HACI / MALAWI PARTNERSHIP

Progress Report
December 2001 - June 2002

Introduction
The HACI partnership in Malawi brings together six organizations that share the global focus of building community capacity to respond to the needs of children affected and infected by HIV/AIDS and their families. These organizations are: Save the Children (USA), Save the Children (UK), Plan International, Care International, Public Affairs Committee (WCRP affiliate) and the Society of Women Against AIDS in Africa.

Goals
The overall goal of the HACI/Malawi partnership is to improve the well being of all Malawian children, families and communities made vulnerable by HIV/AIDS by ensuring that Malawian communities in all districts have effective community-based HIV/AIDS prevention, care and impact mitigation programs of high quality that protect vulnerable children and families by the end of 2004. During this first phase, partners made progress towards creating a solid and operational foundation for the Initiative.

Accomplishments

Hiring of Staff and Acquisition of Office space
Partners committed a reasonable amount of time to hiring staff, the majority of whom are coordinators that will implement HACI activities. Office space for the new staff had to be identified, while office equipment and furniture had to be purchased. With the exception of one HACI partner, all have hired the required staff. Activities began shortly after hiring took place.

Baseline Surveys and Studies
Plan International finalized a baseline survey in its impact areas and a draft report was produced. Partners have developed a draft proposal for a comprehensive baseline survey. The tools developed for the study will be standardized for easy monitoring of activities and impact. Plan International identified a Behavior Change and Advocacy Specialist to develop behavior change and advocacy strategies. The Public Affairs Committee developed scope of work for a consultant to carry out a needs assessment study.

Community mobilization
For partners who are either expanding coverage or strengthening existing structures, community mobilization is an critical aspect that must take place before interventions are introduced into a community. Save the Children UK facilitated the re-organization of the District AIDS Coordinating Committee in Mchinji and Salima districts. Similarly, Save the Children USA continued to facilitate the creation of seven more Community AIDS Committees in Mangochi, Dedza and Nkhotakota districts. The Public Affairs Committee facilitated the formation of a task force that developed the terms of references and a five-months work plan to address HIV/AIDS issues. Plan and Care International continued to establish and strengthen relationship with strategic partners including government ministries, National AIDS Commission and other non-governmental NGOs.

Building Awareness and reducing stigma
Save US and Save UK participated in the commemoration of World AIDS Day. Over 5,600 people-the majority of whom youths-took part in the event. The commemoration took place in Lilongwe (Lumbadzi) and Salima districts with the theme 'Young men fight AIDS'. Save the Children USA facilitated the establishment of 15 additional Community-based Child Care Centres in Mangochi, Dedza and Nkhotakota districts with the aim of ensuring social integration among younger orphans and vulnerable children. The centres are in the communities and are supported and managed by volunteers. Trained care providers look after the children. Communities provide food while some have established communal gardens.

Partners continued to create youth clubs, a structure that has proven to be instrumental in HIV/AIDS prevention, care and support for orphans, vulnerable children and the chronically ill patients. Structured Recreational Activities (SRAs) for youth have also been provided to the communities as an HIV/AIDS prevention measure. A total of 38 primary school teachers from Nkhotakota were trained in psychosocial support with the aim to equip teachers with skills to support vulnerable children that are in school.

The Public Affairs Committee sent four representatives to a World Conference on Religion and Peace Assembly in Nairobi-Kenya from 9-12 June, 2002. During the conference, religious leaders from all over the world made their declaration and pledged to fight against HIV/AIDS and its impact on children, young people and families a priority.

Extending the life of the parent-child relationship
Save the Children USA facilitated the training of 150 home based-care providers in Dedza and Nkhotakota districts and oriented a total of 32 local and religious leaders to the ethics of home based care. Providers give care and support to chronically ill patients in order to extend the life of parent -child relationship. Save the Children USA is a leading role in reviewing the Home Based Care Training Manual. Due to the current famine some staff from partners was redeployed to facilitate the distribution of relief food in some of the districts of operation. The beneficiaries included orphans, vulnerable children, child-headed households, the elderly and people with disabilities.

Preparing the families for transition
Succession planning activities, where families plan for transition were also carried out. Save the Children USA facilitated the training in the Memory Book project in Nkhotakota district. A total of 15 people were trained on how to write memory books. During this period, Save the Children USA facilitated a process whereby 80 chronically ill patients prepared either verbal or written guardianship plans for their children.

Ensuring the children's future
A number of efforts to ensure the future of children were made by partners. These included registration of orphans and other vulnerable children to establish the extent of the problem in the impact areas. Communities mobilised resources and paid school fees for five orphans who were not attending school and have since returned to school. Through its community partners, Save the Children USA reached 1,499 vulnerable children with nutritional supplements such as beans, maize, and blankets. Save the Children USA facilitated awareness-raising meetings on wills and inheritance issues in 46 villages. A total of 53 villages were sensitised on issues of child abuse.

Other activities:

Capacity Building
Save the Children UK is building the capacity of youth clubs and preparing them to undertake HIV/AIDS prevention and mitigation activities. Ten youth clubs were trained in leadership skills in Mchinji district and total of 30 youths completed this course. Save the Children USA facilitated the training of 30 youth peer educators in Life Skills in Area 18 (Lilongwe district). The training was essential because the sustainability of such activities within youth clubs depends on the leadership skills of young people.

Save the Children USA trained 105 youths from Dedza district in basic business management skills to enable them to access credit and do business. In Nkhotakota 98 members from the Village AIDS Committee were trained on how to use treadle pumps. The produce from the communal gardens is used to assist vulnerable children and chronically ill patients. 23 community members from Mpamantha and Kafuzira in Nkhotakota were trained in community mobilization. In Area 18 thirty youths were trained as peer educators.

Organization of the National HIV/AIDS Best Practices Conference, April 2002
The Malawi HIV/AIDS Partnership (MAHAP) aims to scale up best practices in HIV/AIDS programming throughout the country. HACI partners form the core of this partnership. Last April MAHAP organized a best practices conference at the Malawi Institute Of Management. HACI partners shared experiences and lessons learned in HIV/AIDS prevention and impact mitigation with several other organizations.

Challenges/Lessons Learned

• The acute nation-wide food shortage slowed down most community-based activities as people focused on avoiding starvation. The provision of relief food to affected communities saw partner involvement to facilitate food distribution;

• During the first six months HACI, as new partnership, was going through a period of transition into a new context. This led to delays in funding and take off of projects.

• The National HIV/AIDS Best Practices Conference held in May 2002 generated a lot of demand from different organizations to start implementing HIV/AIDS activities as well as seeking guidance and direction from partner organizations. At this point in time, the challenge is maintaining the momentum.

• Meeting the demand for Voluntary Counseling and Testing services is a challenge. Services are not available in communities that have already been sensitized and are ready to go for it.