Background
The Local Capacity Initiative (LCI) aims to enable civil society organizations to support and strengthen the capacity of community based organizations (CBOs) to advocate for improved quality, accountability, and performance of national HIV and AIDS programs in Thailand, Lao PDR, and Vietnam with a goal to enhance HIV responses through civil society engagement in policy advocacy. The LCI project is a partnership of five key civil society organizations, also known as the LCI Consortium, including Raks Thai Foundation, the Foundation for AIDS Rights (FAR), SWING Foundation, Lao Positive Health Association (LaoPHA) and the Vietnam Network of People Living with HIV (VNP+). The LCI project is supported by the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).The LCI team in Thailand implements this initiative to particularly strengthen advocacy capacity among civil society organizations and to advocate for improved access to quality HIV services for key affected populations (KAPs), increased access to RRTTR (Reach, Recruit, Test, Treat and Retain) services including community-led HIV testing and other relevant services as well as provision of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP).
Rationale of assignment
Over the past 25 years, Thailand has accumulated experiences, lessons and innovations in responding to the AIDS epidemic and it is clear that the country has had significant success in reducing the number of new infections overall. However, in some population groups, there are tendencies towards resurgence of HIV incidence. The AIDS Epidemic Model (AEM) has projected that during 2012-2016, among 43,040 new infections, transmission through men who have sex with other men, sex workers and clients, sharing needles among the people who inject drugs will contribute to 62% to the incidence, with the majority of new infections (42%) occurring in MSM.
Thailand National AIDS Strategy for 2014-2016 has prioritized the response to the epidemic among key affected populations and recognized MSM as the most affected population with a major HIV epidemic that is showing no decline. The epidemic is particularly pronounced in bigger cities, with Bangkok alone contributing 36% of new infections in MSM.
Notwithstanding the remarkable progress in ensuring access to HIV and related services for key populations, reaching all segments of MSM as well as other key populations remains a challenge. HIV testing and counseling (HTC) uptake among MSM and other key populations is still relatively low. In order to increase HTC uptake among MSM and key populations, Thailand has piloted projects and studies to enable community organizations to perform HIV testing, counseling as well as other relevant services for people in their respective community. This will create safe space and friendly services to clients. However, the current policy environment in Thailand limits the implementation of HIV testing by lay providers. Proper policies must be in place to ensure sustainability and independent operations of community-led HIV services. Therefore, there is a need to investigate the feasibility of broader implementation of community-led HIV services, identifying specific policies that may regulate the implementation of community-led HIV services and exploring potential policy avenues to bypass these obstacles through engagement with relevant stakeholders.
Objective of assignment: To conduct a study onpolicy obstacles for the broader implementation of community-led HIV services and identify policy recommendations to overcome identified obstacles through semi-structured interviews with relevant stakeholders
Duration of assignment: 1 September to 30 September (20 working days)
Scope of work:
The selected consultant shall perform the following tasks:
- Review existingcommunity-led HIV service models in Thailand and international guidelines on HIV testing by lay providers
- In consultation with Raks Thai LCI team and partners, design and conduct astudyto investigate related policies and regulations and develop policy recommendations concerning community-led HIV servicesby desk review, in-depth interviews or focus group with relevant stakeholders such as policy makers, government officials, key players in professional associations and councils, and leaders from the civil society sector
- Analyze the data and submit the findings with policy recommendations for community-led HIV services in Thailand in both Thai and English languages.
- Submit a final study report, power point presentation and support documents
Expected outputs and deliverables
- A final study report on community-led HIV services, including standards, policy contributors and barriers, stakeholder analysis and proposed policy recommendations.
- A Power Point presentation on the study design and findings
Required language skills: Thai (required); English (preferred).
Qualifications and expertise:
- Master’s degree or higher in relevant fields such as law, public health, medical technology, medical science, or other relevant social science fields
- Past experience in conducting a study, particularly in the area of HIV and AIDS or health issues using a qualitative method
- Excellent writing skills
Institutional arrangement: The consultant shall report to the LCI Chief of Party (COP)
Duty station and travel requirement: Greater Bangkok Metropolitan area
Application deadline: 7 September 2016
To apply, please submit a cover letter detailing relevant experiencewith an updated CV to rtfhrbkk@raksthai.org and copy to sunee@raksthai.org and prasong@raksthai.org. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
Executing agency: Raks Thai Foundation
Address:No. 185, Pradiphat Rd, Soi-Pradiphat 6, Samsennai, Phyathai district, Bangkok 10400
Tel. 02-618 3222
Fax. 02-278 0206
Email: sunee@raksthai.org and prasong@raksthai.org
Website: www.raksthai.org
Responsible and contact officers:
Ms. Sunee Talawat – LCI Chief of Party Email: sunee@raksthai.org
Mr. Prasong Lertpayub – Senior program advisor Email: prasong@raksthai.org
.jpg)
