Earlier this month, MSMGF rolled out a multi-country training program targeting sixteen Africa-based partners and advocates from Botswana, Kenya, Tanzania and Zimbabwe focused on implementation of evidence-based interventions and programs endorsed by the World Health Organization. The training took place in Mombasa, Kenya and was hosted by MSMGF’s long-term partner, PEMA Kenya. MSMGF trainers and participating advocates covered all six chapters of the 264-page MSMIT (Implementing Comprehensive HIV and STI Programs with Men Who Have Sex with Men) toolkit using a specially designed curriculum that enabled participants to navigate the material with ease and deliver sessions drawing from a range of good practice approaches on facilitation, presentation, and group process.

MSMGF’s new training-of-trainers curriculum is designed to assist advocates, health workers and others to more fully understand the MSMIT, and to train others to utilize its components to improve HIV-related advocacy and service delivery for gay men. It is intended as a capacity strengthening tool for community-based organizations interested in improving advocacy and programming at the local, national, regional or global levels by engaging staff, advocates, health care professionals and public health stakeholders.

Organized in response to a persistent demand for technical capacity development from community-based organizations, MSMGF announced small grant support at the training to promote the roll-out and local uptake of the MSMIT. Participants are therefore currently developing action plans to promote the roll-out and uptake of MSMIT in their respective contexts using creative approaches. A subset of these projects will receive support from MSMGF.

With funding from the Dutch Foreign Ministry and Aids Fonds, MSMGF targeted this training at its Bridging the Gaps partner organizations across Africa and at previously trained health professionals from Mombasa. Support from the USAID-funded LINKAGES Kenya program made it possible for two more community-based organizations to join the training.

More MSMIT Learning Opportunities:

MSMGF will conduct a similar sub-regional training in South-East Asia in August 2017 to promote the roll-out and uptake of MSMIT. MSMGF also hosts a free e-learning platform CPR for health professionals which delivers the MSMIT in 32 YouTube videos and ebooks.

Click here to check out these videos and download the ebooks

About MSMGF:
MSMGF is an expanding network of advocates and other experts in sexual health, LGBT/human rights, research, and policy, working to ensure an effective response to HIV among gay men and other men who have sex with men. We are directly linked with more than 120 community-based organizations, across 62 countries.
www.msmgf.org