On August 12, 2020, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) awarded a USD 50 million Five-year Cooperative Agreement (CA) to Uganda Protestant Medical Bureau (UPMB) to implement the LSD project in the five USAID regions of East Central, Eastern, Acholi, Lango and South western Uganda. Through this CA, UPMB as a prime in partnership with Baylor Uganda, Infectious Diseases Institute (IDI) and Most At Risk Populations (MARPI) will provide managerial, financial and technical assistance to Private Not-For Profit Organizations (PNFPs) including Faith Based and Civil Society Organizations to continue providing quality HIV/TB services, and strengthen capacity for ownership and sustainability in furtherance of the Government of Uganda and PEPFAR efforts towards attaining the goal of reaching and maintaining HIV epidemic control by 2020, and ending AIDS by 2030.

Specifically, the project supports PNFPs to address gaps through optimization of high yielding HIV Testing and Counseling Service approaches, provision of HIV/TB care and treatment, improve retention and viral suppression, scale up services to reach men and key populations, and strengthen the PNFP institutional capacity and quality for sustainable service delivery.

Activity objectives:

• Objective 1: New HIV Infections prevented.
• Objective 2: 95% of Target Populations Living with HIV know their HIV Status.
• Objective 3: 95% of Target populations Living with HIV are on Treatment.
• Objective 4: 95% of Target populations on Treatment Have Suppressed Viral Loads.
• Objective 5: Select PNFPs have institutional capacity to sustain epidemic control & maintenance.

Activity achievements:

Leveraging faith-based structures:

• Leadership of the respective faith medical Bureaus (UOMB, UCMB, UMMB) oriented on Faith and Community Initiative (FCI) to build consensus.
• 888 faith leaders trained on basics of HIV, use of messages of hope, community-facility referrals, SGBV and use of HIV self-test kits.
• 80 Health windows established at places of worship as service points for HIV prevention and care servic
• 460 community volunteers trained and attached to health windows.
• Community sensitization done to inform communities on the health windows and deliver messages of hope
• Joint facility visits conducted to introduce FCI and the community representatives to the facilities.
• Through the FCI intervention, 2862 individuals mobilized and given messages of hope, 3149 HIV self- tests distributed. 83 clients with reactive self-tests reported to a facility for confirmatory testing, 62 HIV positive clients identified and 52 attached to care.
• 440 Community Dialogues on GBV/SBV were held and
• 132 GBV Cases Referred to health facilities.

Building institutional capacity and strengthening sustainability:

LSDA supports:

• 34 PNFP health facilities with sub grants to offer facility and community HIH/TB services.
• 25 Civil Society Organizations have received grants to support community HIV/TB activities.
• Provides direct activity and TA support to 145 mid and low volume health facilities.
• Seconds 993 Health Workers to 142 health facilities and 306 Community Health Workers to support community interventions

Support for community structures

• 3,679 community Health workers supported to provide community health services and continuity in care for clients
• 2647 community clusters (CCLAD/Cells) formed to support community attachment of clients.
• 2980 children and adolescents (59% in care) attached to OVC partners. 64% adults and 1387 (98%) KPs attached to community health workers and peers.
• 64% of LSDA clients supported under community Differentiated Service Deliver Models. 90% of the clients receive more than 3 months dispensing

Coordination with USAID implementing partners and the public Health system:

• LSDA partners with the 5 RHITES, 7 Local partner and 5 OVC activities in the sub regions of Ankole, Kigezi, Acholi, Lango, East Central and Eastern Uganda.
• The activity works with 58 District Local Governments that host the 179 supported health facilities.
• LSDA works closely with the Orthodox, Muslim and
• Faith Medical Bureaus to support facility interventions