PSI

The Global Fund To Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria was created to dramatically increase resources to fight three of the world's most devastating diseases, and to direct those resources to areas of greatest need. As a partnership between governments, civil society, the private sector and affected communities, the Global Fund represents an innovative approach to international health financing.

PSI and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis & Malaria

Organizational Strengths and Capacity
PSI, a non-profit organization incorporated in 1970, combines entrepreneurial spirit with social mission to encourage healthy behavior and improve public health worldwide. Working in more than 65 countries, PSI delivers affordable and accessible health products and services to low-income and vulnerable populations, and produces and disseminates innovative, culturally appropriate behavior change communications. PSI uses commercial marketing techniques to harness the power of markets to create access to quality and affordable health products and services. PSI’s primary interventions concern: HIV/STI prevention, HIV counseling and testing, family planning, malaria, diarrheal disease, maternal and child health, and tuberculosis (TB). Globally, PSI has considerable experience successfully implementing Global Fund programs in all three disease areas as a Principal Recipient (PR), a Sub-Recipient (SR), and in supporting the Country Coordinating Mechanism (CCM) as a full member or technical advisor. PSI is headquartered in Washington, DC.

PSI's Global Fund Grants
Because of similarity in mission and innovative practice, the partnership between PSI and the Global Fund has led to PSI serving as Principal Recipient (PR) or Sub-Recipient (SR) for nearly 100 Global Fund grants in more than 35 countries. Currently PSI and its affiliates serve as PR in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Haiti, Madagascar, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Southern Sudan, Tanzania, Thailand and Togo.

Some of the work PSI is undertaking in these countries includes:

• The mass distribution of long lasting insecticide treated bed nets to combat malaria in the DRC;
• Working with partners to develop a National Malaria Control Plan and Communication Strategy in Papua New Guinea;
• Using social marketing to provide female and male condoms to at- risk populations in Tanzania;
• Delivering a comprehensive package of preventative and curative services and products to address the socio-economic impact of malaria on the population of Southern Sudan;
• Providing HIV education, anti-discrimination campaigns and outreach to neglected populations in Madagascar;
• Contributing as SR to the malaria control campaign distributing over 2.1 million LLINs to pregnant women, children under five and at- risk populations in the plateau region of Burundi.

PSI has received Global Fund grant awards for all three disease areas, ranging from $50,000 to $77.8million, with many projects incorporating health systems strengthening, local capacity building and technical support components. PSI builds local capacity as an integral part of its work and in many instances is serving as a co-PR with government ministries.

PSI and Technical Support
PSI serves on the CCMs of 16 countries and sits on the technical committees of several more, providing assistance to CCMs on governance and management; PSI’s HIV, malaria and TB specialists regularly provide assistance in developing sound proposals. PSI also offers technical support to countries receiving Global Fund grants as a PR or SR in program management, financial management, monitoring and evaluation, procurement, and contracts.

PSI’s Commitment to Community Systems Strengthening
A key to PSI’s success is its emphasis on strengthening institutional development in the countries where it works, particularly through the creation and capacity building of local affiliates. PSI’s local affiliates and country program offices benefit from the combined strengths of their local staff and in-county presence as well as their membership in PSI’s growing global network. As their skills and capacities grow, PSI’s local affiliate organizations have increasing independence from PSI headquarters. For example, several local affiliates have such significant local ownership, capacity and autonomy that they only require technical support from PSI headquarters. Society for Family Health in Nigeria and Greenstar in Pakistan both fall into this category.

PSI and Procurement
PSI has significant procurement capacity and is highly experienced in managing every aspect of the international supply chain. Since 1970, over 9.5 billion male condoms and 28.5 million bed nets have been purchased, distributed and promoted globally. In 2006 and 2007, PSI successfully procured more than 20.3 million insecticide-treated nets, over four million courses of ACT treatment and 233,350 rapid diagnostic tests for malaria programs. PSI has a long history of successful procurement under the Global Fund, especially with HIV and malaria commodities, and a proven track record for cost-efficiency with the transport of vast volumes of Global Fund-financed commodities. The Global Fund has recognized PSI for its compliance with the Global Fund Cost Reporting Mechanism.

Examples of PSI-Global Fund Grants

As PR in Madagascar, PSI addresses malaria prevention by increasing demand for insecticide-treated nets through a national behavior change communication campaign. PSI has also distributed subsidized insecticide-treated nets to pregnant women and parents of children under five through other NGOs and through public sector clinics. More than 3.2 million nets have been distributed by PSI in Madagascar so far. PSI/Madagascar recently signed a new Round 7 malaria grant worth US$ 6.3 million over the first two years, and was awarded a Round 8 HIV grant in November 2008.

In Nepal, PSI has served as a co-PR with the Ministry of Health in Nepal since Round 2 to promote malaria awareness, train health workers and procure and distribute LLINs. Due to the great success on this project, PSI is combining Global Fund grant funding from two Rounds to form a comprehensive and cohesive Malaria program, continuing their close collaboration with the Ministry of Health and other local partners in Nepal.

In Southern Sudan. In an effort to reduce malaria cases in Southern Sudan, PSI in collaboration with the Ministry of Health is leading an ambitious program focusing on universal coverage of LLINs as well as health sector and community level distribution of malaria treatment medicine. In collaboration with the Southern Sudan National Malaria Control Program, local community groups, faith based organizations, vendors and other private entities; PSI was able to reach nearly 300% of its LLIN target in the first year of the program. A major component of this project and an important aspect to this great success was the capacity building for the community-based organizations through a tailored Financial Capacity Building workshop series. Through this and additional mentoring by PSI and partners, these organizations have become more independent and sustainable entities. PSI Sudan is expected to be a PR for a Round 10 Malaria grant.

PSI is PR for Togo’s US$ 30.5 million Round 4 HIV grant. PSI works closely with the Government of Togo to implement an HIV prevention education program that includes: distributing subsidized male and female condoms; training health care workers; implementing innovative multi-layer behavior change communication campaigns; HIV counseling and testing; and treating sexually transmitted infections. PSI has achieved its targets in Togo: 67,349 people have completed counseling and testing for HIV; 4,812 people have been trained to deliver behavior change community outreach; and over 26 million condoms have been sold.

PSI’s local affiliate in Pakistan, Greenstar, has effectively led Global Fund tuberculosis programs, first as SR on Round 3 and currently as a Round 8 PR, for tuberculosis outreach and DOTS. By providing training on diagnosis and care to 1,400 health workers in the public and private sectors, as well as enhancing lab diagnostics to perform quality sputum smear microscopy, nearly 26,000 tuberculosis patients have been registered for care with an 86% treatment success rate.

Case Studies

• Southern Sudan: Capacity Building for CBOs

Official Website

• www.theglobalfund.org

For more information about PSI’s work with the Global Fund, please contact Celina Schocken, Director of International Organizations, at cschocken@psi.org.

The Global Fund To Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria