USAID New Partners Initiative Technical Assistance
The New Partners Initiative (NPI) is a $200 million program created under the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) to increase the number, involvement, and capacity of community- and faith-based partners supporting HIV/AIDS prevention and care in 15 focus countries. This USAID-funded contract for technical assistance to NPI grantees, known as NuPITA, aims to strengthen the organizational, administrative, and technical capacity of select partners in Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia. The NuPITA project team works in concert with a sister project funded by the Centers for Disease Control.
As a subcontractor to John Snow, Inc., Initiatives provides technical assistance to NPI grantees in creating tools and processes to assess and strengthen their organizational capacity. We also develop and deliver training and technical assistance in human resources, monitoring and evaluation, strategic planning and quality improvement.
One of Initiatives’ primary tools for technical assistance is the Organizational Capacity Assessment (OCA), which reviews seven areas: governance, administration, human resources management, financial management, organizational management, program management, and performance management. To complete each OCA, we form an assessment team that includes representatives from the NPI grantee and NuPITA specialists, including Initiatives organizational development specialist. This collaborative structure encourages our partners to think critically about organizational gaps and take ownership of the assessment process by coming to consensus about findings, priorities, and plans.
The outcome of each initial OCA is a concrete action plan the organization can use as a road map to development. The OCA is repeated to evaluate progress and identify new areas in need of strengthening. With the Initiatives’s assistance, NPI grantees are becoming stronger PEPFAR partners as they improve their capacity in strategic planning, human resources management, change management, and many other areas.
Project: New Partners Initiative Technical Assistance (NuPITA)
Funder: USAID
Prime: John Snow, Inc.
Dates: 2008-2011
Website: http://www.npi-connect.net
Related Links:
- PEPFAR
- www.npi-connect.net