Abstract
USAID/Uganda, as a key player within the USG’s response to Africa’s HIV/AIDS challenges, and with considerable PEPFAR support funding, has supported Uganda’s social marketing efforts since 1994. In August/September 2013, the USAID | Uganda health team contracted with four consultants to carry out a performance evaluation of the AFFORD project to determine the extent to which UHMG’s capacity, as Uganda’s premiere, indigenous organization promoting social marketing, has been built and how it has played a key role in improving the uptake of healthy behaviors and increasing demand for delivery of health and HIV/AIDS services in Uganda.
The evaluation team was composed of members with skills and background in social marketing, design, implementation and evaluation of health programs, business approach to service delivery, organizational development, and organizational capacity assessment. The team reviewed literature, project documents, data sets and reports; traveled to ten districts in the East, West, North and Central Regions and conducted 62 personal interviews with Good Life Clinics (GLC), NGO subgrantees, UHMG Board members, AFFORD staff, UHMG Founder members and key staff of the organization. The team also had interviews with government officials from the Ministry of Health, donors, implementing partners and other stakeholders. The evaluation team also conducted 10 focus group discussions with peer educators, health educators and beneficiaries- Fisher folks, truckers, female sex workers, youth and married couples. The evaluation, including report writing, lasted six weeks.
The evaluation team addressed four areas: Accessibility and Affordability of products and services; Relevance and Effectiveness of AFFORD’s Social Marketing Campaigns; AFFORD’s Contribution to Health and HIV/AIDS Services; and Capacity Strengthening of UHMG.
