SITUATION ASSESSMENT FOR HIV PROGRAMMING DR. S.K CHATURVEDI DR. KANUPRIYA CHATURVEDI

DR. SK. CHATURVEDI OBJECTIVES To understand the principles of needs assessment with special reference to HIV To understand the various stages and components in needs assessment

DR. SK. CHATURVEDI PURPOSE An assessment should result in a comprehensive profile of the HIV/AIDS situation in a country, province, district, or community. It helps us understand the people at risk for HIV, the gender differences in vulnerability, and those affected by it. It helps us recognize ongoing efforts and resources and to uncover critical gaps in the response. It also helps us address the social, gender, cultural, political, legal, and resource issues that affect a program. The information collected in the assessment process support our ability to make good decisions about the best ways to contribute to the fight against HIV and AIDS.

DR. SK. CHATURVEDI DEFINITION Assessment is: a process for better understanding the status of the HIV/AIDS epidemic and program responses to it in a specific time and place. Generally, it involves gathering, synthesizing, and analyzing information with enough objectivity and detail to support a program decision

DR. SK. CHATURVEDI COMPONENTS An assessment describes the magnitude and dynamics of the problem as well as the response. It generally includes two components: A situation assessment A response assessment

DR. SK. CHATURVEDI SITUATION ASSESSSMENT A situation assessment (also known as a situation analysis or a needs assessment) produces: A map of the people who are most vulnerable to infection; noting age and gender differences in vulnerability A description of why they are vulnerable An approximation of the number of vulnerable people

DR. SK. CHATURVEDI Contd. A description of how and where they interact in ways that increase their vulnerability to HIV infection A description of the social, economic, political, cultural, and legal issues associated with the epidemic An understanding of how women and men, and girls and boys, differ in how they are affected by the epidemic

DR. SK. CHATURVEDI SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS A situation analysis puts the HIV epidemic in its social, economic, and cultural context in a given country. It looks at who is infected or is vulnerable to infection, and tries to explain why. It looks for explanations not just in people's behavior, but also in the social, economic and cultural situations that underlie that behavior. A situation analysis looks specifically at situations that may be relevant to HIV, the facets that favor or impede its spread, and the factors that favor or impede achieving the best possible quality of life for those living with HIV and for their families. Since the analysis explains the current situation, it helps to identify opportunities for changing that situation

DR. SK. CHATURVEDI RAPID ASSESSMENT What if you have a short time frame to conduct assessment? Rapid assessment is an approach to assessment that uses the same methodologies, but allows you to gather information in a shorter time frame. Rapid assessment focuses on collecting relevant and applicable information in a relatively short period of time.

DR. SK. CHATURVEDI RESPONSE ASSESSMENT A response assessment (also referred to as a response analysis) produces: A map of the ongoing (and past) activities that have addressed HIV/AIDS (i.e., what organizations and groups are doing and not doing about HIV/AIDS in a particular area) A determination of what interventions are working, which ones are not, what needs improvement, and where the gaps have appeared in the response to date An examination of the problems faced by people living with HIV/AIDS, which may reveal the services that people are using and the services they need, and should reveal any differences in the experience of women and men

DR. SK. CHATURVEDI STAGE I The first stage of Assessment, Prepare, involves five steps. In Step 1, Clarify the Scope, program managers must define who will use the assessment information (audience), what the assessment is to be used for (purpose), and the resources available for conducting the assessment.Clarify the Scope In Step 2, Assess Resources, program managers must take stock of the resources for conducting the assessment and determine whether they are sufficient and compatible with the scope of the assessment.Assess Resources

DR. SK. CHATURVEDI Stage I contd. In Step 3, Identify Team Members, program managers are responsible for assembling a team and identifying a team leader to conduct the assessment.Identify Team Members In Step 4, Develop a Work Plan, program managers and assessment teams create a work plan, which serves to clarify, inform, and direct the tasks associated with the assessment.Develop a Work Plan Step 5, Conduct a Briefing and Planning Meeting, discusses the importance and content of a meeting designed to restate the tasks of the assessment, to clarify roles and responsibilities, and to ensure that program managers, stakeholders, and partners are unified in their vision for the assessmentConduct a Briefing and Planning Meeting

DR. SK. CHATURVEDI STAGE II In this stage, you will gather the information that is necessary to the assessment. Both quantitative and qualitative data are needed. There are two steps in this stage. In Step 1, Compile Existing Data, programmers establish what is already known about each facet of the HIV situation and response within the assigned scope, and identify where that knowledge is located. Programmers should build on the rapid desk review that helped to define the scope and team composition in the last stage.Compile Existing Data

DR. SK. CHATURVEDI Stage II contd. In Step 2, Collect Additional Information, guidance is provided on how to identify and fill information gaps.Collect Additional Information Some of the unpublished data/information you seek have already been collected and are available from various sources. Missing data (or deficiencies in existing data) must be collected by hand using various data-gathering techniques such as written questionnaires, key informant interviews, focus group interviews, and other techniques described in this module

DR. SK. CHATURVEDI STAGE III There are three steps in this stage. Step 1, Summarize the Situation, outlines how to identify key programming areas, and the key needs within each area.Summarize the Situation Step 2, Review the Response and Identify Gaps, provides guidance on how to determine which needs are being met and which are not.Review the Response and Identify Gaps Step 3, Identify Opportunities and Obstacles, outlines how to assess existing obstacles that will need to be overcome or avoided, and the opportunities for expanding the responseIdentify Opportunities and Obstacles

DR. SK. CHATURVEDI STAGE 1V This stage provides tools and direction for putting the assessment into action. There are three steps in this stage. Step 1, Draft a Report, provides guidance for writing the assessment report.Draft a Report Step 2, Solicit Stakeholder Input, presents suggestions for sharing information with key individuals and agencies for input and support.Solicit Stakeholder Input Step 3, Presenting Results, outlines how to present and apply what was learned by continuing the programming process.Presenting Results