The Leadership, Management and Sustainability (LMS) Program in Haiti is a global Cooperative Agreement led by Management Sciences for Health (MSH) and funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). The program focuses on four main areas: HIV/AIDS, commodity management and security, family planning and reproductive health, and tuberculosis (TB). LMS works with the Ministry of Health and Population (MSPP) and local organizations to build capacity in these areas and strengthen management systems and leadership skills.
LMS/Haiti focuses on HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention initiatives, particularly in key subject areas such as multiple concurrent partnerships. The program also supports the Cité Soleil Initiative, working with local organizations to build capacity in HIV/AIDS awareness and related issues. In addition, LMS is supporting the establishment of a unique and secure commodities management system for the health sector, focusing on management and distribution systems for U.S. government-funded condoms and family planning commodities.
The primary interventions of the LMS Program in Haiti include the Leadership Development Program (LDP), which helps organizations develop managers who lead in the field of health services. LMS has implemented LDPs with the 10 departments of the MSPP, with partners working in commodity security, and with local NGOs focusing on youth and HIV activities in Cité Soleil. The program also works with partners to create educational programs designed to stimulate behavior change and ultimately reduce health risks.
LMS has completed activities in the areas of HIV/AIDS programming, Behavior Change Communications, Commodities Security, Family Planning, and Leadership and Management training at multiple levels. The program has worked with local partner organizations to offer strategic activities in the four focus areas. In the area of HIV/AIDS, LMS has provided technical and financial support to the MSPP in organizational development, planning, and implementation of outreach and communication programs on HIV/AIDS.
The LMS Program has also conducted qualitative research on multiple concurrent partnerships (MCP) and HIV/AIDS for USAID. The study aimed to collect descriptive information on MCP and related practices, beliefs, and attitudes among adults and youth of both genders in both urban and rural settings. The study had three principal objectives: to collect qualitative data on knowledge, attitudes, and practices among the general population regarding the practice of MCP; to elicit suggestions for effective approaches for encouraging reductions in multiple (and especially concurrent) partnerships; and to identify potential entry points for interventions aimed at reducing MCP.
The LMS Program has also worked with partners to build capacity in leadership and management to ensure sustainability of the country’s health systems. These programs are cross-cutting in the following sectors: commodities, family planning, and HIV/AIDS. LMS partners include the Ministry of Health and Population (MSPP), Fondation pour la Santé Reproductrice et l’Education Familiale (FOSREF), Fondasyon Kole Zepòl (FONKOZE), Haitian Olympic Committee (COH), Maison l’Arc en Ciel (MAEC), and Women’s League of Cité Soleil (LFCS).
The LMS Program has made significant progress in strengthening management systems and leadership skills in Haiti. The program has worked with local partner organizations to offer strategic activities in the four focus areas, and has conducted qualitative research on multiple concurrent partnerships and HIV/AIDS. The program has also worked with partners to create educational programs designed to stimulate behavior change and ultimately reduce health risks.