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WFP’s Urban HIV/AIDS Nutritional Support Program in Ethiopia. A joint program of USAID/Ethiopia – FFP, PEPFAR, and WFP Michelle Jennings USAID/Ethiopia. Overview. Problem Background WFP/USAID Urban HIV/AIDS Nutritional Support Program Opportunities Challenges Broader Issues
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WFP’s Urban HIV/AIDS Nutritional Support Program in Ethiopia A joint program of USAID/Ethiopia – FFP, PEPFAR, and WFP Michelle Jennings USAID/Ethiopia
Overview • Problem • Background • WFP/USAID Urban HIV/AIDS Nutritional Support Program • Opportunities • Challenges • Broader Issues • Future vision
The Context • Staggering malnutrition country-wide • 47% of children under five are stunted • 8-10 million (avg.) food insecure in rural areas
The Numbers • National HIV/AIDS prevalence is 2.03 which means over 1.5 million people in Ethiopia are living with HIV/AIDS • Equally troubling is the high prevalence in URBAN areas, esp. among girls and women (1 and 8 in Addis are infected) • We think that almost half of PLWHAs come from the RURAL setting although are infected in Urban areas
The Problem “ART without food is meaningless” ARV Clinic M.D., Nazareth, Ethiopia • HIV and malnutrition exacerbate one another and have profound consequences for clinical outcomes for PLWHA • Effectiveness of drug response in patients under treatment for HIV/AIDS is strongly dependant upon their nutritional status
History • WFP had supported an urban food security program in Addis Ababa in 2000 • Refocused program to address nutritional support for Urban HIV/AIDS affected households in Addis Ababa in 2003 • WFPscaled-up further to the current 14 large towns in Ethiopia
$350,000 USD from PEPFAR • 13,800 MT of Title II food ($8.2 million) Total program cost: $19.2 2006/2007 (2 yr.) • Outstanding needs for 2007 are $5 million in food resources
Objectives By providing nutritional support WFP contributes to the national response to HIV/AIDS by • Increasing nutrition, health and overall well being of PLWHAs (including complementary support to Home Based Care Services) • Supporting enrollment and adherence to anti retroviral treatment (ART) and prevention of mother to child transition (PMTCT) programs • Supporting school attendance of orphans and vulnerable children (OVCs)
Urban HIV/AIDS Project • The project targets urban food insecure/poverty stricken, HIV/AIDS infected or affected households • The Food Basket provided consists of Wheat, Corn Soya Blend (CSB), Oil and Pulses • There are currently more than 111,000 beneficiaries
Severely Malnourished Pre-ART or ART Orphans and Vulnerable Children VCT/PMTCT (HIV +) Pre-ART or ART Entry Exit Food and Nutritional Support Individual Ration Nutritional Counseling and Support HH ration Provision of Basic Care Package & HH ration RUTF (if eligible BMI/MUAC) HH ration
Linkages Nutritional Support for affected HHs is linked to a collection of other referral services • Care • Treatment • Prevention
Capacity Building • PEPFAR funding provides training in HIV/AIDS & Nutrition for Partners and Home Based Care Volunteers • Training in preparation of Corn Soya Blend (CSB) provided to beneficiaries through HBC volunteers • Training in Logistics and M&E for partners • Capacity Building for implementing partners through provision of IT equipment
Promising Results • 98% of patients receiving ART and nutritional support were able to adhere to their treatment • Over 90% of PLWHAs receiving nutritional support reported that their health condition was improving or stable • 90% of OVCs receiving nutritional support were able to attend school regularly
Opportunities Nutritional support provides entry points to increase nutrition awareness and linkages to other HIV/AIDS services for beneficiaries • Strong and committed partnerships between Government, donors and WFP to collaborate on nutritional support • Presence of strong implementing partners, including government and NGOs • Complementary activities, including Home Based Care and OVCs programmes
Challenges • Increased demand as VCT and ARV services expand • Lack of longer term food security programs with which to link in the Urban areas • Exit strategy and linking to income generating activities (IGA) • Unpredictable food resource
Broader Issues • Inadequate food and food security resources link to PEPFAR programs • Imbalance in USAID resources (Title II and PEPFAR) • Are there alternative mechanisms to provide food to PLWHAs? • Can PEPFAR cover transportation and operational costs to allow for more food to be purchased? • Capitalize on geographic overlap (mainstreaming)
Future Vision • Establish a long term solution to HIV/A nutritional support that is predictable and reliable • Ensure nutritional support to acutely malnourished PLWHAs is linked to complementary household ration • Title II and community therapeutic center (CTC) experience is applied and informs HIV/AIDS programming for nutrition • Harmonize policy and implementation guidelines
THANK YOU ! Questions? mjennings@usaid.gov