Cambodia Country Program
Aims of the Cambodia Country Program
The aim of the Cambodia Country Program (CP) is to reduce the spread of HIV associated with injecting drug use among men and women in Cambodia. This will be achieved through supporting key enabling and service delivery elements of the National Strategic Plan for Illicit Drug Use Related HIV/AIDS 2008-2010. In particular the Cambodia CP will support the scale up and expanded coverage of needle syringe programs (NSP) in Phnom Penh and up to four provincial 'hotspots'. It will also support the establishment of opioid substitution treatment through providing procurement, technical and client support services for a methadone maintenance therapy (MMT) program. Additionally HAARP Cambodia will provide support to develop capacity of key coordinating and implementing agencies and strengthen the multi-sectoral response and partnership approach to HIV and harm reduction.
Whilst Cambodia CP will not be expected to meet all funding needs identified in the National Strategic Plan, the aim of Cambodia CP assistance will be to act as a catalyst for drawing other donor resources into the sector and developing a coordinated response to the development of a comprehensive range of harm reduction services. Cambodia CP will be used to complement funding for harm reduction services provided under Global Fund for AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria Round 7 to help achieve critical mass and fill gaps in service delivery as well as strengthening the coordinated response and contributing to Cambodia's achievement of Millennium Development Goal 6 targets in halting by 2015 and thereafter reversing the spread of HIV/AIDS.
Objectives
The objectives of the Cambodia CP are:
- To expand access to HIV (and associated infectious diseases) prevention information, services and commodities for people who use illicit drugs, those at risk of illicit drug use, their sexual partners and families and to increase access to primary health care for illicit drug users.
- To contribute to creating an enabling environment (including related law, policy, quality surveillance, research, advocacy and community engagement) which supports interventions to prevent and treat HIV and AIDS in illicit drug users.
- To develop capacity of the DHA (Illicit Drugs and HIV/AIDS) working group, secretariat and implementation partners (including monitoring and evaluation capacity).
Implementing Partners
The Cambodia CP activities will be broadly separated into three categories of work - NSP which will be implemented through NGOs, MMT which will be provided by the Ministry of Health (MoH), National Programme for Mental Health (located at the Khmer-Soviet Friendship hospital) and strengthening of the multi-sectoral response through assistance to the Ministry of the Interior (MoI) and national police services. Additionally there will be technical assistance provided for capacity building across Royal Government of Cambodia (RGoC) partner agencies and addressing other cross cutting issues in the program including management support and gender policy and mainstreaming.
The NSP program will be implemented through local NGO partners, specifically Korsang, KHANA, FHI and Friends International and their various local partners. A CP Secretariat will sign separate supply agreements with each of these organisations for discrete programs of work as defined in annual work plans and budgets.
Funding for MMT will be conduited through WHO to improve efficiency. WHO will develop a tender and ask for bids from competent agencies to provide initial training and ongoing, off site technical support to the MMT programme. WHO will develop a grant agreement with MoH for the refurbishment and equipping a dedicated dispensing clinic within the Khmer Soviet Friendship Hospital.
Funds will be provided to assist the National Authority for Combating Drugs - Secretariat General (NACD-SG) with finalisation and implementation of key policy papers and guidelines. Support for law enforcement training may be provided through the AusAID funded Cambodia Criminal Justice Assistance Project(CCJAP) or through a direct source supplier. The preferred approach will be determined during the annual work planning process.