Community-Led Monitoring (CLM)
Services judged by the people who use them
Noboprobhaat Foundation is implementing this Community-Led Monitoring (CLM) initiative in collaboration with the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), under the programme “Continuation and Scale Up of HIV Prevention and Treatment Services for Key Populations in Bangladesh.”
The project strengthens the quality, responsiveness, and accountability of HIV services by enabling Key Population communities to systematically share their experiences, identify service gaps, and participate in constructive dialogue with service providers and programme stakeholders. Four Community Data Collectors are deployed across nine HIV service delivery points in four districts to conduct monitoring, engage community members, and support evidence-based feedback processes.
Community-Led Monitoring is not a punitive or fault-finding mechanism. Instead, it creates a structured process through which communities and service providers jointly identify challenges, agree on practical solutions, and track whether those solutions lead to measurable service improvements. The project follows the approved Standard Operating Procedure for CLM, using tools, digital platforms, and reporting mechanisms provided by icddr,b — combining icddr,b’s technical leadership with Noboprobhaat Foundation’s community trust, grassroots networks, and experience working with rural and marginalised SOGIESC communities.
What the project sets out to do
Strengthen participation. Enable the meaningful participation of gender-diverse and wider Key Population communities in monitoring the HIV services they use.
Identify barriers. Surface obstacles related to service availability, accessibility, acceptability, confidentiality, non-discrimination, and quality.
Generate evidence. Build reliable community evidence grounded in the lived experiences of HIV service users.
Enable dialogue. Establish regular feedback and constructive dialogue between community members, service providers, and stakeholders — leading to practical service improvements.
Strengthen accountability. Document serious incidents and rights-related concerns with appropriate follow-up, and track agreed actions through regular reporting.
Where the project works
Monitoring covers HIV prevention, testing, treatment, referral, and related health services across the DIC network.
How the work happens on the ground
Community Data Collectors
Recruitment, deployment, and close supervision of four Community Data Collectors across the selected districts and service centres — responsible for engaging communities, collecting feedback, and documenting service experiences.
Community Mobilisation
Mobilising gender-diverse and wider Key Population communities to take part in monitoring — prioritising safety, voluntary participation, informed engagement, and confidentiality.
Monthly Monitoring & Digital Data
Monthly data collection using approved CLM tools, entered and compiled through approved digital systems — with data quality, completeness, and confidentiality maintained through supervision and internal review.
Facility-Level Feedback Sessions
Regular feedback meetings with service providers and stakeholders to discuss community findings, identify practical solutions, agree on corrective actions, and monitor progress.
Community Engagement Meetings
Meetings at service-centre level to strengthen participation, explain the CLM process, validate emerging issues, and keep community priorities central to implementation.
Incident Documentation & Reporting
Serious incidents and rights-related concerns are documented and followed up under approved reporting and protection procedures, with regular analytical reporting on trends, recommendations, and progress.
The change we expect to see
- ✓Increased community participation in HIV service accountability, and stronger community ownership of prevention, testing, treatment, and referral services.
- ✓Better identification of service barriers and rights-related concerns, grounded in the lived experiences of service users.
- ✓Stronger trust between Key Population communities and service providers, with more respectful, confidential treatment within service centres.
- ✓More responsive and inclusive HIV services, shaped by regular evidence-based dialogue.
- ✓Stronger documentation of community experiences and serious incidents, with improved follow-up of agreed service improvement actions.
- ✓Greater accountability within the HIV response — connecting grassroots evidence with formal service improvement mechanisms.
HIV services should be judged not only by institutional data — but by the experiences of the people who use them.