Central Asian Program on AIDS Control in Vulnerable Populations (CAPACITY) Project

Through collaboration with all interested stakeholders (government, donor, multilateral organisations, non-governmental organisations (NGOs)), CAPACITY is implementing a methodology to assist with the implementation of the "Three-Ones Principle", which states that each country should have one national AIDS strategy, one national AIDS coordinating mechanism (NACM) to oversee the strategy, and one national monitoring and evaluation system to measure the impact of the strategy. To enable countries to adhere to the Three Ones Principle in practice, CAPACITY interventions include such activities as: 1) produce a technical paper to spell out the methodology for implementing the Three Ones Principle and improving national AIDS stewardship; 2) using rationale developed in the technical paper, advocate at national level with governments and international agencies to accept the authority of the NACM; and 3) support country efforts to restructure and establish one NACM.

CAPACITY works to educate and empower vulnerable populations through the development of the "60 Plus" approach, whereby with feedback from interested stakeholders, a technical paper has been developed describing the need for high coverage among vulnerable populations in order to achieve impact against HIV/AIDS, and describing methodologies by which high coverage of behaviour change interventions can be achieved. Following the 60 Plus approach, CAPACITY has developed, and is implementing and testing, "model" HIV prevention behaviour change communication and social marketing interventions through local institutions.

CAPACITY intends to work to improve resource-use through the integration of HIV/AIDS services. Part of this effort will entail conducting patient-flow analyses to assess and map the movement of patients across the various service-systems of health care delivery, including voluntary counselling and testing (VCT); HIV/AIDS care, support, and treatment; sexually transmitted infection (STI) and tuberculosis (TB) cases for detection and treatment; and patients with co-infection of HIV/AIDS and both TB and STIs. CAPACITY will also conduct fund and functional analyses to clearly define the institutional structure, functional roles and relationships, and existing financing mechanisms of the key actors in providing HIV/AIDS and other relevant prevention and care services (such as TB and STI). This aims to contribute to identification of appropriate integration and financing issues and strategies. Following the above-mentioned assessments, CAPACITY intends to implement the following interventions in model areas: engage in policy dialogues to design models on efficient and effective structures and systems for integration of HIV/AIDS services into primary health care (PHC) and other general health care delivery, and appropriate financing approaches and provider payment systems for the integration; provide organisational and management training for the health managers and providers in the model areas on the new systems and strategies for integration and financing; implement models on integration and related financing mechanisms; and disseminate lessons learned.

Health, HIV/AIDS, Rights.

CAPACITY is working in all five of the Central Asian countries, with an office in each capital city and several project model implementation sites throughout the countries.

CAPACITY focuses its efforts on injecting drug-users, sex workers, and vulnerable youth.