Peace Corps/Ukraine Guidance for Volunteer Activities Support & Training (VAST) Program Using the Presidents Emergency

Plan for AIDS Relief 1. Volunteer Activities Support & Training Program Community projects and community-focused training activities that are funded through the Emergency Plan are referred to as the Volunteer Activities Support & Training (VAST) Program. Peace Corps Volunteers can play an important role in helping communities and NGOs decide where to focus their efforts in combating the HIV/AIDS pandemic. In deciding how to proceed, Volunteers can help their communities, C/FBOs and/or NGOs to first discover their own assets and resources, and learn how they can use these resources to help them pursue their own priorities. These community organizations then work, with the support of the Volunteer, to plan and design small projects that focus on local-level issues related to HIV/AIDS education, prevention, care and/or treatment. Projects should include a clear training or capacitybuilding component, so that communities are better able to develop the skills necessary to continue working on their own, following the Close of Service date of the Volunteer. Using participatory, community-based planning techniques, Volunteers can lead community members or organizations through the project design process, which includes the following tasks: developing goals and objectives to meet the chosen priority; action planning, e.g. clearly delineating roles and responsibilities for all project stakeholders, and establishing a project timeline; developing a monitoring and evaluation plan; and preparing budget requirements.

2. Funding Guidelines VAST proposals can seek funding to support:

community-initiated activities primarily in HIV/AIDS education, prevention, and

care;
community-focused trainings in HIV/AIDS education, prevention, and care;

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 training and other capacity-building activities that will assist the organization in meeting the needs of the community they serve;
community activities designed to support people living with AIDS (PLWA),

especially orphans and other vulnerable children;

inputs for community-managed or alternative income-generating activities for PLWAs; and informational or educational materials on HIV/AIDS prevention, for use within a community setting. Emergency Plan VAST funds should not be used to support solely Volunteer-led activities. VAST funds cannot be used to purchase mugs, prizes or give-aways. When these items are considered important to realizing the goals and objectives of the project, the cost should be covered by the community or a third party contribution. The VAST contribution toward the costs of HCN travel, lodging, and per diem may not exceed $500 per project. Travel, lodging, and per diem costs can be covered for HCNs and community partners only; funds may not be used to support the travel, lodging or per diem costs of Volunteers. In addition, fees incurred for contracting personal service contractors and technical trainers may not exceed $500 per project. Any loss of VAST Project funds due to negligence or corruption on the part of the community official or Peace Corps Volunteer may result in the community or Volunteer being asked to repay all, or a portion, of the funds. A Volunteer should also understand his/her responsibility to provide a complete financial accounting and submit all receipts when the project is completed. Failure to provide this financial accounting may result in a debit being made against the Volunteers readjustment allowance. At a minimum: Invoices must be obtained for all large purchases (i.e., greater than U.S. $50.00). Invoices should be legible, include an English translation, and contain the name of the vendor, name of purchaser, date of purchase, itemization of materials purchased, and total amount of the purchase. These invoices should be submitted by the community and Volunteer to the post VAST Coordinator with the VAST Project Log upon completion of the project. For goods and services where invoices are not traditionally used (e.g., facilitator), receipts should be collected to confirm the date the service was provided, the name of the service provider, the number of hours or days worked, an hourly or daily rate, and the total amount paid (converted to U.S. Dollars). In the event there are unused funds remaining at the end of the project, these should be collected from the Volunteer, prior to signing the Volunteers final COS clearance form.

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Procedure for Volunteer Activities Support & Training (VAST) Program Using the Presidents Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief
The goal of the proposed procedures is to facilitate a transparent granting mechanism with streamlined requirements that enables regular review and feedback/approval with minimum burden on programming and administrative staff. Volunteer submits proposal and appendices to PEPFAR Project Coordinator by e-mail.

PEPFAR Project Coordinator reviews to ensure proposal is complete* and confirms receipt of the proposal to the Volunteer. If the proposal is missing any necessary components, the Project Coordinator contacts the Volunteer to request additional materials. The Project Coordinator maintains a log of all received materials, indicating Volunteer submitting, documents submitted and date of submission and also creates a file with checklist for the Volunteer.

The PEPFAR review committee, consisting of 4 staff members and one or more Volunteers, meets twice a month to review submitted applications. Review of applications is conducted using a standardized assessment tool.

Decisions of the PEPFAR review committee, including suggestions for improvement of the proposal and budget amendments, are communicated to the Volunteer in writing by the PEPFAR Project Coordinator. Volunteers requested to modify their proposal may resubmit immediately upon revision.

The PEPFAR Review Committee, via memo from the Project Coordinator, makes its recommendations to the Country Director and submits the complete proposals to the Admin Section

At the end of each month, a request is sent by the Admin Section for allotment of resources for the approved project proposals. * A complete proposal contains: - Appendix 1: VAST Project Proposal - Appendix 2: VAST Project Agreement - Appendix 4: Consent and Liability Acceptance Form
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When completing your proposals, be sure to remember:

1. In the budget section include a detailed breakdown of all projected purchases in the form or as an attachment. 2. In the monitoring and evaluation section: a) Please use the PEPFAR Goals and Objectives document as an example for the wording b) Double-check that you do not double-count the # of participants in table A and B. The total from both pages should equal the total on the first page. 3. Appendices: a) Appendix 1 (VAST Project Agreement) should be signed and stamped by someone from your community partnering organization (NGO/school, etc.) - If you are doing the project jointly with another PCV, please remember to decide who will take responsibility and write in only this persons name in Appendix 1. b) Appendix 2 (Consent and Liability Acceptance) should be signed by you and your counterpart (as a witness) and then sent to the PC office by post or fax. c) To expedite the process, you may fax the signed appendices or e-mail a scanned copy and mail us the originals.

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