Request for Proposals: Achieving and Sustaining HIV/TB Epidemic Control in the Eastern Cape Province – Integrated Service Delivery Response - MatCH Community Outreach Delivery Model in Alfred Nzo and Buffalo City Municipality

for the period ending 30 September 2025.

Maternal, Adolescent and Child Health Institute NPC (2018/590201/08) is a South African non-profit organisation based in Durban in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN). MatCH is a donor-funded organisation supporting Eastern Cape Health Department, providing technical assistance and direct service delivery for HIV and TB-related programmes through the United States President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR)/ United States Agency for International Development (USAID) funding. MatCH’s vision is an effective, sustainable, and equitable health system.

MatCH is currently the district support partner for Alfred Nzo district (AN), Buffalo City Metro (BCM), Chris Hani, OR Tambo and Amathole districts in Eastern Cape for the Achieving and Sustaining HIV/TB Epidemic Control award. MatCH is looking to contract PLHIV-led/ youth-led Community Based Organisations and faith-based organizations on a fixed performance-based contract (Fixed Amount Award) to provide community-based services for people living with HIV.

Specific programme overview:

The SABSSM VI 2022 survey shows that South Africa has made significant progress toward the UNAIDS 95- 95-95 targets. The study showed that 90% of people living with HIV aged 15years and above were aware of their status, 91% of those aware of their status were on ART, and 94% of those on ART were virally suppressed. These results are encouraging and yet much more remains to the be done in the quest to reach epidemic control in South Africa. Youth, children and men are key sub-populations where gaps still exist.

Finding and engaging men and youth in HIV prevention, care, and treatment is critical to reaching HIV epidemic control by 2030. Fewer men and youth seek HIV testing; even fewer who are HIV-positive are on treatment; and fewer on treatment are virally suppressed. MatCH Community Outreach Delivery Model is an extension of service delivery to hard-to-reach populations, key populations and underserved populations. MatCH will sub-contract PLHIV-led and youth led and faith-based organizations to bring essential HIV/TB services closer to the communities. Through this model, will also ramp up retention related activities. The involvement of CBOs in the response to the HIV and TB epidemic has proven to be very effective. CBOs are closer to the people, and they can respond in the most relevant and compassionate way.

This activity seeks to engage and sub-contract community and faith-based organisations in Alfred Nzo and BCM to provide HIV literacy, conduct social mobilization and increase access to HIV prevention and treatment services. CBOs will be provided with targets for various packages of services.

Objectives

Objective 1: Closing the gap in access to prevention and treatment for HIV amongst youth

The province recently launched Zikhala Kanjani campaign targeting the youth. The aim of this Activity is to support Zikhala Kanjani to encourage youth people to take responsibility for their own health through prevention of HIV and unwanted pregnancy, access to HIV treatment and adherence to treatment. The contracted organization will be expected to:

• conduct social mobilisation to increase access to PreP, HIV literacy, and HIV treatment
• promote and facilitate linkage to treatment and prevention services, sexual and reproductive health services
• referral to social and economic strengthening services
• enrollment and facilitation of Youth Care Clubs (YCC) and Friendship Spaces to support adherence to treatment. YCC and Friendship space provide safe space and opportunity to support young people who are living with HIV, to combat stigma and discrimination and to support treatment adherence.

Objective 2: Closing the gap in access to adherence and retention in HIV treatment for children and adults

The EC Province made significant strides towards 95-95-95 goals of HIV epidemic control. The Province is at 92-71-89 performance against these targets. This means that there are still people living with HIV who are not on treatment. The aim of this Activity is to provide support for PLHIV to be adherent to treatment, to assist those who have disengaged with the health services to return to care. This includes providing comprehensive care to children and adolescents who face vulnerabilities as a result of various social, economic and health reasons. The contracted community-based organization will be expected to:

•  conduct tracking and tracing of the client who disengaged from treatment and relink back to the
  care
• provide case management at community level for those who are newly initiated or facing challenges with adherence to treatment or are not achieving viral load suppression status. This includes adherence clubs, individual follow up, outreach or external pick-up point.
• provide comprehensive case management for vulnerable children and youth (OVC).

Eligibility criteria

MatCH invites suitably qualified and experienced community-based organisations to apply for this opportunity. The call is open to suitably registered South African organisations (e.g. Community based, Faith-based, or not for profit organisations).

Full details of the Request for Proposals are available from email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The closing date for this opportunity is 29 November 2024.

Information session for interested organisations:
12 November 2024 at MatCH BCM offices 6th Vincent Street and AN MatCH offices

Enquiries:
Mr. Sonwabile Marogo 083 256 2047
Ms Faith Thango 066 510 0664