HIV/AIDS
HIV and AIDS have challenged the international development and international health systems more profoundly than any other disease in history. The speed with which it emerged, the ways in which it is spread, the enormous complexity in regimes for prevention and treatment, and the devastating impact of the disease itself have forced the world to face reality and react in ways never before envisioned. To a very great extent, the world has responded. According to UNAIDS, the prevalence of HIV world-wide has stabilized, and the number of new infections has fallen. However, the number of people living with HIV remains high at an estimated 33.2 million, with 2.5 million people newly infected in 2007. Moreover, it is estimated that in many countries only about 31 percent of affected populations have access to anti-retroviral therapy (ART) medications and only 20 percent are aware of their HIV/AIDS status. To overcome such barriers, organizations around the world need to expand their capacity to both broaden and strengthen access to critical HIV/AIDS prevention, care, and treatment services and to increase the efficiency of those services.
TRG’s Role in the Global Response
A significant share of our recent work has focused directly on providing institutional capacity building to assist US Government agencies, international organizations and non-government organizations achieve results under the global response to HIV/AIDS. We bring over 20 years of experience as a core implementing partner under large-scale internationally funded health projects where we have played a leadership role in developing, testing, applying, and disseminating innovative approaches and methodologies for institutional capacity building. Our extensive and direct experience working on HIV/AIDS-related projects are based at the community, regional, national, and international levels, including significant work supporting the efforts of the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria (GFATM) in Africa, the Middle East, Latin America, the Caribbean, and Asia.
In 2007, the US Agency for International Development awarded TRG one of six Indefinite Quantity Contracts (IQCs) to provide on-demand capacity building support under the five-year AIDS Support and Technical Assistance Resources (AIDSTAR Sector II) Program. Click here for more information on the AIDSTAR Sector II IQC (AIDSTAR brochure, Adobe Acrobat file, 65kb).
Examples of our Global Experience
Supporting PEPFAR Country-Level Implementing Teams. Since 2004, TRG has provided organizational development support for country-level US Government agencies implementing PEPFAR-funded program in Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania, Lesotho, and Namibia. TRG also designed and facilitated the first PEPFAR Global Field Meeting in South Africa, which included U.S. ambassadors and country team representatives from 14 focus countries. In addition, TRG has worked with several USAID health and HIV/AIDS offices in missions implementing PEPFAR programs
Reproductive Health and HIV/AIDS Research Unit, South Africa. TRG has been working with the Reproductive Health & HIV Research Unit (RHRU) to help it manage a leadership transition and also realign itself strategically following a significant infusion of PEPFAR funding in 2007. After conducting an organizational assessment, TRG is now providing ongoing capacity building support - helping RHRU units align themselves to the new strategic plan, helping staff clarify roles and responsibilities and decision-making processes and adjust to a new organizational structure, and providing executive coaching to key senior leaders.
USAID, Uganda AIDS Capacity Enhancement (ACE) Project. As a project subcontractor, TRG spearheaded the organizational assessment that provided the basis for developing capacity-building plans for four Ugandan organizations: the Uganda AIDS Commission, the Ministry of Health Resource Center, the Inter-Religious Council of Uganda (IRCU), and the Joint Clinical Research Center (JCRC). TRG staff developed the assessment tool, and then trained and supervised three Ugandan assessment teams. TRG has also conducted strategic leadership training for ICRU, designed and facilitated a strategic planning process for JCRC, and guided a local team in an organizational restructuring for JCRC.
USAID, Capacity Project. As a core subcontracting partner under the USAID-funded Capacity Project, TRG has been responsible for providing technical assistance support for Global Fund for AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria grants that are faltering in their performance and are unable to meet their targets. TRG has provided technical assistance to Country Coordinating Mechanisms (the organizations that develop proposals for Global Fund grants and oversee their implementation), Principal Recipients (the local government or private organizations that receive the grants), and Sub Recipients (SRs) in 15 countries, including Swaziland, Lesotho, Togo, DRC, Senegal, Tanzania, Pakistan, and Indonesia. Our work has included conducted organizational assessments, recommending and supporting organizational restructuring, strengthening human resources systems, facilitating strategic planning, and providing leadership development, management, and supervisory training.