The Regional HIV/AIDS Prevention and Care project, known in west Africa as PACTE-VIH, addresses the critical gaps in programming for key populations — specifically female sex workers and their clients, and men who have sex with men — across west Africa. The ultimate goal of this project is to build support for HIV programs that are evidence-based, adaptable, replicable and transferrable across the region. It does this by focusing on interventions that are designed to build governmental political will to engage key stakeholders in advancing such programs. The project is a five-year cooperative agreement between the U.S. Agency for International Development/West Africa Mission (USAID/WA) and FHI 360.

The objectives of the project are to:

• Develop a model for the provision of essential, comprehensive prevention and support services for key populations that is scalable, replicable and adaptable across the region
• Create an environment in which HIV prevention is optimized for key populations
• Provide technical assistance to national and local organizations
• Disseminate promising practices throughout the region

These objectives follow four guiding principles:

• Use evidence-based, cost-effective approaches to maximize effective, efficient response
• Build capacity for long-term sustainability
• Promote gender awareness and mitigate the impact of gender-based discrimination and violence
• Foster partnership and collaboration