a) PROJECT BACKGROUND

Over the past two decades, research and strategies to combat HIV have increasingly recognised that HIV infection and prevalence levels tend to be higher in women and girls than in men in Kenya, and that the negative social and economic consequences of the HIV& AIDs pandemic weigh most heavily on women and girls.

The Gender Audit of the National HIV& AIDS Response in Kenya which was commissioned by NACC revealed that most Civil Society Organisations working in HIV&AIDs interventions do not have basic gender awareness and expertise to enable them engage in gender sensitive and transformative programs and interventions in HIV&AIDs prevention, care, treatment and support.

Heeding to the call by the Gender Analysis of the Strategic Review of KNASP 2005/6-2009/10 for Gender Mainstreaming (2009) to adopt and implement more policies, programs and interventions that are geared towards addressing specific gender needs in HIV related risks, HERAF in collaboration with HENNET, and with financial and technical assistance from the German BACKUP Initiative (GIZ) is implementing a project entitled," Towards gender sensitive and transformative HIV programming." The main objective of the project is to ‘strengthen the capacity of Civil Society Organizations to use gender analysis for programs and interventions to reduce gender-related barriers to HIV and AIDS prevention, treatment and care'.

b) OBJECTIVES

The specific objectives of the project include;

v  Increasing the knowledge and understanding of Civil Society Organisations on the linkages between gender and HIV&AIDS prevention, treatment and care

v  Strengthening  the capacity of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs)  to use gender analysis as a basis for gender sensitive and  transformative HIV&AIDS programmes and interventions so as to reduce gender related barriers in prevention, care and treatment, as reflected in their work plans

v  Development of stronger links, collaborations and networking between Civil Society Organisations working gender sensitive and gender transformative HIV&AIDs programmes and interventions.

c) EXPECTED OUTPUTS OF THE PROJECT

The expected outputs of the project include;

v  Increased knowledge and understanding by Civil Society Organisations on the linkages between gender and HIV&AIDs prevention, treatment, care and support.

v  Strengthened capacity of  Civil Society Organisations  to use gender analysis as a basis for gender sensitive and  transformative HIV& AIDS programmes and interventions so as to reduce gender related barriers in HIV prevention, care and treatment  as reflected in their work plans

v  Strengthened and enhanced links, collaborations and communication between Civil Society Organisations working in the areas of gender, HIV& AIDs prevention, treatment and care.

d)      The target groups of the project include Civil Society Organisations implementing programmes and interventions in the health sector.

e)      The primary beneficiaries of the project include: Women, Sexual Minority groups, Boys and girls, People living with HIV and AIDs and the general Public.