendas, as well as the pre-work assignment and pre-/post-test.

Session 1: Opening Session - Welcomes participants to the workshop; reviews expectations, the agenda, and ground rules; and sets the tone of the workshop.

Session 2. Key Concepts and Definitions - Introduces basic elements of policy advocacy, provides definitions of key concepts, differentiates advocacy from similar concepts, and identifies types of policy change.

Session 3. The Policy Development Process - Reviews policy development frameworks, the basic steps of the policy development process, and which advocacy activities to use when advocating for change.

Session 4. Overview of Steps in Advocacy Strategy Development - Introduces the steps to develop and implement an advocacy strategy.

Session 5. Define the Issue and Identify a Policy Solution - Introduces methods to define a policy issue, including criteria to assess whether an issue is well suited for advocacy and the most appropriate policy solution.

Session 6. Set Goals and Objectives - Introduces goals and objectives of policy advocacy strategies and allows participants to develop goals and objectives for advocacy strategies they are creating.

Session 7. Identify Target Audiences: Decision-makers and Influencers - Defines target audience, decision-maker, and influencer; reinforces the importance of knowing your primary and secondary target audiences and capturing information about stakeholders in a power map.

Session 8. Engage in Partnerships - Reviews the various types of partnerships, the characteristics of successful teams, and creating and maintaining effective partnerships.

Session 9. Create Effective Advocacy Communication - Introduces the components of, and the process for developing and delivering, an effective advocacy message; allows participants to design and deliver a message for their advocacy strategy.

Session 10. Plan Advocacy Activities - Reviews the types of activities that can be used to support advocacy objectives and identify specific activities to support an objective in the advocacy strategy.

Session 11. Assess Resources - Identifies the resources needed to implement an advocacy strategy and plan how to obtain them.

Session 12. Monitor and Evaluate Policy Advocacy - Reviews basic principles of monitoring and evaluation (M&E) and the use of M&E to demonstrate progress toward accomplishing advocacy goals and objectives.

Session 13. Draft the Advocacy Strategy - Provides participants the opportunity to compile the work completed during the workshop into a draft advocacy strategy.

Session 14. Present Advocacy Strategies - Presents opportunities for small groups to receive constructive feedback on their draft strategies from facilitators and other participants.

Session 15. Closing - Ensures that expectations were met; evaluations and closing remarks.

Civil Society Organizations Forge a Place within the Dominican Republic’s HIV Response
June 2018 | Brief

In the Dominican Republic (DR), HIV-focused civil society organizations (CSOs) developed a platform to expand access to primary health care (PHC), including HIV services, for key and vulnerable populations.

Family Planning and HIV Integration: Important Contributions to the Global HIV Goals
January 2018 | Infographic

Integrating FP into HIV services can help ensure that people living with HIV, young women, key populations, and male partners can access critical information and services that empower them to fulfill their reproductive health needs and goals.

Family Planning/HIV Integration Quality Assurance Tool
January 2018 | Toolkit

This tool is designed to assess the extent to which facilities offering integrated family planning (FP) and HIV services are meeting basic minimum standards for the provision of quality FP services, identify any gaps in the provision of integrated services, and serve as a starting point for improving FP service delivery.

Family Planning/HIV Integration Quality Assurance Tool [printable paper-based version] (PDF, 4 MB)

Family Planning/HIV Integration Quality Assurance Tool [interactive Excel-based version] (XLSX, 6.7 MB)

Pilotaje RIE República Dominicana
August 2016 | Publication

Lecciones aprendidas de una estrategia de colaboración entre la Dirección Regional de Salud V, organizaciones comunitarias, organizaciones nogubernamentales, y la sociedad civil.

DIAGNÓSTICO DE LAS NECESIDADES DE SALUD DE LAS POBLACIONES TRANS DE LA REPÚBLICA DOMINICANA
August 2016 | Study

En la República Dominicana, la epidemia del Virus de Inmunodeficiencia Humana (VIH) se caracteriza por estar concentrada en poblaciones como la de hombres que tienen sexo con hombres (HSH) y las mujeres trans. La prevalencia del VIH en HSH es de un 5.2 % , mientras que en algunos estudios en poblaciones trans, el VIH oscila entre 12 y 17 % .

Webinar: Strategies to Increase Male engagement in eMTCT of HIV and Syphilis
May 2016 | Webinar

Please join WHO and the Human Reproduction Programme on June 10, 2016 from 1530-1700 (Geneva Time) / 9:30-11:00 (Washington Time) for a webinar discussion on Strategies to Increase Male engagement in eMTCT of HIV and Syphilis.

This is the first instalment of a new RHR Webinar series focusing on male engagement in SRHR.

Understanding and Challenging HIV and Key Population Stigma and Discrimination: Caribbean Facilitator's Guide
February 2015 | Guide

Developed by the USAID- and PEPFAR-funded Health Policy Project, this guide is a training tool that provides a standard for stigma reduction. It is a resource for facilitators seeking to train participants to reduce HIV and key population stigma and discrimination, and for leaders of community dialogue and policy development in this area. The guide has been piloted in the Caribbean and other settings and can be readily adapted for other contexts.

Delivery of Integrated Family Planning and HIV Testing and Counseling Services by Community-Based Health Workers
October 2014 | Brief

To increase access to and use of HIV testing and counseling (HTC), FHI 360 and the Uganda Ministry of Health developed an innovative model to add HTC services to the family planning services provided by government-endorsed community health workers, known as village health teams (VHTs), in two districts in Uganda. 

Policy brief: Consolidated guidelines on HIV prevention, diagnosis, treatment and care for key populations
July 2014 | Brief

This policy brief provides an overview of key findings, data and figures of the new consolidated guidelines on HIV prevention, diagnosis, treatment and care for key populations. In addition, it offers an overview of the comprehensive package on interventions and a table summarizing WHO recommendations concerning key populations.

Abriendo Puertas: Feasibility and Initial Effects of a Multi-Level Intervention among Female Sex Workers Living with HIV in the Dominican Republic
February 2014 | Study

This study aims to assess the feasibility and initial effects of an integrated prevention and care model for female sex workers (FSW) living with HIV called Abriendo Puertas and to assess the feasibility of engaging the male regular partners of FSW living with HIV in prevention and care services.

AIDSTAR-One Project Highlight: Integrating and Mainstreaming HIV Services
December 2013 | Series

This project highlight combines key resources from AIDSTAR-One related to the Global Health Initiative and the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief priority of integrating and mainstreaming HIV services to improve access to prevention, testing, treatment, and care.

Exploring the Positive Health, Dignity and Prevention (PHDP) Needs of Female Sex Workers, Men Who Have Sex with Men and Transgender Women in the Dominican Republic and Swaziland
March 2013 | Report

This report describes the current social and structural context of FSW, MSM, and TW in the DR and Swaziland, particularly as it relates to stigma and discrimination among PLHIV. It also examines the specific PHDP needs of FSW, MSM and TW who are living with HIV, including challenges to accessing ongoing prevention, treatment, care and support service. Finally, it identifies ways in which PHDP interventions and services can be tailored to meet the needs of FSW, MSM, and TW, including specific program models and communication messages.

A Global HIV Stigma Reduction Framework Adapted and Implemented in Five Settings in India
January 2013 | Report

This report synthesizes the lessons learned from the process, including the feasibility and relevance of the framework for use by the NACP and other global stakeholders in informing stigma reduction interventions and measurement.

Guyana Trans United’s main goals are to improve the quality of life of trans Guyanese and to ensure that their rights are recognized and upheld in all domains. GTU hosts monthly support group sessions for our members, their families, other loved ones, and conducts outreaches in the ten (10) administrative regions of Guyana. We also work with other lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, and queer (LGBTIQ) communities, human rights and social justice groups on advocacy and awareness raising initiatives.

Health through Walls works with prison authorities in resource-poor countries to implement replicable and sustainable systems to develop their capacity to provide prisoners with meaningful health services such as medical screening, treatment, and discharge planning leading to continuity of care upon release. Our priority is the prevention, identification and treatment of infectious and contagious disease -- particularly HIV, AIDS, and tuberculosis.

As the only NGO in Region 2 of Guyana, Hope For All serves the area’s most vulnerable populations through three departments. The organization offers voluntary counseling and testing (VCT), prevention services, and care and support for individuals infected with or affected by HIV. The care and support division of the NGO houses community, home, and palliative care as well as programs for orphans and other vulnerable children (OVC).

The Hope Foundation provides community-based health and social services in support of Guyana’s national goal to reduce the spread of HIV. The organization reaches out to key populations through educational programs and services. Based in Bartica, the Hope Foundation provides services in Cuyuni-Mazaruni (Region 7) of Guyana.

Working in a team with a clear vision, the IDEV expects to continue providing health services to all patients who require it, obeying our values as an institution of equality and quality of services. The IDEV, committed to science, will continue its work in the area of research, with clinical trials in the fight against HIV/AIDS. It is an IDEV mission to teach and update all health service providers and the community in general in the comprehensive management of HIV/AIDS.

El Instituto Nacional de la Salud (INSALUD) is a public health organization in the Dominican Republic. It was created in 1978 as one of the Managing Bodies of the Social Security; charge of the management and administration of health services Social Security System.

Lifeline Counseling reduces the impact of HIV on individuals and families through education, counseling, care and support services, and trainings. The organization offers voluntary counseling and testing (VCT), programs for orphans and other vulnerable children (OVC), as well as home-based and palliative care. Through partnerships with other private and public organizations, Lifeline reduces HIV-related stigma and discrimination for people living with or affected by HIV.

The Linden Care Foundation emerged from the Regional AIDS Committee in 2001 to work towards the prevention and reduction of HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted infections (STI). Through the implementation of several youth-targeted awareness programs, the Linden Care Foundation aims to reduce the spread of HIV in Region 10 of Guyana. The organization also provides care and support services for people living with HIV (PLHIV), including children living with or affected by HIV.

The Nyanza Reproductive Health Society (NRHS) is active in conducting reproductive health and HIV prevention research and the implementation of HIV intervention services in Kenya. NRHS is comprised of three main projects: The University of Nairobi, Illinois, and Manitoba (UNIM) project, and the Male Circumcision Program (MCP). 

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April 12, 2017 | General News

Artistes in Direct Support (Artistes), a non-profit supported by Advancing Partners & Communities (APC) presented an HIV-focused skit for a downtown crowd in Georgetown, Guyana.

January 19, 2017 | Announcement

APC is partnering with the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company in Guyana to reach people living with HIV through mobile technology.

November 18, 2016 | Announcement

On November 17th, 2016, Advancing Partners & Communities (APC) signed a ground breaking Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with partners in Guyana to strengthen services for members of key populations.

August 19, 2016 | Event

On August 9th, 2016 the PEPFAR/USAID funded Advancing Partners & Communities (APC) project held an event in San Pedro de Macorís, Dominican Republic to celebrate the handover of the Respuesta Integral Expandida (RIE) strategy to the Health Region V Office.

July 18, 2016 to July 22, 2016 | Event

Nicholas Persaud of Advancing Partners & Communities Guyana is presenting an abstract at this year's International Aids Conference in Durban, South Africa.

June 29, 2016 | Announcement

The Advancing Partners and Communities project is helping 16 health facilities in Uganda to integrate family planning into HIV services.

March 23, 2016 | Announcement

The Eastern Regional Health Services Department celebrated the reopening of the HIV Comprehensive Care Clinic at the Dr. Teófilo Hernández Hospital in El Seibo Province, Dominican Republic, on Tuesday, March 15th, 2016. Claudia Allers, Director of the Advancing Partners and Communities (APC) project in the Dominican Republic, led the ceremony with the Regional Director of Health, Dr. José Rodriguéz.

February 24, 2016 | Event

Join STOP AIDS NOW!, the International HIV/AIDS Alliance, and UNAIDS for Communities Deliver: The Critical Role of Communities in Ending The AIDS Epidemic, on Wednesday, February 24, 2016 from 10:00 am - 12:00 pm at the Organization of American States. Please RSVP to Simret Teame at teames@unaids.org.

December 03, 2015 | Event

On Friday, November 4, The Advancing Partners & Communities (APC) project is hosting a dissemination meeting to present to key partners the findings and recommendations from an assessment of the health and social needs of trans persons in the Dominican Republic. The assessment was carried out in collaboration with the Center for Integrated Training and Research (COIN) with academic support from the Iberoamericana University (UNIBE), and the active participation of community-based organizations representing trans communities in the Dominican Republic.

The meeting will include work group sessions to encourage partners to use the assessment findings and begin planning follow up activities. Approximately 75 representatives from government, civil society, and donor agencies are expected to attend the event.

Join us as we work to integrate the needs of trans people into the national agenda.

February 27, 2015 | Event

Stigma and discrimination is an obstacle for vulnerable populations to access HIV prevention and treatment services. The project Advancing Partners & Communities in the Dominican Republic (DR) is committed to reduce stigma and discrimination against vulnerable populations.

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Check back again for related photo galleries or videos.

Doctor Martha Cruz, HIV physician at Hospital Lotes y Servicios, and her patient Richard.

Implementation of Test and START at the six PEPFAR/USAID-supported HIV clinics has reduced the patient treatment initiation window from 30 days in early 2017, to an average of seven days by September, extending the benefits to patients and the health system.

Regional Health Service personnel going over the satisfaction survey with a patient in the Hospital Doctor Antonio Musa, in San Pedro de Macoris.

Key populations in the Dominican Republic have HIV prevalence rates that are six to twelve times higher than the national average of 0.8 percent. Although there are multiple players committed to tackling the concentrated HIV epidemic, large gaps in coverage and access to HIV prevention, care and treatment services remain.

Michelle talks with a client about ways to minimize ART side effects.

Michelle, a client advocate associate with the APC project in Guyana, links people who are newly diagnosed with HIV to care and treatment, and helps people who have stopped coming for care to return.

In the Dominican Republic (DR), transgender (trans) persons experience stigma and discrimination in many different ways and are denied the same opportunities as other Dominicans. In recent years, more efforts have been directed at improving the quality of life for the trans community. However, these initiatives focus mainly on HIV prevention and treatment, ignoring the multiple socioeconomic and health needs of these marginalized individuals.

APC’s Key Population Focal Point conducting a session on gender identify and sexual orientation.

As part of its efforts to overcome stigma and discrimination challenges, APC conducted quarterly sensitization sessions at Guyanese HIV care and treatment sites. In 2017, 66 people, including medical doctors, nurses, community health workers, auxiliary staff, and security personnel, participated.

Photo of Queenie

Queenie, or Q as she sometimes goes by, is an HIV positive, transgender (trans) person living in Guyana. When Q fell ill after defaulting on anti-retroviral therapy (ART), she was hesitant to resume her treatment. Given the stigma and discrimination Q had experienced in the hospital as a trans person, she was not looking forward to going back alone. So she reached out to Guyana Trans United (GTU), an organization that supports the trans community, for assistance.

Photo of Gillian

Gillian, a visually impaired 41-year-old, found out that she was HIV-positive when her family insisted that she go to the doctor because she was losing weight at a rapid rate. For 3 years she shut herself away from her family and friends, never disclosing her status to anyone. One day she decided to tell a classmate who happened to be a social worker at Lifeline Counselling Services (LCS) and enrolled Gillian in a People Living with HIV (PLHIV) and AIDS support group at LCS.

Photo of Tashana and her aunt.

Tashana Legall was born to a low income family in Guyana and lost both her parents to HIV/AIDS. In 2007, Tashana enrolled in a program for children orphaned or made vulnerable by HIV (HKID) at Comforting Hearts. The organization was a source of psychological, nutritional, spiritual and academic support to Tashana for several years. The continued nurturance and support from the staff at CH enabled Tashana to progress at school.

Rosanna Terrero

The Dominican Network for People Living with HIV (REDOVIH+) helped Rosanna Terrero give back to others.

Photo of Kayla

Kayla and Carlos are beneficiaries of the HIV Comprehensive Care Clinic at the Centro de Promoción y Solidaridad Humana, Inc. (CEPROSH) in the Puerto Plata province of the Dominican Republic.

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