TERMS OF REFERENCE
Design of Model Framework for Outreach Services to Men Who Have Sex With Men ( MSM) Consultancy

The Caribbean Community and Common Market (CARICOM) has been approved as the Principal Recipient of the PANCAP R9 Round Global Fund Grant in the amount of $35 million US dollars. Both the Centre for Integrated Training and Research (COIN) and Caribbean Vulnerable Communities Coalition (CVC) have been instrumental in elaborating the Most at Risk Populations component of the PANCAP Global Fund proposal. COIN has been nominated as the Sub-Recipient for this component of the grant representing approximately a third of the total funds (excluding those used by the PR). COIN will lead an umbrella sub-grant covering Caribbean Vulnerable Communities Coalition (CVC) and the local implementing partners, as well as the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and the Caribbean Family Planning Association (CFPA).

The vulnerable groups component of the GF grant sets out to develop model outreach programs to reach key vulnerable groups, targeting MSM, local and migrant SW, prison inmates, drug users, and marginalized youth through four population-based projects. Each of these projects has an operational research component to assist the project establish a project baseline, collect critical data to fill-in knowledge gaps to facilitate evidence-based programming, and to gauge project progress and impact throughout implementation.

The MSM Project

In the Caribbean, traditional MSM programming has primarily centred on peer educator models accompanied by the promotion of VCT and the distribution of condoms and, less often, lubricants. As has been argued by UNAIDS however, risk reduction and biomedical strategies like these are important but they are not sufficient to address the complex contexts in which the HIV epidemic is spread among gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men. As a fundamental principle for example, UNAIDS argues that human rights based approaches that create an enabling environment through community based advocacy and interventions must play a central role in effective progamming.

Around the world, best practice in MSM programming has taken this as a central tenet, building up culturally appropriate, grassroots developed programming that addresses both risk and vulnerability reduction. In the Caribbean as well, MSM-led programmes developed by indigenous civil society actors have addressed both individual and group behaviours as well as structural conditions. Such conditions for MSM vary significantly in the Caribbean, from small conservative societies (for example in the OECS), to environments where there are no policies or laws against homosexuality such as the Dominican Republic, to violently hostile environments such as Jamaica. Different approaches are therefore needed for effective, culturally relevant HIV prevention programming among different MSM groups and in differing contexts. Several strategies have been tried, including:

• small, underground support groups in the OECS as developed by constituent groups of the Caribbean HIV/AIDS Partnership (CHAPS);
• open, intensive self esteem and self efficacy based programming as developed by Amigos Siempre Amigos (ASA) in the Dominican Republic; and
• a mix of individual and group based HIV prevention interventions linked up to violence prevention and mitigation support programming as practiced by Jamaica AIDS Support for Life (JASL) and its partners, including the Jamaica Forum for Lesbians, All-Sexuals and Gays (J-FLAG)

Taking Community-led MSM Programming to Scale

The next step in developing evidence-informed, culturally-appropriate MSM programming for universal access is:

• to examine these programmes with community leaders and MSM programmers;
• identify gaps that need to be addressed to strengthen them; and
• provide financial and technical support to pilot the strengthened programmes and support the development of new ones as part of the pilot process.

The Added Value of a Regional Approach

This regional approach to catalyze MSM outreach addresses the need to jump-start improved MSM prevention services in the countries where the deterrent of stigma and discrimination is felt most strongly but in different ways by different groups. By providing technical guidance, organizational momentum, the protection of regional civil society, and effective advocacy, CVC as a regional network will speed the process by which country-level MSM programmes upgrade themselves, enabling much more rapid progress than if the MSM groups in each country were trying to do the same on their own.

This is the strategy that was conceived by the in-country MSM CSOs, of which CVC is composed, as the most effective route. The goal will be to strengthen the capabilities of the in-country MSM organizations, improve the capacity of the National AIDS Programmes to support them, and consolidate the ability of the CVC network to provide regional leadership, advocacy, and technical assistance.

The main objective of the of the Vulnerable groups Component of the PANCAP R9 GF project is to Reduced HIV transmission in vulnerable populations. Some expected outcome of this consultation are but not limited to:

• Best and promising practices in the Caribbean on MSM prevention documented;
• structural barriers to effective prevention for MSM and solutions to those barriers, including core elements of MSM service indentified; and
• Model framework for outreach services to MSM to provide access to comprehensive health services including VCT, developed.

General Scope of the Job

The Design of model framework for outreach services for MSM to provide access to comprehensive HIV services, including VCT (working with existing national programs).

The Design of the Model Framework for outreach Services for the MSM will be directly answerable to the PANCAP/ Global Fund MSM Project Coordinator, with the majority of his/her tasks undertaken in collaboration with project coordinators along with a technical team and stakeholders.

Phase I

• In Consultation with project coordinator and other project staff, develop an appropriate methodology and programme of work for the MSM Consultation to be held on 12-13 August 2011.
• Make relevant presentations and undertake interventions as necessary that contribute towards the overall achievement of the objectives of MSM consultation held on 12- 13 August 2011.
• Participate in regional MSM consultation on the Identification of Core elements for the provision of services. In addition the consultant is expected to use this activity as a basis to develop a report incorporating the following key elements:
• Structural barriers to effective prevention for MSM and solutions to those barriers including core elements for service provision; and
• Identification and documentation of Best Practices in the Caribbean on MSM Prevention.

Phase II

• Using data and other information emanating from the Regional MSM Consultation as well as from other appropriate assessment/ consultations, design and submit a model framework for outreach activities.

The timeline for the completion of this work is 4 weeks, beginning from the date of signing the contract. The 4- week timeline should also cover all the necessary planning and research ; it should include all necessary organization and completion of finalized report to include the Model Framework.

Interested applicants are asked to read the information presented above carefully before applying. Applicants must submit a consultancy proposal along with their CV to:
coin.cvc.human.resources@gmail.com copied to arnulfokantun@yahoo.com and chinsees@yahoo.com

The deadline for receiving applications is 30 July 2011.