Tameer Small Grant Programs
(SGPs)

The grass root action component is undertaken through small grant programs (SGP) administered by competitive tender and focusing on priority issue in different parts of the country. It involves pilot intervention aimed at the grass root level. The grants contracted for example : serve the following high priority vulnerable populations: Men having sex with men, Out school youth, Street children , working youth , Intravenous drug users (IDUs) , Female Sex Workers( FSW) , Fishermen, Coalminers, Jail inmates etc. The small Grant Program (SGP) has been established to build the capacity of HIV&AIDS NGOs in Pakistan. Implementation of the small Grant Programs (SGPs) remained through a fair and transparent selection process based on competitive evaluation of each proposal.

Overview:

TAMEER SGPs process started with the invitation of EIOs (Expression of Interest) which was publicly announced in the major news paper in each province and also distributed to the members of the consortia by PNAC. The EOIs were short listed according to the criteria set by the PNAC and IWW and adjusted by the independent selection committee. After the EOIs were short listed two trainings on proposal designing and writing was conducted for the short listed candidates. Project proposals were evaluated under IWP and PNAC set criteria and through the selection committee. Selected proposal were carried for Agreement and Fund Released.

Small Grant Projects in Balochistan:

The purpose of this initiative is to take grass roots action through Small Grants Projects (SGP) administered and implemented by BAN and focusing on priority issues in different parts of Balochistan under fourteen member organizations. It involves pilot innovative interventions aimed at the grass root level to basically raise awareness and problematize the issue regarding HIV&AIDS. The grants contracted for example; serve the following high priority vulnerable population: Out of School Youth, Street Children, Working Youth, Intravenous Drug Users (IDUs), and Jail inmates. The Small Grants Programme (SGP) has been established to build the capacity of HIV/AIDS NGOs in Pakistan.

SGPs in Balochistan included seven projects and fourteen Organizations covering 2,100 target populations of selected risk groups. Key groups were selected with the help of mapping exercise conducted by National AIDS Control Program (NACP) and consultation with Provincial AIDS Control Program and member consortia, some of the services were introduced for the first time in Balochistan like condom promotion, interactive theaters and jail inmate’s projects. These projects are being implemented in major parts of Balochistan.

Implementation Process:

Implementation of SGP started with the development of infrastructure and hiring of staff. The recruitment of staff for these projects were not easy task for the implementing partners as projects were designed to be implemented at grass root level. In view of this Limitation, PNAC provided training to all project staff.

London school of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine conducted a training workshop for all the projects for the reporting on project activities. The reporting was simple but contained all essential information. PNAC introduced participatory monitory mechanism and both National and Provincial offices are regularly these projects and also providing feedback on the basis of their findings and gaps. Initially the service delivery was very low because of logistics problems, hiring of staff, development of capacity, in implementing partners, which caused delay in the establishment and building rapport with the community.

Major outputs till Jun 2006 in Balochistan:

 Infrastructure developed and functional
 Approximately 50 project staff is hired and trained on basic issues.
 Primary health Care established in each office and functional
 RSAs conducted
 Better relation with the key population has been developed
 Introduction & promotion of condom usage properly.
 Approximately 525 peer educators trained in each target community and area for sustainability of projects and long term impacts.
 Advocacy seminars conducted in different areas.
 Interactive theaters involving communities.
 Number of STI cases decreased after project implementation.
 Capacity building of the project staff and community in these issues and other areas along with the organizations implementing projects.
 Good relation with the stake holder and repo for the future implications.

Challenges during this period:

1. Limited for time for intervention
2. Delay in conductance of RSAs / Baseline Survey
3. Acceptability of these projects by the target community caused delay in establishment of these projects
4. Scarce resources
5. Outreach of the PNAC in the beginning
6. Staff turn over
7. Delay in the development of reporting mechanism ( Technical & Financial)
8. As implementing organization lack technicalities of the implementation so there was great need to develop these projects on priority bases.

These projects were undertaken by the supervision of Balochistan AIDS Network through different potential organizations working on HIV and AIDS prevention and control in Balochistan and have successfully accomplished the projects in their target areas .The projects awarded by the BAN with the technical and financial support of Pakistan National AIDS Consortium and Interact world wide are as follows.

These projects were implemented in different parts of the Balochistan with different target population and Primary Beneficiaries. Fourteen implementing partners were involved to implement these projects in Balochistan as to achieve the desired set goals and objectives.