Department of Health and Human Services Grant for Building Human Resource Capacity in Namibia

Under the leadership of the U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator, as part of the President’s Emergency Plan, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (HHS/CDC) works with host countries and other key partners to assess the needs of each country and design a customized program of assistance that fits within the host nation’s strategic plan and partnership framework.
HHS/CDC focuses primarily on two or three major program areas in each country. Goals and priorities include the following:
• Achieving primary prevention of HIV infection through activities such as expanding confidential counseling and testing programs linked with evidence based behavioral change and building programs to reduce mother-to-child transmission;
• Improving the care and treatment of HIV/AIDS, sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and related opportunistic infections by improving STI management; enhancing laboratory diagnostic capacity and the care and treatment of opportunistic infections, interventions for intercurrent diseases impacting HIV infected patients including tuberculosis (TB); and initiating programs to provide anti-retroviral therapy (ART);
• Strengthening the capacity of countries to collect and use surveillance data to manage national HIV/AIDS programs by expanding HIV/STI/TB surveillance programs and strengthening laboratory support for surveillance, diagnosis, treatment, disease monitoring and HIV screening for blood safety.

In an effort to ensure maximum cost efficiencies and program effectiveness, HHS/CDC also supports coordination with and among partners and integration of activities that promote Global Health Initiative principles. As such, grantees may be requested to participate in programmatic activities that include the following activities:
• Implement a woman- and girl-centered approach;
• Increase impact through strategic coordination and integration;
• Strengthen and leverage key multilateral organizations, global health partnerships and private sector engagement;
• Encourage country ownership and invest in country-led plans;
• Build sustainability through investments in health systems;
• Improve metrics, monitoring and evaluation; and
• Promote research, development and innovation.
The purpose of this program is to provide human resources services to recruit suitably qualified and experienced (preferably Namibian) individuals to meet Emergency Plan objectives. The successful applicant will assist the Ministry of Health and Social Services (MOHSS) and the U.S. Government (USG) in recruiting candidates on behalf of the interview committee, which will consist of personnel from the MOHSS and HHS/CDC. These collaborative activities will help fill a substantial human resource capacity gap within the MOHSS to meet the goals and objectives of Namibia’s five-year National Strategic Framework (from years 2011to 2015) and the President’s Emergency Plan. Cooperative efforts will lead to expanded availability and quality of HIV/AIDS-related services, including programs to prevent mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT), male circumcision, HIV testing and counseling (HCT), and comprehensive HIV/AIDS care, including cotrimoxazoole prophylaxis, isoniazid preventive therapy (IPT), and anti-retroviral treatment (ART) for adults and children throughout the country. Additionally, through special initiative funding, the grantee will scale-up HIV/AIDS treatment services in priority regions in Namibia with high disease burden.