About Us
XINJIANG HIV/AIDS PREVENTION AND CARE PROJECT (XJHAPAC)
The Xinjiang HIV/AIDS Prevention and Care Project (XJHAPAC) is a seven-year joint partnership program between the Government of the People's Republic of China and the Government of Australia. The project is located in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (XUAR) in northwestern China and covers three primary project sites - Urumqi, Yili and Kashgar. The project commenced in March 2002 and is expected to finish in February 2009 and is being managed by the GRM International.
PROJECT GOAL
To reduce the rapid transmission of HIV infection and reduce the impact of the epidemic on the social and economic development of the XUAR.
PROJECT PURPOSE
To increase the capacity of the XUAR to respond to the HIV and AIDS epidemic with effective, multi-sectoral prevention and care programs.
PROJECT COMPONENTS
The project focuses on three key technical areas:
Component 1: Planning and Coordination
To strengthen institutional capacity at the regional, prefecture and county levels in response planning to the HIV and AIDS epidemic.
Component 2: Health Promotion (health education and behaviour change)
To promote healthy attitudes and behaviour amongst the general population and high-risk groups in relation to the transmission and management of HIV and AIDS. coordinated way.
Component 3: Direct and Indirect Care
To assist health workers and family members provide hospital and home-based care and to support the development of services such as voluntary counselling and testing (VCT), infection control and acute and palliative care. These activities are being delivered within a model of comprehensive care.
PROJECT APPROACHES
The Project implements the three components through the following mechanisms:
Capacity building
An integral part of the multi-sectoral approach to the HIV and AIDS that aims to:
build strong leadership; develop on-going management; support implementation of government strategies and improve linkages for people living with HIV and AIDS.
Activity Support Facility (ASF)
A major proportion of the budget for the XJHAPAC project supports Xinjiang initiatives to build services and to develop the capacity of the community in response to the HIV and AIDS epidemic. The ASF is a flexible mechanism for local organisations to design and implement trial interventions. It is overseen by the Project Working Group, whose members come from within the Xinjiang Regional HIV and AIDS Multi-sectoral Leading Group (a Xinjiang Government Initiative).
Best practice
The project seeks to develop best practice in the context of Xinjiang, adapting practices from elsewhere to suit the particular situation in Xinjiang. The project design offers flexibility and is responsive to a changing epidemic and newly evolving strategies for responding to it.
PROJECT PRINCIPLES
The fundamental principles that have determined the project design include:
- Adopting a multi sectoral approach, recognising that HIV and AIDS is a social and economic challenge and not just health problem;
- Strengthening existing regional response plans and operating within them;
- Maximising opportunities for collaboration with other initiatives and avoiding duplication;
- Working within a regional strategy framework, rather than creating a new framework;
- Supporting organisations within the existing system to undertake their allocated roles and responsibilities;
Being flexible and responsive to changing needs over the project life, and
- Adopting and approach to the epidemic that integrates both prevention and care initiatives.
