Building Capacity of Host Country NGOs in the Fight Against HIV-AIDS

By Kim Koroma-Tommy | August 7, 2019


SUM II staff with Health Workers

For six years, TRG led USAID’s Scaling Up for Most-at-Risk Populations – Organizational Performance (SUM II) Project and its follow-on, Delivering Expanded Resources for AIDS Programming (DERAP) in Indonesia. TRG provided organizational capacity building services to civil society organizations (CSOs) providing HIV prevention and care programs for most-at-risk populations to HIV/AIDS in Indonesia, which would contribute to USAID and the Government of Indonesia’s goal to slow the number of new infections and increase the quality of life of people living with HIV. 


SUM II staff with Health Workers

SUM II /DERAP’s intensive workplace-based capacity building program aimed to improve performance in the areas of financial management, organization development, M&E, resource mobilization, community mobilization, human resources management, grant administration and management to equip the CSOs to receive direct funds from USAID and other donors. Throughout the projects, TRG supported 45 CSOs in scaling up their interventions. At the conclusion of the projects, 21 CSOs partners received non-USG funding from international funders, local government and the private sector while 12 successfully completed consolidated financial reports and were able to complete either internal or external audits. Additionally, our CSO partners were better able to effectively reach key populations through community member engagement, collaborate with local government and stakeholders on HIV planning and M&E, and integrate partner programs. One of TRG’s key successes was in the development of nine of its original partners into principal CSOs who provided leadership, technical assistance and mentorship to other CSOs, community organizations, and faith-based organizations. 

TRG’s experience offers valuable lessons. First, organizational performance improvement cannot happen rapidly with traditional, classroom approaches to capacity building. Second, expanding partnerships with Indonesian technical assistance organizations can accelerate the shift of roles, responsibilities, and staff positions from international partners to local partners.