Through the US Agency for International Development’s (USAID’s) $38.5 million Accelerating Support to Advanced Local Partners (ASAP) project, IntraHealth International will work with sub-Saharan African countries to rapidly prepare local organizations and government entities to serve as prime partners for USAID and US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) programming, including by strengthening their capabilities and resources to address HIV within their populations.

The three-year contract, awarded by USAID, is one of four new global projects focused on meeting PEPFAR’s goal to ensure that, by 2020, 70% of its funding is awarded to local partners, while also accelerating progress toward epidemic control and achieving PEPFAR’s 95-95-95 goals. ASAP will focus on 23 PEPFAR long-term strategy support countries and 28 Strategic and Technical Alignment for Results (STAR) countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Our consortium includes Pact, DAI, the Foundation for Professional Development, Global Communities, and Ona Systems.

An AIDS-free generation is now in sight.

“Together our team offers a spectrum of technical expertise that will build the capacity of local partners to be USAID-ready to lead high-quality, PEPFAR-funded HIV/AIDS programs and services,” says Catherine Brokenshire-Scott, ASAP project director. “Working as a seamless team of consortium members, we will be data- and relationship-driven in our approach, adapting to local contexts as we implement capacity-development activities.”

As USAID realigns its practices to support countries on the Journey to Self-Reliance, established international partners such as IntraHealth—which has strong, longstanding local relationships in countries throughout Africa—can help prepare local entities to plan, finance, and manage development within their countries.

“Since the HIV epidemic began, IntraHealth has been working with local governments, organizations, and health workers to address the disease while also strengthening their organizational systems,” says Pape Gaye, president and CEO of IntraHealth. “An AIDS-free generation is now in sight, and local leadership will get countries over the finish line. We’re excited to share with our local partners what we’ve learned from implementing PEPFAR-funded programs since its inception.”