Proposals will be evaluated by a panel of specialists with broad experience and then approved by a Steering Committee composed of representatives of the Ministry of Health, the National AIDS Council, Common Fund Donors and the United Nations.

The selected activity areas are aligned with the National Prevention Strategy, which identifies concurrent sexual relations with multiple sexual partners as one of the main reasons for the high rate of HIV infection. This strategy also emphasizes a special need for projects, which focus on sensitizing HIV positive pregnant mothers on the importance of antiretroviral therapy and adherence to treatment regimes. Similarly, there is a need for projects to educate people living with HIV on the importance of medication for tuberculosis, since their risk of TB infection is 50 percent higher than for persons not living with HIV.

The World Bank has provided US$4.7 million to set up a Rapid Results Fund to accelerate the response to the HIV epidemic in Mozambique. As a result, in December 2009, the Government of Mozambique, through the Ministry of Health, signed the agreement with UNDP, who will manage the fund.

The Rapid Results Fund, administrated by UNDP and supported by UNAIDS, will finance key components of the Government’s new strategy to accelerate the prevention of HIV transmission.

In addition to US$2.0 million allocated to nonprofit organizations, a further US$1.0 million of the Rapid Results Fund will be disbursed to prevention programmes of selected line ministries, through the Ministry of Public Service. US$1.0 million will be channeled through the World Food Programme (WFP) to fund food vouchers for people living with HIV/AIDS, and US$0.7 million will used to finance the evaluation of new, innovative programmes.

For further information on call for proposals please contact:

UNDP
Rapid Result Fund Unit
Tel: 21 481439

The photograph is from the antenatal clinic of Xai Xai by Eliane Beeson/UNAIDS.