HAIN manages and coordinates the project "Strengthening the Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) System of the Philippine HIV/AIDS Response.” The Project started in January 2006 and will be implemented for one year in partnership with Health Development Initiatives Institute (HDII)) and is supported by the Philippine National AIDS Council (PNAC) and the UNAIDS. The Project supplements and complements earlier efforts undertaken to put in place a comprehensive national Monitoring and Evaluation System for HIV/AIDS. [Photo: M&E Workshop in Tagaytay, March 16-17, 2006]

The M&E Project aims to achieve the following objectives:

1. Produce an M&E Plan for NGOs and pilot the NGO M&E plan in three sites
2. Introduce and install Country Response Information System (CRIS) in 10 M&E centers at the local level, three subnational and two national pilot sites
3. Create a Monitoring & Evaluation Harmonization and Implementation Plan in 10 local level sites.
4. Prepare a Resource Monitoring Plan and incorporate the plan into the overall M&E System
5. Set-up an integrated Research Plan for STI/HIV/AIDS
6. Set-up Quality Control measures for M&E

Upcoming activities:
HAIN will be conducting an M&E capability building training entitled “Data Management Training” for NGOs working on HIV and AIDS. Four trainings are set in July, August, and September 2006. Please contact HAIN for details and application.

Monitoring the Country's Response to the HIV and AIDS Epidemic.

NGOs in the Philippines contribute greatly to the national HIV/AIDS response however such efforts have not been documented and included to national reports. Thus, the Phase III of the M&E Project “Strengthening the Monitoring and Evaluation System of the Philippines HIV/AIDS Response” emphasizes the inclusion of NGOs and other partner agencies responding to HIV and AIDS who are not part of the formal government structure. This project strengthens the participation of NGOs, private sectors, and faith-based organizations. It also reinforces NGO-GO partnership.

The second quarter of the implementation of the project continued its mapping to identify more NGOs and/or CSOs responding to HIV and AIDS. Through the mapping, we were able to identify as well which NGOs/CSOs respond to the national plan and national indicators. These NGOs/CSOs will be trained on M&E.

The M&E Sub-plan for NGOs/CSOs was presented to NGOs, PNAC Technical Working Group, and to the PNAC members at the 19th Plenary Meeting. The national M&E plan was also approved at the Plenary Meeting. Followed immediately was the pilot testing of the system. The pilot testing was initiated through the Local AIDS Councils (LACs). LACs are identified to be the primary link to establishing and strengthening M&E at the local level. Eight meetings were conducted with LACc. A dialogue with funding agencies has clarified their roles to the national M&E system.

HAIN and HDII continued to work in partnership and also the PNAC secretariat and with support from UNAIDS. A UNV (United Nations Volunteer), Prof. Morten Grimnes, was requested by the PNAC Secretariat to provide IT support in strengthening PNAC’s capacity.

During the second quarter and as the project progressed, the M&E Team made some changes in the workplan to allow geographical expansion and flexibility in pilot sites. For example, instead of 6 M&E pilot local sites, we added two more to represent geographical balance. In addition, the training for NGOs and Local AIDS Councils on M&E Data Management was supposed to be conducted separately. However, many NGOs are also members of the LACs. It was then realized that all trainings – Data Management and CRIS specifically, be held after all LAC meetings have been conducted and that non-LAC member NGOs should be merged to strengthen local partnership. -

The project “Strengthening the Monitoring and Evaluation System of the Philippines HIV/AIDS Response” commenced in January 2006.

This project supplements and complements the efforts undertaken in establishing and developing the national monitoring and evaluation system of the Philippine HIV/AIDS response. It primarily implements the operationalization of the proposed system.

Leading to the implementation, several consultations and planning were held with key stakeholders. HAIN partnered with Health Development Initiatives Institute, a non-government organization, in implementing major areas of the project.

The objectives for the first quarter are the following:

1. M&E Plan for NGOs and pilot testing the plan
2. Institutionalizaton of CRIS
3. Financial monitoring plan
4. Database harmonization

To meet the objectives, HAIN and HDII facilitated and organized several consultative meetings and trainings. Each activity builds on the next steps of the project.