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CSIH Projects

Current Projects

CSIH is currently in the process of managing and executing the following projects.

International				Africa
HIV/AIDS Small Grants Fund				Health Systems Study in Mali
South America				Eastern Europe
Public Health Strengthening in Guyana				Positive Children’s Project in Ukraine
Asia				Russia Health Sector Cluster Evaluation and Monitor Project
Canada Southeast Asia Regional HIV/AIDS Program (CSEARHAP)				Balkans Primary Health Care Project
				Balkans Youth Health Project

Public Health Strengthening in Guyana

Country/Region:	Guyana
Project Title:	Public Health Strengthening in Guyana
Partners:	Canadian International Development Agency, Guyanese Ministry of Health
Contact:	Roumyana Benedict, rbenedict@csih.org
Key Objectives:	To strengthen the capacity of the Government of Guyana to: -better manage, deliver and monitor disease prevention and control programs in the areas of STI/HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis; -effectively plan, manage, and evaluate health care services; and -strengthen Guyana's Health Information System (HIS) to support the collection, storage and communication of health data, and the processing of that data into health information.
Summary:	The primary goal of this project is to improve the health of the Guyanese population by providing additional resources – human and institutional – in support of nationwide interventions. Guyana’s otherwise well-designed health care system is being tested by a rising incidence of HIV/AIDS, sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and tuberculosis (TB), coupled with a shortage of financial and human resources, poor management and weak information systems. Some of the key activities undertaken as part of this project include: (i) the provision of technical assistance to strengthen national prevention, management, and care of HIV/AIDS, STIs and TB; (ii) the establishment of a national Health Information System for collection, storage, and communication of health data; (iii) training and capacity development among nurses and community and home health care workers, in collaboration with VON Canada, for the delivery of palliative care to TB and AIDS patients in non-institutional settings.
Website:	View the Guyana Website

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HIV/AIDS Small Grants Fund - Phases I, II, and III

Country/Region:	Selected organizations are implanting projects in: Bolivia, Pakistan, Vietnam, Thailand, China, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, Uganda, Zimbabwe and Lesotho
Project Title:	HIV/AIDS Small Grants Fund Phase III
Partners:	Interagency Coalition for AIDS and Development, as well as various small grant recipients and their local partners
Contact:	hivaids@csih.org
Key Objectives:	The specific objectives of the third phase are: • To encourage and strengthen partnerships/twinnings between Canadian non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and community-based organizations (CBOs) involved in international HIV/AIDS work and counterparts in developing countries and/or countries in transition; • To build the capacity of smaller Canadian NGOs and CBOs to play a substantive role in international partnerships/twinnings for HIV/AIDS; • To address the gendered aspects of the HIV/AIDS epidemic; and • To encourage cost-effective, innovative, inter-sectoral knowledge-based approaches to HIV/AIDS, particularly as they address the socio-economic determinants of health among vulnerable populations. During the Fund’s second phase, the emphasis on grants was on the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs).
Summary:	The goals of CIDA’s policies related to HIV/AIDS include increasing collaboration between Canada and developing countries or countries-in-transition: encouraging the development of innovative, cost-effective, knowledge-based approaches to address the pandemic and increasing the quantity and quality of HIV/AIDS programming. During the first phase of this Small Grants Fund, CIDA made funding available for twelve Small Grants (up to $50,000 for each grant for a 12 month project period) to encourage Canadian and developing country and/or countries-in-transition collaboration to work on HIV/AIDS priority issues. For the second phase, CIDA made available a new round of Small Grants for seventeen Small Grants (up to $75,000 each for up to an 18 month period) to further encourage new and emerging partnerships between Canadian organizations and organizations in developing countries and/or countries-in-transition. The primary focus of SGFIII is HIV/AIDS and Gender. In support of CIDA’s HIV/AIDS priorities, SGFIII seeks to encourage cost-effective, innovative, inter-sectoral, knowledge-based approaches to HIV/AIDS that examine the gendered aspects of the HIV epidemic in developing countries and/or countries in transition and which reflect national activities and priorities. Twenty Small Grants have been awarded (up to $100,000 each for up to 24 months). The goal of the Small Grants Fund has been to increase Canada’s global contribution to HIV/AIDS activities in developing countries and countries-in-transition, in the context of CIDA’s HIV/AIDS priorities, in order to reduce the impact of the HIV/AIDS global pandemic.
Lessons Learned:	A number of administrative and programmatic lessons have been learned. A key lesson reiterated throughout the implementation of the Small Grants Fund has been that projects can be executed with relatively low cost, using existing HIV/AIDS organizations in Canada to twin with an existing organization in a developing country. This allows for sharing of personnel and resources and works on the principle of capacity building within an identified context. Twinning projects provide insight, exposure, vision, ideas, strategies and a wider view of the pandemic. Other lessons learned include: (i) the greater flexibility and responsiveness realized by implementing the Fund through CSIH than might have been possible by working through CIDA's internal requirements; (ii) sharing of lessons learned among grant recipients enabled many to learn “solutions” and “opportunities” from each other; the monitoring component of the Fund undertaken by CSIH and ICAD proved to be very valuable in contributing to the identification of success, effectiveness, and potential networking opportunities for the small grants projects; (iii) partnerships must be based on a “shared vision” - or at the very least, a common understanding of why each group is embarking on the project. Furthermore, the partnerships must respond to the perceived and significant needs of each organization. These needs must be clearly identified and understood – if the project is to be sustainable over the long term. At the same time, it was recognized that experiences of "new partnerships" are different than those of established partnerships – they face different timelines as well as expectations of funding and reporting requirements. This was particularly true in learning of and adapting to each other's cultures. In the end, not all of the twinning relationships were positive, but they can provide key lessons learned in the development and fostering of relationships between organizations.
Website:	View the Small Grants Website

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Positive Children Project in Ukraine

Country/Region:	Ukraine
Project Title:	Positive Children’s Project
Partners:	Canadian International Development Agency
Contact:	Eva Slawecki, eslawecki@csih.org
Key Objectives:	Providing comprehensive HIV/AIDS care and treatment, clinical, management, research, and health professional training in support of children, their families, orphans, and their caregivers Providing comprehensive psycho-social support and ensuring integrated care and treatment through evidence-based research, training/education, and social marketing for community outreach programs.
Summary:	The Canadian Society for International Health (CSIH) is furthering Canada’s commitment to contribute to the global response to HIV/AIDS through its Positive Children Project in Ukraine. Funded by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), this project aims to address the critical need for professional capacity in the care, treatment and support of children living with HIV/AIDS in Ukraine. Having begun in 2005, the project works closely with Ukraine's Ministry of Health and Canadian and Ukrainian partners in determining priority training areas. The project's expected outcomes are that Ukrainian professionals have enhanced capacity to deliver child-friendly, gender sensitive care, treatment and management of children living with HIV, their families and caregivers, and; Children with HIV/AIDS, their families and caregivers have access to improved care, treatment and support. The Positive Children Project in Ukraine will provide training to Ukrainian professionals and service providers working in the field of pediatric HIV/AIDS, grants for Ukrainian AIDS Service Organizations, internships and twinning opportunities for AIDS Service Organizations in Canada and Ukraine.
Website:	View the PCPU Website

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Canada Southeast Asia Regional HIV/AIDS Program (CSEARHAP)

Country/Region:	Southeast Asia (Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Lao People’s Democratic Republic)
Project Title:	Canada Southeast Asia Regional HIV/AIDS Program (CSEARHAP)
Partners:	Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), CARE, PATH Canada
Contact:	Lori Jones; ljones@csih.org
Key Objectives:	To build complementary capacity to develop and implement national workplans that will address the issues related to mobility and HIV/AIDS in the four project countries. To support the implementation of the UN Regional Taskforce’s Strategy on Mobility and HIV Vulnerability Reduction in the Greater Mekong Subregion.
Summary:	CSEARHAP seeks to strengthen the national response of Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and Lao PDR to reduce male and female mobile populations’ vulnerability to HIV/AIDS, in a regionally-coordinated and gender-sensitive manner. The nature of mobile population vulnerability requires a regional strategy with strong coordination and collaboration among the four project countries, as well as across different sectors within each country (including Health, Social Services, Transportation, Education, Agriculture, Immigration, and Labour). Successes and lessons learned in each country will be shared through the Taskforce and other key regional meetings, and will form case studies for regional training and capacity building activities. Synergy between national efforts will be highlighted to facilitate implementation more widely across the region, taking cultural, political and economic contexts into account.
Website	www.csearhap.org

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Health Systems Study in Mali

Country/Region:	Mali
Project Title:	Projet d’Appui à l’amélioration de la santé de la reproduction au niveau communautaire dans la région de Kayes au Mali
Partners:	Unité de Santé internationale de l’université de Montréal (USI-UdeM), Centre Hospitalier de l’université de Montréal (CHUM), CARE Canada
Contact:	Lori Jones; ljones@csih.org
Key Objectives:	To undertake an overview study of the health systems in two districts in Mali (Ségou and Kayes).
Summary:	Through this project, Canadian partners will provide technical and professional support for the implementation of a study on health systems in the areas of Kayes and Ségou in Mali. The study aims to provide Malian and Canadian decision makers with quantitative and qualitative information regarding health systems in these districts, as well as recommendations allowing the Malian Ministry of Health to better guide and implements the national Programme of Health Sector Development in the next years. En 1997, le gouvernement malien adoptait le Plan décennal de développement social et sanitaire (PDDSS 1997-2007), qui s’est traduit au niveau opérationnel dans le Programme de développement social et sanitaire (PRODESS). Pour réaliser le PRODESS et atteindre les objectifs stratégiques du PDDSS, les partenaires techniques et financiers du gouvernement malien. dont l’ACDI, se sont engagés à fournir les appuis techniques et financiers nécessaires à sa mise en œuvre. Le ministère de la Santé du Mali a demandé à l’ACDI d’appuyer la direction régionale de la santé de Kayes dans l’exécution de son plan opérationnel annuel de santé. L’intervention canadienne a pour objectif de contribuer à assurer une meilleure intégration et une meilleure cohérence des actions menées aux différents niveaux de la pyramide sanitaire dans les domaines de la lutte contre la maladie, de la santé de la reproduction et de la nutrition. Les buts visés par cet appui sont d’accroître l’utilisation des services sanitaires et sociaux de qualité offerts dans les centres de santé communautaire et dans les centres de santé de référence de la région de Kayes. Le groupement UdeM/CHUM/CARE/SCSI accompagne techniquement et professionnellement la direction régionale de la santé de Kayes dans l’exécution de son plan d’opération annuel de santé, particulièrement au niveau stratégique. Cet accompagnement est fourni par l’assistance technique long terme (conseillère en santé) et des appuis ponctuels (experts canadiens et maliens). Les principales activités du groupement en collaboration avec les partenaires maliens concernent : • L’affectation et le suivi d’un assistant technique • La mise en place et le fonctionnement d’une banque de consultants canadiens et maliens • L’élaboration des procédures administratives et financières pour la mise en oeuvre du projet (gestion financière, système comptable, gestion des ressources humaines-assistant technique et experts court terme-rapports financiers trimestriels, rapport d’activités semestriels, 2 missions de suivi par année). Le rôle attendu de l’assistance technique à la Direction régionale de la santé de Kayes (DRS) est de : - proposer à la DRS des façons de faire pour faciliter et améliorer la livraison de services de santé de qualité dans les centres de santé communautaires - encadrer les prestations de services des consultants canadiens et/ou maliens - participer aux rencontres du Comité d’orientation, de coordination et d’évaluation du PDDSS et du PRODESS de Kayes et aux comités de suivi du PRODESS - contribuer à enrichir la problématique de la santé dans la région de Kayes. Plus spécifiquement, le rôle s’est concrétisé au cours du mandat de la conseillère santé actuellement en poste par : - aider à la planification et à l’utilisation des données pour guider la planification, sa mise en œuvre et son évaluation, - appuyer le renforcement de la surveillance épidémiologique et du système d’information sanitaire, - appuyer le renforcement des capacités de la société civile, des ASACO et des collectivités, - appuyer la gestion et identifier les experts en renforcement des capacités pour la DRS et la Direction du Développement social et pour les équipes sociosanitaires de cercles, - appuyer les équipes dams le cadre du monitorage et de la supervision, - aider à l’élaboration et à la mise en œuvre de conventions avec les ONG, les associations et autres services techniques, - aider au développement de la recherche appliquée et particulièrement de la recherche action, - aider à développer des outils de suivi de la planification et l’évaluation en vue d’améliorer la qualité des services de la région, - appuyer le développement des capacités managériales des agents de la Direction régionale du Développement social de Kayes par rapport aux ASACO, - appuyer la Direction régionale du développement social et la DRS à mieux concevoir et assurer le développement d’une plate forme de synergie entre la santé, l’éducation, d’autres secteurs et les organisations communautaires.

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Russia Health Sector Cluster Evaluation and Monitor Project

Country/Region:	Russia
Project Title:	Russia Health Sector Cluster Evaluation and Monitor Project
Partners:	Hickling International
Contact:	Lori Jones; ljones@csih.org
Key Objectives:	Review the projects’ rationale as they relate to CIDA's priorities; Assess progress towards the projects’ stated anticipated results; Assess projects’ efficiency, effectiveness, and initial indications of impact; Identify obstacles or barriers to success and lessons learned; and Make recommendations about the design and direction of future project activities.
Summary:	The Russian Health Sector Cluster Evaluator and Monitor Project was divided into two primary components: the monitoring of on-going projects over the remaining period of their implementation, and the evaluation of near-completed projects. The projects monitored and/or evaluated included: (i) Strengthening and Expanding of the Russian Public Health Association, Phase 2 by the Canadian Public Health Association (CPHA; (ii) Sustainable Strategies for Rural Health in Eastern Siberia by the Canadian Circumpolar Institute (CCI); (iii) Russian Red Cross First Aid Project, by the Canadian Red Cross (CRC); (iv) The Chelyabinsk-McGill Project in Population Child Health by McGill University; (v) Health Education Link Project [HELP] by Grant MacEwan Community College (GMCC); (vi) Health Reform Pilot Project by the North South Group (NSG) and the Canadian Bureau for International Education (CBIE); and (vii) The Russian HIV/AIDS Response Network project, based in Moscow. This assignment has been complex due to the nature of health reform in Russia and the numbers of projects involved in different geographic regions. As in most of the Former Soviet States health reform is taking place in Russia within a context of economic flux, and the decentralization of some powers within the context of culture and laws that supports centralized control. There are inadequate resources, increased morbidity and mortality due to cardio vascular diseases, and major concerns regarding HIV/AIDS and Tuberculosis. The projects being monitored and evaluated took into account this context of change while recognizing the professional abilities and sensitivities of Russian partners. The projects were multi-faceted and several involved many organizations and officials at the national and regional levels as well as introducing new concepts such as the role NGOs into what had traditionally been the purview of government organizations. The Canadian partners were also multifaceted to reflect the components of the Russian activities. This necessitated many different site visits in at least nine different Russian cities and five in Canada. Each of the projects had its unique challenges and needed to be reviewed while ensuring lessons learned from one project can be crossed over into another.

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Balkans Primary Health Care Project

Country/Region:	Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) and Serbia
Project Title:	Balkans Primary Health Care Policy Project (PHCPP)
Partners:	Canadian International Development Agency, Queen's University
Contact:	Orvill Adams, orvill@orvilladams.com and Eva Slawecki, eslawecki@csih.org
Key Objectives:	The overall long-term goal of the Primary Health Care Policy Project (PHCPP) for both BiH and Serbia is to: "Contribute to the achievement of responsive and accountable primary health care (PHC) systems in BiH and Serbia that improves their citizens' health outcomes creating an enabling environment for social, economic and political development."
Summary:	PHC is the cornerstone of reform in these countries; however, each country has chosen different models. In Serbia PHC is based on the chosen doctor and his/her team. In BiH, PHC is based on the concept of family medicine. The systems are faced with a number of constraints, including the lack of guiding policies, low salaries, few opportunities for professional development and little respect for primary health care and its providers. Throughout the PHCPP five cross cutting themes are addressed with respect to each of the activities. The themes are: vulnerable groups; public sector competence; private sector; and EU accession and gender equality. Each of these themes poses challenges for PHC development in the two countries. The CSIH/QU team will ensure that they are adequately addressed throughout the project. The PHCPP will also include regional activities which will focus on partnership and coordination, knowledge translation and communication for improved PHC. CSIH/QU will work with CIDA and other stakeholders in each country to establish mechanisms for coordination with other donors, bilateral and multilateral. During the design phase of the Project the Ministry of Health stakeholders in each country expressed concern about their capacity to be meaningfully involved in the many donor projects. They were also concerned that attention be paid to duplication across projects and the efficient use of resources. Coordination and cooperation between projects is a critical element in the success of the project. The Project will encourage continuous improvement based on the sharing of information and the use of results and lessons learned throughout the PHCPP. Sustainability of the processes and results from the PHCPP is an important objective of this work. This will be achieved through the building of individual and institutional capacity, the use of results and the alignment of the work of the Project with that of other initiatives within the respective jurisdictions. The critical element in sustainability will be ownership of the work of the PHCPP by the key stakeholders in the countries.

Balkans Youth Health Project

Country/Region:	Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) and Serbia
Project Title:	Balkans Youth and Health Project (BYHP)
Partners:	Canadian International Development Agency and World University Service of Canada (WUSC)
Contact:	Naim Ismail, nismail@csih.org
Key Objectives:	The goal of the project is to: "Contribute to the achievement of responsive and accountable youth-friendly primary health care systems that promote increased access to youth primary health services and help improve the health status of citizens."
Summary:	One of the consequences of the transition in the Balkans has been a further weakening of youth services in the health sector. It is important for young people to have easy access to primary health care services that respond to their needs. These services address long-term health consequences and unhealthy behaviors established during adolescence. Youth in the Balkans are affected by a high incidence of adverse health and social issues such as: Mental health problems (including increasing rates of depression and suicide), HIV/AIDS, sexual and reproductive health problems, including low rates of condom use, high abortion rates, and increasing rates of STI, Substance use and abuse (including tobacco, alcohol and drugs), Violence, neglect and trafficking. Over the next three years, the BYHP will work closely with the ministries of health, public health institutions, youth NGOs, and other youth leaders in the region to implement a health systems approach that will prioritize extremely vulnerable youth in the area. The purpose of the project is to contribute to the improvement of policy makers, youth organizations and health care providers capacity to develop and implement effective and efficient gender-sensitive youth-friendly policies, programs, and services, thereby increasing access to primary health care by youth. This capacity will be improved through the achievement of the following three expected outcomes of the project: Strengthened health policy development and implementation for youth health, coordination and harmonization among civil society, stakeholders, government agencies and donors; Improved gender-sensitive, youth-friendly primary care health policies, programs, and services; and, Increased access to primary health care services by youth, vulnerable groups, especially vulnerable groups and young women. The project targets youth between the ages of 10 and 26. Vulnerable youth groups include drug users, returnees, the very poor, and marginalized ethnic minorities like the Roma. Especially vulnerable youth groups include young offenders, commercial sex workers, men having sex with men and substance abusers. CSIH and WUSC will work closely with local stakeholders to contribute to the achievement of the outcomes by assisting in the preparation of a National Youth Health Action Plan in BiH; contributing to the draft National Strategy for Youth Development and Health in Serbia; supporting the design and implementation of youth friendly health services at local action sites; and advising in the reform of youth-friendly primary health care policies and programs across the region. The Balkans Youth and Health Project is a three-year project funded by the government of Canada through the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA).

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