Building the capacity of regional organizations for enhanced sustainability and impact

1. Stronger health systems. Greater health impact.
Building the Capacity of Regional Organizations for Enhanced
Sustainability: The BLC Approach
Management Sciences for Health
Sheilla Benyera, Jerusha Govender, Puleng Letsie
MSH Building Local Capacity Project 1

2. BLC’s work in Southern Africa
• Building Local Capacity for HIV Service Delivery in
Southern Africa Project (BLC), August 2010 to August
2015
• BLC vision for Improved Capacity in Southern Africa
o Expanding HIV prevention knowledge and services
o Strengthening local and regional institutions
o Ensuring quality of health services
o Increasing care and support for OVCHealth
Management Sciences for
o Strengthening Global Fund
Principal Recipients
MSH Building Local Capacity Project 2

3. Developing regional CSO capacity
• Local organizations need to continuously develop their
capacities to match changing environment
• Challenges in assessing impact of anticipated program
results and actual outcomes
Response
• USAID Forward Agenda Implementation and
Procurement Reforms (IPRs). Sciences for Health
Management
BLC charged with:
o ‘graduating’ 10 regional entities by 2015 to receive,
manage, and report on USG funds and other donors
o providing technical assistance for improved, sustainable
HIV program service delivery
MSH Building Local Capacity Project 3

4. BLC Regional CSO Capacity
Building Model
Management Sciences for Health
MSH Building Local Capacity Project 4

5. Methodologies and Strategies
• Unique capacity building methodologies
o Targeted & time-bound capacity building ‘graduation’
o Prioritized, ‘holistic’ capacity building plans, and shared
accountability
o Mentored sub grants
o Periodic participatory capacity assessments
o Mock pre-award assessments/compliance surveys
• Strategies for sustainability Sciences for Health
Management
o Participatory approach
o Knowledge exchange and skills transfer
o Other support – resource mobilization, project
management, leadership & management and cost-
recovery
MSH Building Local Capacity Project 5

6. Well managed regional CSOs
• Strong and sustainable management and governance
systems & structures; and policies & procedures
development
o Increased compliance with GAAP, IAS, and USG rules &
regulations
o Successful mentored sub-grant mechanism
• CSOs independently receive, manage and report on
Management Sciences for Health
funds
o ‘Graduated’ ECSA–HC – implementation of the HRAA
project
o m2m– Swaziland PMTCT project
o IHM- ESI Project Lesotho and Swaziland
MSH Building Local Capacity Project 6

7. Lessons Learned
• Limited capital and no line of credit
• No established overhead rate
• Bureaucracies/bottlenecks that prevent rapid
change
• No track record or experience with USAID or
other big donors Management Sciences for Health
MSH Building Local Capacity Project 7

8. Conclusions
• BLC’s customized approach enhances organizations’
service delivery and sustainability through improved
management, governance, and financial systems
• Replicable model – highly participatory which promotes
ownership and accountability
• Flexible – provides an opportunity for tapping onto
available resources, tools and instruments
Management Sciences for Health
• Stronger regional organizations will strengthen the
impact of the regional HIV and AIDS response
MSH Building Local Capacity Project 8

9. Questions & Comments
Management Sciences for Health
sbenyera@msh.org
MSH Building Local Capacity Project 9

10. Stronger health systems. Greater health impact.
Saving lives and improving the health
of the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people
Management Sciences for Health
by closing the gap between knowledge and action in public
health.
MSH Building Local Capacity Project 10