PEPFAR Caribbean HIV/AIDS Regional Training Initiative (CHART II) Grant Program

Applicants must have a demonstrated history of success working with Caribbean partners in the area of public health and working with local, indigenous, Caribbean-based populations. Applicant institutions must have at least three (3) years experience providing services and managing programs for local populations in the Caribbean region. This experience is necessary to support the PEPFAR goal of building local capacity and long-term sustainability. Educational institutions must have experience with distance education methodologies.

o Strengthen the health workforce by improving the quality of continuing education opportunities, as well as their pre-service preparations, to improve their knowledge and skills in HIV/AIDS prevention, care and treatment;

o Further develop CHART as a regional, accredited training network platform for continuing professional development (CPD) systems

o Capacitate national and regional counterparts to effectively manage and sustain CPD systems to deliver quality HIV/AIDS prevention, care and treatment services over the long term.

CHART-II will provide a mechanism for the implementation of a regional continuing education and professional development platform for the health workforce in the Caribbean. This platform will exist through collaboration with Caribbean universities, national governments in the twelve PF countries, professional associations, accreditation and licensing boards, pre-service medical and nursing institutions and providers of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO) and Faith Based Organizations (FBO). This award broadens the definition of health worker, where appropriate to include healthcare providers, health program managers, pharmacists, logisticians, epidemiologists, laboratorians, health educators, social workers, human resource managers, and others essential to health systems. Trainees would include health workers from all national sectors: public, not for profit, for-profit, NGOs and FBOs. The award also calls for meaningful engagement of persons living with HIV (PLHIV) whenever possible in this program. CHART-II will enhance integration, reach and sustainability through collaboration with other USG agencies working in HIV and AIDS in the region, PEPFAR Caribbean Regional Partnership Framework partners, and multi-lateral and regional collaborating agencies such as the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), UNAIDS, Country and Regional Coordinating Mechanisms (CCM) of the Global Fund for AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM), Caribbean Community (CARICOM)’s Pan Caribbean Partnership Against HIV/AIDS (PANCAP) and the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Secretariat’s HIV/AIDS Program Unit (HAPU). The activities funded under this award are expected to enable national governments of these twelve PF countries and Caribbean regional educational and public health institutions to build sustainable human and health system capacity in key HIV management and health service delivery functions.