ThaiNGO

Background

The Australian Federation of AIDS Organisations [AFAO] is the national federation for the community response to HIV in Australia. It provides leadership, coordination and support to the country’s policy, advocacy, and health promotion on HIV. AFAO’s International Program is based in Bangkok and contributes to the development of effective policy and programmatic responses, particularly in the Asia and Pacific region. It has supported community-based responses to HIV across the region for three decades. 

AFAO is the Principal Recipient of the Sustainability of HIV Services for Key Populations in Asia Program [SKPA Program]. The program is a multi-country grant funded by The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM), covering eight (8) countries Bhutan, Laos, Malaysia, Mongolia, Papua New Guinea [PNG], Philippines, Sri Lanka and Timor-Leste. It aims to promote sustainable services for key populations (KPs) at higher risk of HIV exposure, including sex workers, men who have sex with men, transgender people and people who use drugs in the region. 

The grant promotes the scale-up of necessary interventions and their long-term financing in each country. The objectives of the program are: to scale-up prevention services to key populations and retain people living with HIV/AIDS in the treatment cascade [Service Delivery]; Secure strategic information to inform program design [Strategic Information]; secure long-term sustainability of service delivery [Financing Sustainability]; Strengthen community responses and systems for scale-up of delivery services [Community Systems Strengthening]; and address barriers to service access including human rights and gender-related [Stigma and Discrimination].

Burnet Institute is the Sub Recipient of the SKPA Program implementation in Papua New Guinea [PNG]. Burnet Institute is a leading not-for-profit, unaligned, and independent Australian medical research and public health organisation focused on achieving better health for vulnerable communities in Australia and internationally by accelerating the translation of research, discovery, and evidence sustainable health solutions in PNG. 

Community-Based Monitoring [CBM] of HIV services is a crucial component under SKPA Program that contributes to achieving the program’s objective #4: strengthen community systems. The Burnet Institute in PNG, with the collaboration of the Key Population Advocacy Consortium and technical assistance from APCOM and AFAO, has been implementing CBM in PNG. 

Rationale

Community-based monitoring is a vital intervention category under the community system strengthening module of the Global Fund Strategy 2017-2020. SKPA, with technical assistance from APCOM, has developed a community-based monitoring framework, which is led and driven by key population community and their networks, in identified health service delivery facilities to measure the quality of HIV services, document and report potential challenges affecting the service delivery chain, and assess the stigma and discrimination experienced by KP communities in healthcare settings. 

The CBM process enables community and KP led organisations/networks to gather information on an ongoing basis through developing a simple, sustainable, community-friendly process to routinely collect information and informed to improve quality of service and health outcomes. The process fosters community ownership, accountability, and meaningful involvement that are responsive to their actual needs and demands. It also includes establishing a sustainable community feedback mechanism for effective response at the country level.

In operationalising this concept of CBM, Burnet Institute designed a CBM pilot in PNG in 2020, in close collaboration with the KP Consortium and APCOM. A CBM data collection tool was developed and a CBM survey among 120 key population members was carried out by mobilising ten data monitors at nine selected clinics in Port Moresby to assess the accessibility of HIV commodities and perceptions of key populations. The PNG CBM team presented preliminary findings and recommendations derived from the draft report.  A draft report was circulated to the key partners, and this report included a number of critical challenges in the methods, and other challenges were raised by stakeholders commenting on the report.

To finalise the report, the original dataset needs to be reviewed and cleaned, tabulated, analysed, and the findings interpreted from the re-analysed dataset.  The plan is to revisit the recommendations, break them into two (1. Recommendations related to enhancing the methodology going forwards; and 2. Recommendations for health services related to the findings; and to document the lessons learnt from the pilot CBM.

The revised report will be presented to key partners and key stakeholders, including the SI TWG platform in PNG. Based on the learning of the CBM pilot and recommendations of the SI TWG, CBM-phase II will be designed and implemented from June to December 2021 in PNG.

Scope of Work and Tasks

AFAO under the SKPA Program is seeking two consultants: 1. Lead Consultant and 2. Consultant-Data Analyst. The consultants will review the draft report of the CBM pilot; discuss the implementation of the effort with BI staff; review the excel sheet dataset; clean, tabulate, classify the data; analyse the dataset, interpret the data and present key findings from the re-scrutinised data and information.  A revised report will be finalised by incorporating comments and feedback received from key partners and drawing key findings.

This task requires that:

1. The Consultant-Data Analyst will review the current dataset, clean the data, tabulate, and analyse the data using statistical software in close collaboration with the Lead Consultant, Burnet Institute [BI] PNG team, APCOM and AFAO team;
2. The Lead Consultant will review the current draft report and feedback/inputs received from the partners, discuss the process and limitations with BI team members, triangulate critical findings, and recommendations. The Lead Consultant will finalise the revised report, including key findings from the re-analysed data, and recommendations, separating learning regarding the methodology, and lessons learned from the re-analyzed results from the pilot implementation;
3. The two consultants will prepare a PowerPoint presentation that articulates the purpose of the CBM exercise, describes process and methods, presents key findings (separated into methods findings and findings from re-analyzed results), recommendations, and next steps.  The consultants will present to the BI team, APCOM and AFAO who will provide inputs and feedback to be incorporated into the final report.

Methodology

Review:

The consultants will work closely with the BI, APCOM and AFAO team to agree to the scope, criteria, and process for reviewing the draft report, inputs and comments received from the partners. The report review will cover the original draft report and require a critical analysis of the content and what sections are missing and needed to be developed for the revised report. 

Data analysis:

Key variables will be determined to guide the data analysis and establish a rationale for any changes. The consultant will clean, tabulate, and analyse the data using statistical software. Key findings will draw from quantitative and qualitative data and information will be made available in a draft report, along with the re-classified data set. 

Validation:

The findings of the draft report review and data analysis will be discussed and validated with the PNG CBM team, APCOM and AFAO team. 

Finalise a report: 

The consultant will finalise a report incorporating inputs/feedback received from key partners, presenting key findings of qualitative and quantitative data and information, and lessons learnt from the implementation. 

Present key findings, recommendations, and next steps: 

The consultant will prepare a presentation to include the purpose/objectives of the CBM exercise, key findings (from both the methodology and the dataset), recommendations, and next steps.  The presentation will be made to the BI team, APCOM and AFAO. The BI team will present at the country level. Final inputs and feedback will be incorporated into the report. 

Activities and deliverables

Selection Criteria

Timeframe

The Consultant [individual/form] will be hired for 14 days over the period from June 11 to July 22, 2021.

Budget

Approximately USD $4200 for consultant fees

Detail of the budget:

1. Consultant-Data Analyst: 7 days @ $300 = $2100 (Approximate)

2. Lead Consultant: 7 days @ $300 = $2100 (Approximate)

Accountability

This assignment will be carried out under the direction of AFAO with advice by the SKPA SR Burnet Institute and APCOM, a Regional Network.

Within AFAO, the consultant/s will be guided by and reporting to the following:

1. Bhawani Prasad Dahal

Country Lead, SKPA Program

Email: Bhawani.Dahal@afao.org.au

2. Brad Otto

Technical Advisor, SKPA Program

Email: Brad.Otto@afao.org.au

3. Felicity Young

Program Director, SKPA Program

Email: Felicity.Young@afao.org.au

Contact : nalatthaporn.chayshoowong@afao.org.au