RFI: Regional Projects on Adolescents and HIV/AIDS (3)
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Hi Frederick,
At Africare, we have a regional project in the SADC region called
Youth Empowerment & Support (YES) funded by the Gates Foundation (it
covers Malawi, South Africa and Zambia). Attached find a 2-pager we
have on the project. You may feel free to contact me or our regional
tech. adviser, Dr. Dorothy Nairne who is based in Johannesburg at
<dorothyn@africaresa.co.za> for additional information and/or materi-
als.
Take care,
Jennifer Mboyane
mailto:JMboyane@africare.org
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Africare YES (Youth Empowerment & Support)
Project history
Since 1999 Africare has been implementing an adolescent reproductive
health initiative in Malawi, South Africa, Zimbabwe and Zambia. This
project attempted to unleash the enormous potential of community
based initiatives (CBIs) to arrest the spread of HIV and to help cope
with the socio economic consequences of the disease. Africare pro-
vided 150 CBIs with capacity building and technical assistance
through training, facilitating exchanges, study tours and workshops.
These CBIs reached 2 million youth in rural, low-resourced areas
where HIV prevalence is high yet access to information is slim, espe-
cially for youth.
Through Phase I Africare learned that the vein of CBIs runs deep.
There is hope and energy at the grass roots, as well as solutions
held by the community to make an impact on addressing the epidemic.
Based upon the success of Phase I, Africare�s Youth Empowerment &
Support (YES) program received continued funding from the Bill and
Melinda Gates Foundation.
Goals and objectives
To prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS and expand risk reduction choices
among the most vulnerable youth from 15 to 24 years in Malawi, Zambia
and South Africa. More specifically, over the next two-years YES
will:
* Continue building the organizational and technical capacity of CBIs
* Increase utilization of HIV prevention health services
* Support youth sensitive policies and services
YES core training package
Africare has a step-by-step approach to CBI capacity building that
moves CBIs to sustainability. It provides sequenced training and
workshops to facilitate a coherent and structured capacity building
program for CBIs and their members in areas such as HIV/AIDS preven-
tion, organizational development and management and financial manage-
ment.
The step-by-step approach to capacity building is:
1. Needs assessment of each CBI review phase I assessment of each
CBI, analysis of youth HIV needs, share experiences, lessons learned
and best practices from Phase I.
2. Development of strategic plan hold workshop to develop long and
short term plans for capacity building of staff, organizational de-
velopment of CBI and taking HIV prevention activities to the next
level.
3. Community mobilization building and maintaining strategic part-
nerships with community (parents, caregivers, traditional healers,
health professionals), methods to reach the most vulnerable youth,
sharing best practices.
4. Toward sustainability financial management, simple book keep-
ing, identifying partners, assuring quality of services, capturing
and measuring health outcomes through monitoring and evaluation, gen-
eral income generation.
YES methods for HIV service delivery
* Drama - groups disseminate HIV/AIDS prevention messages and provoke
thought using theatre and audience participation approaches
* Youth Friendly Resource Centers - run by CBIs these facilities are
a clearinghouse for information on reproductive health and issues
such as career development, ideas for income generation and youth em-
powerment
* Community Debates - CBIs organize community members to discuss hot
topics related to adolescent reproductive health such as VCT and con-
dom distribution for youth and gender roles and responsibilities
* Africare�s Youth Forums - participating CBIs and individual youth
organize at the district/provincial level and organize HIV/AIDS
awareness activities, advocate for youth policies and share best
practices
* 'Edu-tainment' - CBIs organize large events such as concerts and
road shows featuring local musicians and safer sex, self-esteem and
youth empowerment related messages
* Temporary tattoos - piggy backing on this global youth trend, Af-
ricare provides tattoos featuring safer sex messages for CBIs to dis-
tribute 'ile che' to abstain (it�s cool in Bemba) is one message de-
veloped by youth in Zambia
* Behavior change campaigns - CBI members go door-to-door mobilizing
community members, especially youth to participate in day long
HIV/AIDS awareness events
Preliminary results
The legacy of YES will be tens of thousands of youth reached by
CBIs who go on living, who will serve their families and communi-
ties as validation that youth can choose life over death-by-AIDS.
CBIs are more clear and focused on delivering HIV/AIDS prevention
messages. A greater willingness to engage in discussion about
HIV/AIDS and increased sensitivity toward people living with
HIV/AIDS. More contributions from girls in CBIs. CBIs and participat-
ing youth engaged in money making income generation activities. Fos-
tered collaboration between health care providers and other institu-
tions such as agriculture and micro-enterprise addressing HIV/AIDS.
For more information contact:
Dr. Clarence Hall, HIV/AIDS Director
Africare House
440 R Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20001, USA
Tel: +1-202-462-3614
Fax: +1-202-387-1034
mailto:Chall@africare.org
http://www.africare.org
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