According to the GFCU Grants Manager Ms. Sophie Mashape the objectives were to review the activities for the planned three years of phase II with clear targets, agreed modalities for grant implementation, review budget and costing and make changes if necessary to the implementation strategies with solid justification. The meeting also discussed on major challenges that hindered phase I implementation.

Presenting the overview of R8 HIV/HSS and renewal procedure, the GFCU National Coordinator Mrs. Nkhala Sefako highlighted on grant progress updates up to December 2010 which she said is not satisfactory. Most of indicators are not satisfactory but if they are doing well it means the data is not reported to PR. For this reason the December rating for Lesotho was B2, which is not good if the country expects GF to consider the renewal of the grant to Phase II.

Mrs. Sefako therefore appealed to Implementers/SR to speed-up implementation of activities to meet intended targets before end of phase I on October 2011.  She urged SRs to ensure that when they review phase II budgets should make sure that they have capacity to absorb the allocated funds and meet intended targets.

The participants were then split into groups according to their specialities in different Service Delivery Areas (SDA) as indicated in the workplan to work on their relevant programmes.

Participants of this meeting were mainly drawn from different departments of the Ministry of Health since the ministry is the major SR/implementer of R8 HIV/HSS (96%). Among the departments involved in the implementation of Round 8 are Health education that implement mainly BCC activities, Family health Division that implement Sexual Reproductive Health, Adolescent Health Corners and Nutrition. 

Other departments implementing this grant are NDSO, laboratory, STI, Prevention, M&E, HTC, clinical services, pharmacy, procurement, finance and human resources. CHAL is also a co -implementer of health related activities. NAC is a Sub Recipient of BCC and workplace programmes as well as prevention strategy while Mantsopa communications is a Sub Sub Recipient of NAC’s BCC.

Lesotho Mounted Police Services and Lesotho Correctional Services implement workplace programmes focusing on prisons’ staff and inmates as well as members of the police services.

Key partners in health sectors such as CHAI and MSH played key role in provision of technical expertise in this meeting especially in quantification and coasting.  The workshop was well attended whereby implementers of all R8 activities were well represented.  GFCU expected 75 participants but the number exceeded the expectation.

Lesotho is a recipient of Round 8 HIV/HSS grant that starts implementation officially in November 2009.  Meanwhile the two years of phase 1 implementation of this grant will come to an end on October 2011. The Global Fund To Fight AIDS TB and Malaria (GFATM) has therefore invited Lesotho Country Coordinating Mechanism (LCCM) to submit R8 phase II country proposal for Ministry of Finance and Development Planning (PR). This meeting is therefore in response of this invitation to ensure involvement of implementers at all levels before submission of R8 Phase II renewal proposal.