........Title..........................Short Description...............Complete Proposal
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	 <td><textarea name='proptitle' style='border-style: solid; border-width:1px; border-color: white white white white;width:125px;height:300px' id='proptitle' >multinational HIV Aids work
HIV/AIDS 
Action Now for Healing Tomorrow  </textarea></td>
	 <td><textarea name='short' style='border-style: solid; border-width:1px; border-color: white white white white;width:175px;height:300px' id='short' >This proposal outlines the need for funding to assist HIV/AIDS programming ICA’s paramount approach to attacking this and other community crises has been tried and tested in many countries.  The existing ICA programs are well-established in the field and are already helping many to come to grips with the HIV/AIDS epidemic. </textarea></td>
     <td><textarea name='description' style='border-style: solid; border-width:1px; border-color: black black black black;width:400px;height:300px' id='description' >multinational HIV Aids work
HIV/AIDS 
Action Now for Healing Tomorrow 
Index

	Page no.
A.  Executive Summary	1
B.  ICA —Our
      Strengths
C.  The Crisis	4

5
D.  Issues specific to area
E.  ICA Programs	7
11
F.  Help – Why US, Why ICA
G.  Funding and Support Requirements
H.  Monitoring, Evaluation &
      Accountability

Appendix 1: 
ICA Existing and Planned Programs	
       
	1.	Micro-Credit Financing
2.	Employment Skills Training
3.	Infrastructure Development
4.	Agricultural Training
5.	HIV/AIDS Testing, Counselling and Counsellor Training
6.	Youth HIV/AIDS Prevention
7.	Home Based Care
8.	Literacy: Functional and Legal
9.	ToP Training	i
	
	
	
A.	EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Institute of Cultural Affairs (ICA) is a registered charity that works with individuals and organisations to build communities and partnerships that promote a sustainable and just society..

This proposal outlines the need for funding to assist HIV/AIDS programming ICA’s paramount approach to attacking this and other community crises has been tried and tested in many countries.  The existing ICA programs are well-established in the field and are already helping many to come to grips with the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

The philosophy of ICA is to maximize the participation of people in the process of taking responsibility for their own lives and for society as a whole. ICA helps people help themselves. This is done by working at the grassroots level with active involvement of the local population to attack the issues that most affect them. ICA organisations are autonomous, with local decisions made at the local level in order to best address situations relevant to various regions. Programs are focused on specific areas to help ensure sustainable success.

With significant attention given to HIV/AIDS, considerable resources have been mustered to fight this overwhelming crisis. While the disease is still here, a great deal of progress has been made in the battle for those living with HIV/AIDS.  Many infected people would have already died prior to these advances, but are now continuing to live fulfilling, purposeful lives.

In the developing world, HIV/AIDS continues to ravage the population. The disease continues to decimate families and communities with 2.4 million AIDS deaths and 3.2 million new infections annually.  

The soaring rates of HIV/AIDS deaths and infections serve to exacerbate the already serious problem of poverty, create millions of orphans, and undermine the existing yet tenuous progress that has been achieved over the past few decades. The AIDS crisis literally threatens the entire region. Furthermore, the worst is yet to come.  It is estimated that there will be as many as 40 million AIDS orphans by 2010, and as many as 90 million AIDS deaths by 2025.

The problems outlined are intensified for a number of reasons. Even without HIV/AIDS, extreme poverty results in tenuous and primitive health care that is often inaccessible or simply non-existent in many areas. AIDS drugs are prohibitively expensive. The HIV/AIDS crisis simultaneously reduces the number of people in the workforce while it increases the need for care of those infected, resulting in a vicious spiral. Yet another consequence of widespread poverty is lack of education, resulting in poor job skills, inability to feed one’s family, insufficient funding for health care and ignorance about HIV/AIDS. Poverty and lack of education have driven many women into prostitution, creating another channel for the spread of disease. 

Social and cultural factors also play a part in the grasp the disease has on the people.  Fear of being ostracized by their family and community leads to silence and denial from those infected, contributing further to the stigma surrounding HIV/AIDS.  This shame prevents many from getting tested, adding to the proliferation of HIV/AIDS.  The extreme patriarchal customs throughout many parts of the region hold women as little more than objects; this, combined with widespread male promiscuity, is a further cause of the relentless spread of the virus.   

While many government and non-government organisations are providing some aid and assistance, it is clearly inadequate. UNAID believes that there will be an $18 billion shortfall in funding in the next two years alone. Financial support must come from all realms, particularly the wealthy Western world. Some countries have the means to provide assistance through its combination of wealth, resources, democratic society, education, modern technology and advanced health care expertise.

ICA has committed to addressing the HIV/AIDS issue through a collaboration with the ICA organizations.   ICA will assist at the local level to plan programs, develop networks and infrastructure, and above all, to provide funding to implement the plans.  The target is to raise xxx in the first year (2006), xxx in the second year (2007), and xxx in the third year (2008). 

This is a call to action for donors and sponsorships to provide financial support towards this crucial collaboration.  Monetary assistance is required to supplement support programs between global and local ICA’s, to implement capacity building initiatives, and to provide direct expertise and other assistance in the field. 

If nothing is done, this crisis will continue to ravage, threatening to wipe out an entire continent.  ICA has a plan and intends to take action against this crisis.   Support from all spheres of the community, including corporate sponsorship, government funding, and individual donations will make a critical difference.  Action now will bring healing tomorrow.


B.  	ICA:  INSTITUTE OF CULTURAL AFFAIRS—OUR STRENGTHS
The Institute of Cultural Affairs (ICA) is a registered charity that works with individuals and organisations to build communities and partnerships that promote a sustainable and just society. Individual ICA’s are governed and managed by local citizens who are best informed of cultural considerations, local needs and program efficiencies and effectiveness. As a result, all decisions are made locally within each region of each country.

The central focus of the ICA mandate is to maximise participation of people in the process of taking responsibility for their own lives and for society as a whole, helping communities and individuals help themselves. This is accomplished at the grassroots level with active involvement from local populations.  While planning and strategic development facilitation are key components to the work of ICA, significant indicators of success also include tangible achievements in the field following such planning. 

ICA has been actively involved in HIV/AIDS work for 5 years, cooperating with local people to establish practical programs that address the local and regional issues directly. These programs are continuously being developed and expanded in order to best meet the needs of those they serve.  Programs are generally positioned in two or three specific districts in each country in order to make the best use of minimal funding and bring about the greatest impact to those regions involved.  A complete list of successful initiatives for each country and theme is included in Appendix 1.

As a well established player in the HIV/AIDS humanitarian field, ICA continues to develop relationships with other major stakeholders in the international arena.  IAt the most concrete level, all ICA’s collaborate with national and local governments, non-government agencies, and local businesses in the field. 

With its well founded history, existing collaborations and grassroots philosophy, ICA continues to establish itself and build a reputation as an effective catalyst for action.
 

C.	THE CRISIS
AIDS is a devastating disease. HIV/AIDS has justifiably received much publicity as notable successes have been achieved in the prevention and treatment of it.  As alarming as the situation is, it pales in comparison to the HIV/AIDS infection and death rates in other regions. To describe the situation as a crisis is an understatement, and it would not be an exaggeration to suggest that the whole continent is at risk of succumbing to this disease.


The sub-Saharan region of Africa is home to just 10% of the world’s population, but has 60% of the world’s HIV infections. Families are decimated, millions are dead and millions more are orphaned. Statistics tell just a part of the story as the true nature of the tragedy can only be understood through witnessing the devastation first hand.

In 2005 there were 2.4 million AIDS deaths in the region and 3.2 million new infections, outrageous numbers.  Officially, there are 26 million people living with HIV/AIDS the region, but official statistics are considered by many to be unreliable because of poor measuring, political influence and underreporting due to the social stigma of the disease.  It is believed that the infection rate could be as much as 50 percent higher than is currently reported.













AIDS has ravaged with predictions from most experts that the conditions have yet to reach their worst – a scary thought in light of the current statistics.  Despite high birth rates common in this part of the world, it is estimated that populations in a number of countries in this region will begin to decline solely due to the AIDS crisis by the year 2010. UNICEF calculates that there will be 40 million AIDS orphans by the year 2010. UNAID has forecast the impact over the next 20 years.  The best-case scenario expects a steady increase in deaths until 2012 when a plateau is reached, followed by a modest decline thereafter; the worst-case scenario foresees continuing devastation and some 90 million deaths by 2025. 






The following chart illustrates clearly the impact of AIDS on life expectancy in the region. Progress achieved over the last 100 years has been wiped out in less than a decade.




Life expectancy continues to drop. life expectancy rate in the region in 2010 is forecast to drop to 36.5 years, the same level as England experienced in the 1700s.  







D.	ISSUES SPECIFIC
The status of one of the poorest regions in the world, even prior to the AIDS epidemic, renders it wholly inadequate to supply the required resources necessary to combat the ravaging disease. Hospitals are few and far between in many areas; those that do exist are ill equipped to handle even the most basic matters, let alone AIDS victims. Often transported via rudimentary means, such as by foot with the help of relatives, the people that are able to access a hospital at all are considered lucky.  These underdeveloped hospitals are only able to supply modest relief of suffering, providing a slight delay in the inevitable death of the AIDS victims that do arrive.  Sadly, many will never leave their villages to access these sporadic hospitals and will die without any modern treatment or support whatsoever.  

Typical of the problem is a lack or a severe shortage of AIDS drugs in most countries of the region. Due to the nature of the virus, particularly its ability to mutate rapidly and produce drug-resistant strains, it has not yet been possible to develop an effective vaccine; nevertheless, the existing HIV/AIDS drugs have had considerable success in delaying the onset of AIDS in HIV-infected individuals. The drugs serve to prolong life, reduce the suffering of those living with AIDS, and lessen the likelihood of passing the virus on, particularly between women and their foetuses and babies. 

Until recently, few to none of these remedies had been available to developing countries.  While stiff competition among pharmaceutical manufacturers and some international aid has resulted in a modest supply of drugs, the provisions remains woefully inadequate. A combined World Health Organization/UNAIDS estimate shows that only 800,000 of 4.7 million cases in the region are receiving AIDS drugs - a mere 17%.

Inadequate nutrition is another consequence of poverty that impacts the effect of HIV/AIDS on its victims.  Access to proper nutrition is also jeopardized by many societal factors such as ill health, lack of education and poor skills training. Proper nutrition is a fundamental building block of life, essential for successful early childhood development, maternal survival, and participation in school or the workforce.  Poor nutrition in the early years of life can greatly impair cognitive development.  

Lack of education presents multi-faceted challenges. From low levels of education ensue poorly-paying jobs that barely provide for daily survival, let alone self-improvement or HIV/AIDS treatment. The rule of life in many areas is “Don’t get sick because if you do, you will die.”  Low personal income levels result in low government revenues and the inability to fund even the most basic public services such as sanitation or safe water; consequently, AIDS programs are not considered a priority.

Due to a lack of education surrounding HIV/AIDS, many people still do not believe the virus exists.  Of those that do consider it a real threat, many are unaware of how it is passed on or what preventative measures to take.
	
Prostitution is a yet another saddening and devastating consequence of poverty and lack of education.  Many women are forced into prostitution in order to survive and provide for their often single parent families. Rampant in the region, prostitution can be traced along the major roads as truck drivers carry the virus from prostitute to prostitute and then back to their families.  Similarly, healthy prostitutes inevitably contract the disease and pass it on to their own families.  

The problem of HIV/AIDS is exacerbated by poverty and low education levels. As more people contract the disease fewer people are available to work, yet more workers are needed to care for the sick, and eventually, to look after the inevitable and expanding orphan population. As children are taken out of school to replace the dying workforce, the adults (usually women) are forced to fulfill the multiple roles of income earners, childcare providers, household managers, and healthcare workers.  





The basic problems of poverty and its consequences are compounded by the fact that there are many countries, each with its own culture, norms and beliefs.  Important government figures in some countries still deny the existence of HIV/AIDS, even forbidding treatment other than the “acceptable” ancient traditional remedies.  These views are often reinforced through the media.







While a few countries have addressed the problem rationally and have had some success, many countries still choose to devote their meagre resources to the military rather than to health care and infrastructure.  With these divergent issues, a “One size fits all” solution is obviously not feasible.
 
Many countries are very conservative, labelling HIV/AIDS with a terrible social stigma. This results in denial. It is common for a family member to contract AIDS and then hide that fact, ultimately passing the virus on to others in the family. Some have taken the drastic measures of dying without treatment rather than admitting to having what is seen as a shameful infection. This is particularly true of women, who are largely considered second class citizens. The patriarchal attitudes that are still prevalent in many countries pose major obstacles to HIV/AIDS prevention as men rule and women obey.   Polygamy is widely practised and it is not uncommon for wives to be “lent” to visiting male acquaintances for the night. This style of life is conducive to the spread of the virus, and is worsened by widespread promiscuity and use of prostitutes by many men. 

E.	ICA PROGRAMS
The first steps towards combating the ravaging effects of HIV/AIDS have begun in all six of the partner countries.  While some programming is currently taking place, additional support, training, and capacity building in a number of program areas has been identified by the ICA.  The following provides an overview of the main thematic areas of focus that will be implemented or expanded upon over the next 3 years in ICA’s.  Complete details of existing and planned programs relative to each country and theme are outlined in Appendix 1.

1.	Micro-Credit Financing
Stringent requirements associated with approved bank loans in many nations make it difficult for individuals or community groups to access credit financing.  Stable employment and sufficient collateral are beyond the reach of a majority of residents who do not own homes or land, rendering them ineligible for traditional loans.  Without start-up financing, there is little hope of creating venues for economic development and future sustainability.

The micro-credit projects focus on creating opportunities for economic development at the local level. Loans are provided to community-based clubs (approximately 10 members per club) to assist with the generation of economic based activities. Training will be provided to develop community leadership capacity and business management skills so that members become empowered, continuing to work towards economic self-sufficiency. 

2.	Employment Skills Training
Running successful economic ventures enables the micro-credit financing group members to overcome the debilitating effects of poverty.  Without marketable skills, however, the micro-credit training would be ineffectual. Skills training will be implemented to equip unskilled community members with functional and locally relevant skill sets.

3.	Infrastructure Development
ICA recognizes that infrastructure is key to accelerated growth, reduced poverty and enhanced living conditions. Sanitary living conditions and access to clean water are the exception rather than the rule in most areas. ICA will be working towards improved infrastructure through improvement or development of agro-forestry plots, water bore holes, water-shed development, communication and transportation systems.

4.	Agricultural Training
Food security is a major problem in many nations. On the rare occasions where there is an adequate supply, the main food source is maize. Diversification towards an increase in proteins, fruits and vegetables is greatly needed to provide a healthy diet to more citizens.  The diet requirements of “people living with HIV/AIDS” (PLWHA) are more diverse than those of the general population, and proper nutrition is essential in preserving their health and slowing the progression of the disease.  For those undergoing treatment, an adequate diet is necessary to avoid toxicity and maintain the effectiveness of drug therapies.  The goal of the agricultural training projects is to improve both the nutritional quality and quantity of the diets consumed by PLWHA in order to best assist those who have been severely affected by the disease.  

5.	HIV/AIDS Testing, Counselling and Counsellor Training
Directly addressing the prevention of HIV/AIDS will primarily be accomplished by training community members to become HIV/AIDS counsellors. HIV/AIDS counsellors will provide testing and counselling at Voluntary Counselling and Testing (VCT) centers, in informal community care centers and in homes. HIV/AIDS testing exists as the cornerstone of infection rate reductions. ICA’s have begun to address this need in various ways and will continue this work through increased testing, counselling, and counsellor training.

6.	Youth HIV/AIDS Prevention
These projects directly focus on the prevention of HIV/AIDS infections among youth.  Every ICA training program that is provided, whether in leadership, business skills or caretaking, includes a section on HIV/AIDS awareness, prevention and treatment.  The objective is truly grassroots in approach as the youth become the expert ambassadors to healthy living and HIV/AIDS awareness and education throughout numerous communities.

Facilitation training equips youth with the skills to take control of their own lives and share their knowledge with others.  Relevant socio-economic and life skills training will assist them with healthy decision making in all facets of life.  HIV/AIDS education and awareness mobilize youth toward improved sexual health and increased awareness about the prevention of HIV/AIDS.  The culmination of the ongoing training and skill development in facilitation skills will result in each youth team planning and implementing local HIV/AIDS initiatives within their local schools and communities, demonstrating in true form the positive effects youth can have in their own lives and that of their communities when given the opportunity for healthy, meaningful engagement.  

7.	Home Based Care
As HIV/AIDS infected people become too ill to leave their homes, the need for families and community members to become equipped with home-based care skills becomes increasingly important. The majority of families are lacking the knowledge and the most basic medical supplies to provide palliative care for critically ill family members. Home-Based Care training will equip families and community members with the skills to provide basic first-aid care for those ill from HIV/AIDS.  Training will focus on administration of pain-relief medications, bathing procedures, safety methodologies for dealing with bodily fluids, proper nutrition, and provision of comfort to families and individuals infected with or affected by HIV/AIDS.  Along with training, Home-based Care kits will be provided to assist with nutrition, hygiene and comfort to the ill.

8.	Literacy – Functional & Legal
Four out of ten are illiterate, and the consequences are many.  Much of the general public is unable to understand media campaigns promoting safe-sex, HIV/AIDS prevention, family planning, and basic hygiene - all messages intended to stem the HIV/AIDS pandemic and improve public health.   Without the appropriate literacy skills, opportunities for viable income-generating work among 40% of the population, becomes particularly limited.  

Without knowing their rights, women are taken advantage of in a variety of ways. The situation of widows is of great concern especially in light of the HIV/AIDS pandemic. With the death of a man there is a crisis for his nuclear family. The traditional expectation is that his property will return to his family—his brothers, leaving the wife and children without any means of support. The legal systems provide property rights for women. Training in human and legal rights is fundamental to enable women to feed their family and provide a home.

Continuation and enhancement of existing ICA literacy programs will include training in human rights, legal aid, property rights and gender equity.

9.	ICA Technology of Participation (ToP) Training
ToP methods have been central to the basic strategy for building plans and commitment at the village level in all of the partners.  This grassroots training facilitates community capacity building as skills are acquired and advanced to others.  The participatory nature of the training, including Group Facilitation, Strategic Planning and Project Management enhance civil society development throughout the communities, contributing greatly to the future sustainability and self-sufficiency of successful programs and development projects.


F.	HELP –WHY ICA 

The HIV/AIDS crisis is so colossal that by some estimates, annual spending of $10 billion will be required to prevent, contain and comfort. The sizable funding provided by the international community through the United Nations, national governments, government agencies, non-government organizations and private organizations is a fraction of what is actually required. 

The countries themselves devote relatively large amounts of public money to healthcare generally, but regional poverty means that the absolute amounts are pitifully inadequate. For example, in 2003, a country spent 8% of GDP on healthcare,, but this resulted in just $6.63 per sufferer being spent on HIV/AIDS. Not even a drop in the bucket.

With all the benefits of a wealthy civilization, we are privy to a free society within a peaceful democracy.  We have a thriving economy, an abundance of resources, a well educated population, access to modern technology and advanced and accessible medical expertise.  These factors create an ideal combination for providing much needed financial aid and other assistance to meet this crisis head on.

ICA is the ideal vehicle to provide the necessary program expertise and assistance. The programs are as varied as the requirements dictate. We have an excellent network of contacts and collaborators among UN agencies, national and local governments and major NGOs. Lastly, our philosophy is ideal in that it emphasizes the need to maximise the participation of people in the processes of taking responsibility for their own lives and for society as a whole.




G.	Funding and Support Requirements

1.	Funding
The existing goal is to raise $xxx,000 in 2006. The basic budget needs for the six partner countries total $830,000 for the year 2006; an additional $320,000 is required for program expansion and new programs, for a total of $1,150,000.   

Funding is requested from a number of sources: locally through the sale of non-charitable services and fundraising, 

  ICA has committed to raising $330,000 for programming in 2006. We expect our fund-raising expense to amount to $20,000 so we need to raise a total of $350,000. 

We have a successful start to the program and so far have secured funding and pledges of $100,000. But obviously we still have some way to go. 

The ICA planning initiatives and respective budget currently spans three years.  Plans include advancement of existing programs, introduction of new ones, and expansion of programming into new regions. 

As plans continue to develop in partnership with local ICA’s, funding requirements are expected to increase significantly, totalling US $5 million by 2008. fund-raising efforts are subsequently targeted at $750,000 for 2007 and $2,000,000 for 2008.


2.	Skills Sharing
Other forms of support, collaboration and direct participation are also requested from interested parties.  The variety of expertise available within sponsoring bodies would prove invaluable if shared directly with partnering African countries, creating opportunities for organizational capacity building and the advancement of civil society development.

To this end, ICA is seeking agencies and corporations who are willing to champion this cause by financially supporting their own delegation of staff and volunteers for short-term assignments, sharing skills and experiencing the situation first-hand.   Local ICA’s have identified expertise and training needs in the following areas:

•	Medical professionals
•	Teachers
•	Agriculturalists
•	Finance, accounting and credit management experts
•	Engineers
•	Lawyers
•	HIV/AIDS counsellors
•	Social workers
•	Non-specialised assistance

This type of skills-sharing program will provide considerable benefit to the participants, the national ICA’s at the organizational level, and the participating population in general.  It provides employers with the opportunity to offer worthwhile service programs and leaves of absence to valuable employees who will also benefit greatly from such an experience.

3.	Local Fundraising Support
Other types of collaboration are needed for fundraising and event sponsorship.  This type of support is endless in variety, including such things as advertising and marketing campaigns, printing services, sponsorship of guest speakers at fundraising events, etc.   

As an example, ICA has been approved as a beneficiary of a Marathon. This affords opportunities for organizations to become involved through participation of employees who run on behalf of ICA, and or to sponsor runners already running for ICA. We are also looking for corporate sponsorship to cover the overhead costs of this event.

In return, ICA will provide speakers about HIV/AIDS and the initiatives for private staff sessions and/or public events at the request of supporting organizations.
 
H. 	Monitoring, Evaluation, and ACCOUNTABILITY

The right philosophy, the right people and the right programs are necessary ingredients for any community development project, but we need to hold ourselves accountable to ensure the level of success that we seek. And we need to hold our local representatives to account as well.

We start by having each country prepare annual and quarterly plans together with a detailed budget. Each will provide a regular quarterly report on its activities and a more comprehensive one at each year-end.

The financial segment of each report will provide statements that track revenues and expenditures against the budget for each program, including the key elements within each program and all non-program expenditures.   An updated full-year estimate, including explanation of all actual and projected variances, will also be provided.  Plans for dealing with adverse variances will be addressed when necessary as the situation dictates.  

The package will also include non-financial statistical data measuring program performance. Key data includes such items as number of new crop trees planted, number of AIDS counsellors trained, number of micro-credit grants made, micro-credit repayment rate, number of people tested, number of home-based care visits, etc. Measurable outcomes will be provided to all donors so that progress can be tracked.

Annual plans, financial budgets, interim and year end reports will be made available to all sponsors.
 

IF NOTHING IS DONE…


“Are human rights just for a few on the planet or are they indeed for all?” – Romeo Dallaire 
ICA PROGRAMMING:  EXISTING & 2006 PLANS

1.	MICRO-CREDIT FINANCING
Stringent requirements associated with approved bank loans in many nations make it difficult for individuals or community groups to access credit financing.  Stable employment and sufficient collateral are beyond the reach of a majority of residents who do not own homes or land, rendering them ineligible for traditional loans.  Without start-up financing, there is little hope of creating venues for economic development and future sustainability.

The micro-credit projects focus on creating opportunities for economic development at the local level. Loans are provided to community-based clubs (approximately 10 members per club) to assist with the generation of economic based activities. Training will be provided to develop community leadership capacity and business management skills so that members become empowered, continuing to work towards economic self-sufficiency. 

Micro-Credit Financing
	Existing Programs	Planned 2006 Programs
Kenya		•	In order to generate some funds to assist with caring for village orphans and others who are sick, income generating projects will be planned and implemented at the village level. 
Area A	•	ICA pays each group back 5% of their original repaid loan to allow members to loan to one another. 
•	20 community income generating groups have been identified and launched in xxx; 10 are currently receiving loans from ICA.
•	25 groups have been identified and trained in yyy and will receive loans this year.  
•	20 groups in yyy have established businesses without loans because they had the Participatory Strategic Planning, Basic Business Skills training and credit management training.
•	400 people have been trained in Basic Business Skills.
•	ICA has given loans amounting to 12 million Shillings to approximately 310 people through the micro-credit scheme.
	•	Provide second loans to renewing groups
•	Increase loans to experienced groups
•	Identify and loan to 10 new Income Generating Groups in xxx
•	Identify and loan to 5 new Income Generating Groups in yyy
•	Provide 3 training events (3 days each with 150 participants) for new members in Basic Business Skills and credit management
•	Provide loan supervision and repayment training 

Area B	•	Implemented successful micro-credit projects specific to the farming industry involving 54 households.
	•	Organize an income generating project in each of the 5 villages in zzz District in the Southern Province.
•	Offer training to members of 15 families in each of 5 villages on income-generation methods.
Zimbabwe	•	25 income generating groups have been launched and have successfully paid back their loans. Significant impact has been made in the lives of approximately 250 families.
	•	Loans will be given to 10 community based women’s clubs (totalling 50 loan disbursements), providing start-up costs for members to initiate income-generating activities.  
•	5 business skills training programs will be launched 
•	4 marketable products skills training programs will be launched
•	10 leadership skills training programs will be launched 
•	A year-end “Market Festival” will be held to host all micro-credit clubs as a venue to display and sell products. 

2.	EMPLOYMENT SKILLS TRAINING
Running successful economic ventures enables the micro-credit financing group members to overcome the debilitating effects of poverty.  Without marketable skills, however, the micro-credit training would be ineffectual. Skills training will be implemented to equip unskilled community members with functional and locally relevant skill sets.

Employment Skills Training
	Existing Programs	Planned 2006 Programs
Area D	•	Through the Widow’s Empowerment Programme, 3 groups have been formed and trained in business management. As a result of the training, each of the 3 groups have established successful businesses, 2 of them are buying and selling cereals and one is buying and selling chickens. 
	
Area A		•	Provide Marketable Skills training in chalk and candle making to 80 community members in the xxx and yyy districts.

Area B	•	Implemented a vocational youth skills training in carpentry, welding, tailoring, bricklaying and poultry production involving 450 youth who were unable to finish school due to lack of school fees in ddd and fff districts.
•	Trained groups of farmers in leadership skills and project management to enable them to register as community based organizations (CBO’s) with legal status to seek their own funding and with the capacity to implement income generating activities, micro-credit, and seed multiplication projects.
	•	Provide 4 Marketable Skills Training workshops including candle making, baking skills, batik making, and perma-culture skills. 100 participants will attend these workshops.








3.	INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT
ICA recognizes that infrastructure is key to accelerated growth, reduced poverty and enhanced living conditions. Sanitary living conditions and access to clean water are the exception rather than the rule in most areas of the six participating nations. Some of the ICA's will be working towards improved infrastructure through improvement or development of agro-forestry plots, water bore holes, communication and transportation systems.

Infrastructure Development
	Existing Programs	Planned 2006 Programs
Area C	•	ICA successfully completed an integrated development programme in the nnn District. Eleven water boreholes were dug; and agri-forestry plots established. The program benefited 16,000 people. 
	•	Improve transport and communication for People Living with HIV/AIDS
•	in order to address transportation and communication issues related to the isolation of more rural communities, a health professional will be deployed to the villages once per month to assist PLWHA
•	A medical emergency cell phone (where service is available) will be identified or provided for use at each of the project villages.  
•	The feasibility of a bicycle ambulance service and possibly a medical taxi-service will also be investigated.
•	Collaborate with communities by sharing their considerable expertise and experience related to bore hole locations, costs, and additional requirements.
•	Link communities with appropriate organizations that may be able to provide hands-on support to drill the bore holes.

Area E	•	Introduced culturally acceptable smoke removal interventions such as chimneys, windows, and improved stoves in 150 traditional houses in 9 villages. 
	•	Currently working toward expanding this indoor air pollution project in village homes in the zzz District.
•	Currently working toward providing pure drinking water facilities through introduction of filtering systems.
•	Demonstrating a pit latrine sanitation scheme in several locations to create awareness for improved sanitation. 

Zambia	•	Constructed 37 secure wells in mmm and nnn Districts
•	Constructed 300 toilets
•	Provided sanitation training	•	Improve access of residents in distant villages to the highway, the clinic, ICA and markets



4.	AGRICULTURAL TRAINING
Food security is a major problem in many nations. On the rare occasions where there is an adequate supply, the main food source is maize. Diversification towards an increase in proteins, fruits and vegetables is greatly needed to provide a healthy diet to more citizens.  The diet requirements of “people living with HIV/AIDS” (PLWHA) are more diverse than those of the general population, and proper nutrition is essential in preserving their health and slowing the progression of the disease.  For those undergoing treatment, an adequate diet is necessary to avoid toxicity and maintain the effectiveness of drug therapies.  The goal of the agricultural training projects is to improve both the nutritional quality and quantity of the diets consumed by PLWHA in order to best assist those who have been severely affected by the disease.  

Agricultural Training
	Existing Programs	Planned 2006 Programs
Area A	•	In 2004, sustainable agriculture training was given to 420 farmers within 24 groups. 
•	Successfully completed a 3 year programme on food security in ppp District. As a result of this programme, 350 farmers were trained in animal management and organic farming. 	
Area B	•	With the assistance of a funder, farmers are being educated in the planting and cultivation of Allanblackia tress on their current properties to harvest the seeds. The seeds are an excellent alternative resource for making low-cholesterol cooking oil.	•	ICA is using its community base to mobilize the farmers in the process of growing, maturing and harvesting seed yields. 
•	100 farmers will be trained.
•	Estimated 500 trees planted.
Area C	•	Constructed 600 improved storage bins for preserving seed and food crops for individual households.
•	Constructed 75 improved community storage sheds in four different areas for marketing crops.
•	Increased seed multiplication projects in aaa, bbb and ccc districts.
•	Currently undergoing an initiative to improve food supply by teaching village members how to manage, process, preserve, and prepare products from small livestock and vegetable production, primarily chickens, goats, and a variety of vegetables. 	•	Training in nutrition and crop diversification.
•	Education to increase understanding of what makes a healthy diet for PLWHAs.
•	Demonstrate best practices of food production and preparation in the larger community.
•	Comprehensive training in HIV/AIDS prevention education, home based care, nutrition, and food production. 
•	15 families will be selected from each of 5 villages (75 families) based on one or more of the following criteria: having one or more orphans, a female-headed or child-headed household, or having people living with HIV/AIDS.

5.	HIV/AIDS TESTING, COUNSELLING AND COUNSELLOR TRAINING
Directly addressing the prevention of HIV/AIDS will primarily be accomplished by training community members to become HIV/AIDS counsellors. HIV/AIDS counsellors will provide testing and counselling at Voluntary Counselling and Testing (VCT) centers, in informal community care centers and in homes. HIV/AIDS testing exists as the cornerstone of infection rate reductions. The partner ICA’s have begun to address this need in various ways and will continue this work through increased testing, counselling, and counsellor training.

HIV/AIDS Testing, Counselling and Counsellor Training
	Existing Programs	Planned 2006 Programs
area A	•	A major campaign was held in 2004 on prevention of HIV/AIDS. 
•	40 people were voluntarily tested during the campaign.
•	District personnel, assisted by ICA trainers continually provide training in counselling and home-based care.	•	2 counsellors trained in each of 44 villages (88 counsellors total) to assist PLWHA and those who learn that they are HIV positive. 
•	Initiate a mobile VCT program and HIV/AIDS training for additional villagers to provide a support system for people living with HIV/AIDS and their caregivers at the local level.
•	90 additional villagers throughout 6 villages will receive 3 days of HIV/AIDS prevention education, 1 day of counsellor training, and 1 day of home care training.
•	Continued weekly group meetings in villages for self-management of PLWHA.  
Area B	•	Started free pre-counselling, testing and post counselling in 2003. 500+ people tested  
•	Trained 106 community HIV/AIDS counsellors from 23 villages to provide HIV/AIDS and general health counselling. 
•	60 HIV/AIDS counsellors trained in Handeni.
•	Four information exchange forums organized in xxx district, with more than 90 HIV/AIDS counsellors in attendance.
•	Distribution of 70,000 condoms per 3 months.	•	Set up a new VCT center. 
•	Provide greater access to VCT services (via the new center), condoms and ARV supplies.
•	Equip the VCT’s with new testing equipment and hire a new VCT counsellor
•	Provide HIV/AIDS community counsellor training in 2 new areas 
•	Provide HIV/AIDS awareness training for traditional healers—4days of training for 40 traditional healers.

Area C	•	Voluntary Counselling and Testing (VCT) implemented at zzz Rural Health Clinic.
•	112 people tested in 10 months, with approximately 75% positive for HIV/AIDS.
	•	HIV/AIDS testing and counselling will be made available to 15 families from each of five villages (75 families total) selected for a new research and demonstration project.
•	Comprehensive training and care for families with an orphan, a female-headed or child-headed household, or with PLWHA.
Area D	•	Through the Youth Friendly Corner, ICA is initiating regularly scheduled HIV/AIDS testing and counselling services.	•	Provide 10 HIV/AIDS training events
•	Establish an HIV/AIDS testing camp

6.	YOUTH HIV/AIDS PREVENTION
These projects directly focus on the prevention of HIV/AIDS infections among youth.  Every ICA training program that is provided, whether in leadership, business skills or caretaking, includes a section on HIV/AIDS awareness, prevention and treatment.  The objective is truly grassroots in approach as the youth become the expert ambassadors to healthy living and HIV/AIDS awareness and education throughout numerous communities.

Facilitation training equips youth with the skills to take control of their own lives and share their knowledge with others.  Relevant socio-economic and life skills training will assist them with healthy decision making in all facets of life.  HIV/AIDS education and awareness mobilize youth toward improved sexual health and increased awareness about the prevention of HIV/AIDS.  The culmination of the ongoing training and skill development in facilitation skills will result in each youth team planning and implementing local HIV/AIDS initiatives within their local schools and communities, demonstrating in true form the positive effects youth can have in their own lives and that of their communities when given the opportunity for healthy, meaningful engagement.  

Youth HIV/AID Prevention
	Existing Programs	Planned 2006 Programs
Area A	•	24 community groups (240 people) were trained for 5 days on behaviour changes, such as methods of reducing the spread of HIV virus.
•	4 ICA staff members were trained in Positive Self Management programmes on HIV/AIDS. The staff then facilitated this training for 36 people living with HIV/AIDS in the city and region.	
Area B	•	Currently initiating a pilot program which mobilizes youth in three schools as a research and demonstration project to stop the spread of the disease in the future. 
•	Students will be trained in interactive communication and leadership skills.
•	These students will then design and implement their own program to inform their fellow students about HIV/AIDS. 	•	Train leaders and peer-education teams (50 peer-educators trained) that will influence their peers, families and communities with the message of HIV/AIDS prevention (5000 students impacted).
•	Train students in other areas of life such as leadership development, basic hygiene, human sexuality, personal development planning, and youth empowerment through agro-business and mentoring.
•	Equip youth with communication skills and leadership skills
•	Create health teams in 5 schools
Area D	•	ICA has been involved with HIV/AIDS work since 2002 with their youth program, Youth as Facilitative Leaders (YFL)
•	The project trains students in participatory facilitation skills (including assertiveness and communication skills), HIV/AIDS prevention, gender equity, abuse of children and women, drug awareness, sustainable community building in schools, peer education, and the development of life skills. 
•	To date, more than 1,000 young people have been informed about HIV/AIDS through ICA trainings.	•	Focus on 4 areas to engage youth as social change agents in their schools and communities.  
•	Develop YFL teams among 8 school systems and 2 youth groups.  
•	10 training sessions in participatory facilitation skills (including communications and assertiveness skills)
•	10 training sessions in HIV/AIDS (including issues of gender equity, teen pregnancy, and violence against women)
•	Facilitate 10 action plans with youth teams (8 from schools, 2 from youth groups)
•	Monitor and evaluate implementation of action plans
Area E	•	School outreach activities offered HIV/AIDS education to 1380 students from 2 secondary and 2 primary schools.
	•	Equip local youth, men and women, traditional healers, and local leaders with knowledge of HIV/AIDS through school awareness campaigns and leadership training.
•	Create 10 student HIV/AIDS clubs in Secondary Schools
•	Set up four education scholarships for girls to complete full Secondary School education.
Area F	•	A major pillar of the existing prevention thrust is the Youth Friendly Corner (YFC) programme, which provides HIV/AIDS prevention education, counselling and training, and condom distribution to young people in a youth-friendly environment. 
	•	6 additional YFC’s will be developed.  
•	Libraries will be incorporated into 2 of the new YFC’s. 
•	A new Resource Center will expand services of the YFC by also offering regularly scheduled HIV/AIDS testing, access to counselling, an extensive library, and an internet café.  
•	Annual training in leadership, management, and HIV/AIDS education will be offered at various YFC locations for youth.  
•	As part of the sustainability plan for the centers, 30 youth will participate in technical training geared towards eventual management of the YFC’s by youth themselves.  
•	Increased self-esteem and valuable skills will result from participation of youth in the planning and implementation of the celebratory “Youth Friendly Centers’ Annual Gala & Sports Tournament”.



7.	HOME BASED CARE PROGRAM
As HIV/AIDS infected people become too ill to leave their homes, the need for families and community members to become equipped with home-based care skills becomes increasingly important. The majority of families are lacking the knowledge and the most basic medical supplies to provide palliative care for critically ill family members. Home-Based Care training will equip families and community members with the skills to provide basic first-aid care for those ill from HIV/AIDS.  This combined education can then be disseminated to local villages through family, neighbours, and women’s clubs. Training will focus on administration of pain-relief medications, bathing procedures, safety methodologies for dealing with bodily fluids, proper nutrition, and provision of comfort to families and individuals infected with or affected by HIV/AIDS.  Along with training, Home-based Care kits will be provided to assist with nutrition, hygiene and comfort to the ill.

Home Based Care Program
	Existing Programs	Planned 2006 Programs
Area A	•	Currently implementing an initiative to provide one-week training programs in six locations to approximately 15 villagers at a time. 
•	Training includes: three days review of HIV/AIDS prevention education, one day on counselling, and one day on home-based care. 	
Area B	•	Through partnership with local government and other NGO’s, ICA has been providing Home-based care services to 51 HIV/AIDS patients in Handeni.
	•	Conduct research on orphan care and establish a care structure for orphans of HIV/AIDS deceased parents.
•	Expand home-based care services by training new home-based care providers
Area C		•	Provide counselling, prevention education, and nutrition and food preparation as part of the home-based care initiative.
•	Provide home-based care kits to 15 families in each of 5 villages to aid family members and community members in caring for the ill.
Area D	•	The community Caretakers Training Program was launched in four communities in 2005.  
•	Training has been provided for 84 volunteers. 	•	Offer 10 Home Caretaker training events in 5 communities, training 200 new caretakers. 
•	1000 Home Caretaker medical kits assembled and distributed to assist locals with looking after the terminally ill.
•	Identify primary school-aged orphans and other vulnerable children for funding to pay for school fees and uniform costs.  

8.	LITERACY – FUNCTIONAL & LEGAL
Four out of ten are illiterate, and the consequences are many.  Much of the general public is unable to understand media campaigns promoting safe-sex, HIH/AIDS prevention, family planning, and basic hygiene - all messages intended to stem the HIV/AIDS pandemic and improve public health.   Without the appropriate literacy skills, an opportunity for viable income-generating work among 40% of the population becomes particularly limited.   Without knowing their rights, women are taken advantage of in a variety of ways. The situation of widows is of great concern especially in light of the HIV/AIDS pandemic. With the death of a man there is a crisis for his nuclear family. The traditional expectation is that his property will return to his family—his brothers, leaving the wife and children without any means of support. The legal system provides property rights for women. Training in human and legal rights is fundamental to enable women to feed their family and provide a home.  Continuation and enhancement of existing ICA literacy programs will include training in human rights, legal aid, property rights and gender equity.

Literacy:  Functional and Legal
	Existing Programs	Planned 2006 Programs
Area A	•	ICA implemented the Widows Empowerment Programme in May 2005 to improve the living standard of widows by training them in para-legal skills and facilitating them to initiate income-generating projects. 
•	150 member within 24 groups participated in 8 workshops on civic human rights 	•	Village leaders and government administration trained in human rights, legal aid, and gender equity.   
•	Provide a para-legal to project villages to enhance support and advocacy for women.
•	Develop human & legal rights misconduct reporting system.  
•	Form “widow’s group” to facilitate continued education and support.
•	Continued weekly group meetings in villages for legal aid and human rights.  
Area B	•	8 classes of adult education were conducted on a one year basis for women and youth and some continue to operate.
•	A lawyer was hired by ICA staff from 2003-2005 to operate a legal clinic which was established in 2002. The lawyer provided legal advice to the public on specific legal problems.  
•	Legal manuals were created and distributed, and legal issues were raised at Public Dialogues and in Exchange Forums. 
•	ICA visited 4 seriously under serviced villages providing legal and HIV/AIDS education. 
•	196 people in various districts were provided with legal manuals to share with community members.	•	Train 60 teachers in REFLECT functional literacy over a 2 week period. Graduates will then set up 1 year classes for 12 to 20 women and youth at the local community level.
•	5 new literacy classes implemented.
•	Hold 3 public dialogues and 3 exchange forums on functional literacy in 2 districts.
•	Hire another lawyer to replace the previous one.
•	Offer two 5-day training events for community legal advisors with 25 participants in each.


9.	ICA TECHNOLOGY OF PARTICIPATION (TOP) TRAINING
ToP methods have been central to the basic strategy for building plans and commitment at the village level in all of the partner ICAs.  This grassroots training facilitates community capacity building as skills are acquired and advanced to others.  The participatory nature of the training, including Group Facilitation, Strategic Planning and Project Management enhance civil society development throughout the communities, contributing greatly to the future sustainability and self-sufficiency of successful programs and development projects.

ICA Technology of Participation (ToP) Training
	Existing Programs	Planned 2006 Programs
Area A	•	All members of the 20 community income-generating groups have been trained in Group Facilitation methods and Strategic Participatory Planning skills (total 400 participants). 
•	In Districts: 50 community groups (100 participants) received training in Participatory Strategic Planning and Group Facilitation.	•	Introduce ToP methods to Government departments, NGO community and other sectors of society to demonstrate effectiveness of methods and support the participatory approach being used at the local level.
AAA District:
•	Provide 10 community leadership training events in Group Facilitation Methods (GFM) and Participatory Strategic Planning (PSP)- 5 day sessions for 10 new groups (200 participants)
•	Local Government Officers will be trained in GFM and PSP training—16 participants from 3 new divisions
•	Scholarships will be set up for 4 girls
BBB/CCC District:
•	1 training event for the 5 Ward Councillors and Officers in 5 Divisions—20 participants
•	2 training events for 3 Wards of Kilindi District with a total of 40 participants
Area B	•	ToP training has been implemented in the Youth as Facilitative Leaders programmes. Young people are provided training in Group Facilitation, and Participatory Strategic Planning.	
Area C	•	ToP training has been implemented in the Youth as Facilitative Leaders programmes. Young people are provided training in Group Facilitation, and Participatory Strategic Planning.
	
Area F	•	Offered 24 training sessions in Leadership Facilitation Skills for community work. 
•	Throughout 2005, provided additional courses in Strategic Planning, Training of Facilitator Trainers, Participatory Project Management and Group Facilitation.	





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	 <td><textarea name='proptitle' style='border-style: solid; border-width:1px; border-color: white white white white;width:125px;height:300px' id='proptitle' >Food Aid and Food Security 
Programme for The country        </textarea></td>
	 <td><textarea name='short' style='border-style: solid; border-width:1px; border-color: white white white white;width:175px;height:300px' id='short' >This project will start by addressing the immediate food needs of 500 PLWHA in the target area. Due to the numerous demands on the resources of PLWHA, maintenance of a balanced diet is not often  considered priority. Yet, diet is one of the key elements for success in ART and prolonged life for PLWHA. For purposes of cost effectiveness, PLWHA and their families will be encouraged to consider already familiar indigenous local foods that have proven nutritive value.  The CFSP will also establish and strengthen local community based structures to lead in issues of nutrition, care and prevention and other services at community level.        </textarea></td>
     <td><textarea name='description' style='border-style: solid; border-width:1px; border-color: black black black black;width:400px;height:300px' id='description' > Food Aid and Food Security 
Programme for The country

Deadline for receipt of applications: 2nd October, 2006



CONCEPT NOTE 

. 

1. Summary of the action
Please provide the following information:
1.1	Brief description of the proposed action

The UNDP report of 2003 indicated that about 73% of all The citizens live below the official poverty line. On average more than 70% of The citizens are classified as poor while more than 63% are living on less than US$1 per day. In rural areas 83% of the people are poor and 71% are extremely poor. 

Many of the poorest people live in female headed households affected by HIV/AIDS. The prevalence rate is high currently at 16% affecting the most productive age group of between 15 to 49 years (NAC, 2002). Due to HIV/AIDS the number of widows and orphans and the chronically ill has increased considerably. The extended family system is no longer capable of handling the huge burden presented upon it by the impact of HIV/AIDS. HIV Positive people do not have access to healthy diets and the dietary options are limited. This means that positive people cannot live longer and their families end up in destitute or dying before their time.

This project will be implemented in The district of Southern Province. The population of Southern Province is 1,212,124 out of which 203,219 are in District. The prevalence rate for Southern province is currently at 16.2% ranks as the third highest in The country after Capital city and Copperbelt Provinces (NAC The country HIV/AIDS estimates, 2004). District is one of the most densely populated areas in Southern Province and according to estimates of 2004 from the National AIDS Council, District was the second highest in terms of HIV prevalence of 22.5% with a total number of 25,024 people second only to Livingstone. The overall poverty levels of Southern Province are high at 76% (CSO – living conditions in The country, 1998) while 59% of the people are classified extremely poor. 

The project is targeting an area north of The district called 2nd district. The target area is bound to the east by the Highway, and the Highway passes right through the community. The proximity of 2nd district to the main road makes the area vulnerable to the spread of HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases. This area appears to be particularly hard hit due to its geographical location and high poverty levels. Many small traders come to this area to sell second hand clothes and other merchandise and in the process end up mingling with people. These transient travellers and truckers take advantage of the poor farmers and expose them to HIV/AIDS. This has resulted into many HIV/AIDS patients.

This project will start by addressing the immediate food needs of 500 PLWHA in the target area. Due to the numerous demands on the resources of PLWHA, maintenance of a balanced diet is not often  considered priority. Yet, diet is one of the key elements for success in ART and prolonged life for PLWHA. For purposes of cost effectiveness, PLWHA and their families will be encouraged to consider already familiar indigenous local foods that have proven nutritive value.

The CFSP will also establish and strengthen local community based structures to lead in issues of nutrition, care and prevention and other services at community level. The project aims at inculcating a spirit of volunteerism among the target community. A volunteer from t ICA will be attached to the project. Strong linkages that already exist between the project and permanent service providers will be strengthened. These include Ministry of Health (MoH), District HIV/AIDS Task Force (DATF), Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives (MACO) etc.

In terms of the long term, the project will impart technical skills in family members of PLWHA to enable them produce adequate amounts of food on a sustainable basis. Training in sustainable agriculture will be provided and linkages made with the MACO.

To further secure the livelihoods of PLWHA, the project will impart entrepreneurship and marketing skills in the target group and link those that require additional finances to microfinance institutions that are already operating in the province.

2. Relevance:
Please describe the following: 
2.1	How relevant is your proposal to the needs and constraints of the target country(ies) or region?
2.2	What are the problems to be resolved and the needs to be met? 

The action will initially make available to PLWHA food through food aid. This is in order to enable HIV patients improve their nutritional status and thereby improve the uptake and effectiveness of ARVs. The action will also promote both conservation farming and proven sustainable agriculture methods which are less labour intensive in order to improve sustainable food production and ensure availability of food throughout the year. The action will promote crop diversification to match nutritional needs of HIV/AIDS. The project will work with an associate organisation who are experts at biodiversity and have studied nutritive values of traditional food crops which are easy and cheap to grow, process and prepare. 

The integration of food aid with actual sustainable food security which includes cultivation of traditional food crops and a home-grown home based care program are priorities of this project. This action presents an opportunity for vast impact and with massive ramifications such as fewer people contracting AIDS, fewer sick people, and therefore more PLWHA working and supporting their families and contributing to the local economy. There will be fewer families with HIV/AIDS patients, fewer orphans, positive change in behaviour and less call on already stretched health services. This Action is designed to enable resource-poor people create wealth that will facilitate the on-going implementation of further development activities and broaden their food base. 

The project will also build sufficient capacity among the target group to enable them carry on initiatives started during the duration of the project. To this end, local structures will be facilitated in home based care, agriculture and nutrition. The project will also build strong links between the target group and local permanent service providers hospital, Ministry of Health and Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives to mention but a few.

2.3	Who are the actors involved (final beneficiaries, target groups)?
The specific target community is 2nd district area. The direct beneficiaries from 2nd district area will be 500 PLWHA and the indirect beneficiaries will be the families of these 500 PLWHA making up a total of 3,000 people. (using the The countryn average of 6 persons per family)

2.4	What are the objectives and expected results?

The objectives of the project are:

•	To improve the nutritional status of PLWHA through food aid in order to improve the uptake and effectiveness of ART
•	To create and strengthen community based structures and groups for sustained care and support for PLWHA and their families
•	To increase food diversity and security for families with PLWHA on a sustainable basis
•	To reduce the socio-economic impact of HIV/AIDS among PLWHA and their families through the implementation of appropriate income earning initiatives

Expected results are: 

•	At least 200 people will undergo VCT 
•	At least 250 PLWHA will be linked to appropriate authorities for ART
•	At least 75% of the 500 targeted households with PLWHA affording 3 meals per day and growing at least 3 major crops
•	Increased cash income by at least 50% for 200 PLWHA and their families
•	Fifteen Support Groups, 5 Care and Prevention Teams and 5 Nutrition Groups established and strengthened and serving the target group

2.5	What is the added value of the action (what adds the action by reference to (central or local) government action and actions implemented by non state actors)?

•	The two country NGOs participating in this project are working in four other provinces making up almost half of The country and covering some 50,000 households. Experiences gained through this project will no – doubt spill over to these areas
•	Being an international organisation, ICA is connected to many organisations locally and abroad. Results from this project will add to the pool of experiences gained elsewhere and beyond
•	The involvement of a wide range of national stakeholders such as the MoH, the Association of ARV users, New Start Centre etc makes for a broad based network and sharing of experiences across the country
•	Both belong to a network of 15 local NGOs under the umbrella of xxx. The available channels of information and experience sharing within this network will enable spill over to other organisations and practitioners. 
•	The volunteer who will be attached to the project by ICA will carry the experiences gained from the project to other parts of the world
•	The ICA driven HIV/AIDS Africa conference to which A PARTNER  is a member is another channel for sharing information and experiences from the project

3. Methodology and Sustainability:
Please describe the following: 
3.1	What are the main project activities?
In the short term, the project will improve the nutritional status of identified PLWHA through food aid initiatives to support their ART programmes.
For the long term, locally managed structures will be facilitated to provide continuous support to PLWHA and their families to secure their livelihoods for PLWHA and prevention against the same as well as production of adequate amounts of food and generation of more incomes on a sustainable basis.
Strategic linkages will be made with permanent service providers and other organisations in the sector for long term support to the target group and community at large.
The target group will be provided with technical and material support to enable them start producing food and generate income

3.2	Who will be your main implementing partners, what is the length of your relationship with them and how will they be involved in the project?

There will be two implementing partners with whom has worked for the past three year. These are:

In the project, will be responsible for overall coordination of project activities, manage finances as per EC requirements, employ two Field Officers, host the volunteer from and manage all project procurements 

will be responsible for coordination of networking activities with collaborators such as the They will also employ the Project Coordinator

ICA will be responsible for placement of a Volunteer at the project and capacity building of local NGO partners through training of project staff and technical support to the project.


3.3	How will the project achieve sustainability? 

•	Income generation skills and activities that will be facilitated through the project will remain within households and can be applied long after project has phased out
•	The project will build capacity among beneficiaries to produce and prepare local foods which are normally more accessible and nutritious. 
•	The strong linkage that exists between the project and government departments and ministries (such as the MoH and MACO) will be strengthened.  These linkages will assure continuous support to the target group long after the end of the project
•	The Volunteer who will be attached to the project and the project will be imparting the spirit of volunteerism among local communities 
•	The evaluation that will be conducted after 10 months will determine funding needs and strategies for further support beyond this project
•	The project will facilitate linkages to microfinance institutions for external financing of beneficiaries that will involve themselves in business ventures. 
•	Both have a long term agenda for the target area. The capacity that this project will build in these organisations will go towards enhancing long term benefits to the target group in this area and beyond. 
•	Strengthened CPTs and Support Groups will continue to provide HBC support to PLWHA in the area 

3.4	Will it have multiplier effects?

•	The two The country NGOs participating in this project are working in four other provinces making up almost half of The country and covering some 50,000 households. 
•	Being an international organisation, ICA is connected to many organisations locally and abroad. Results from this project will add to the pool of experiences gained elsewhere and beyond
•	The involvement of a wide range of national stakeholders such as the MoH, ZHECT, the Association of ARV users, New Start Centre etc makes for a broad based network and sharing of experiences across the country
•	Both belong to a network of 15 local NGOs under the umbrella. The available channels of information and experience sharing within this network will enable spill over to other organisations and practitioners. 
•	The target area of this project receives many visitors and is the gateway to the south of The country. Results from the project are expected to go far and wide through the many people that visit the area
•	The volunteer who will be attached to the project by ICA will carry the experiences gained from the project to other parts of the world
•	The ICA driven HIV/AIDS Africa conference to which is a member is another channel for sharing information

4. Expertise and operational capacity:
Please describe the following: 
4.1	What is the experience of your organisation in project management?

THE ORG has gathered massive experience over its 10 year period. Some of these are:

•	Participation in the past three years in food aid programmes in close collaboration with the Disaster management and Mitigation Unit (DMMU) and the World Food Programme (WFP)
•	Implementation of humanitarian activities under the ECHO funded Agricultural Recovery Programme (ARP) with OXFAM. At least 60% of households benefiting from this initiative are affected by HIV/AIDS
•	Participation in a pilot cash transfer project implemented to mitigate social and economic vulnerability among rural people
•	Implementation of Food Security Pack (FSP) programmes with Programme Against Malnutrition (PAM) in Western and North Western provinces
•	Implementation of a Forest Resource Management Project under IFAD funding in conjunction with the Government  in all the seven districts of North Western Province.
•	Implementation of livelihood projects in partnership partners with funding from

4.2. 	What is the experience of your organisation and your partner(s) of the issues to be 	addressed?

Has implemented and is still implementing various projects in three of The country’s nine provinces. Some of these are:  

•	2003- 2006: Food security project in Naluyanda involving women and families keeping orphans and poor resource farmers in Central Province 
•	2003- 2006: Food security project 
•	2004-2006: HIV/AIDS- prevention, nutrition and care for  The country National AIDS Network
•	2005- 2006: HIV/AIDS in 2nd district Project in Southern Province for PLWHA and vulnerable families.
•	2006: Women rights empowerment project funded by World Bank
•	2005 –2006: Sustainable Agriculture and HIV/AIDS for women in Central Province
•	2006: Food security project with a strong focus on HIV/AIDS
•	ICA have provided technical and facilitation support to ICAs since 1996, as well as acting as project holders for the following:

•	1996-2003: Integrated Development Programme, 
•	1999-2002: Health and Leadership programme, 
•	2000-2003: Integrated Rural Development programme for Women
•	2000-2004: Integrated Development Programme, 

I.	THE ACTION
1.	DESCRIPTION

1.1	Title

2nd district Food Security Project (CFSP)

1.2	Location(s)

2nd district area in The district in the Southern Province of The country


Total eligible cost of the action	Amount requested from the Contracting Authority	% of total eligible cost of action
734,477.40	661,297.90	90 %

1.3	Summary

Maximum 1 page 

The UNDP report of 2003 indicated that about 73% of all The citizens live below the official poverty line. On average more than 70% of The citizens are classified as poor while more than 63% are living on less than US$1 per day. In rural areas 83% of the people are poor and 71% are extremely poor. 

Many of the poorest people live in female headed households affected by HIV/AIDS. The prevalence rate is high currently at 16% affecting the most productive age group of between 15 to 49 years (NAC, 2002). Due to HIV/AIDS the number of widows and orphans and the chronically ill has increased considerably. The extended family system is no longer capable of handling the huge burden presented upon it by the impact of HIV/AIDS. HIV Positive people do not have access to healthy diets and the dietary options are limited. This means that positive people cannot live longer and their families end up in destitute or dying before their time.

This project will be implemented in The district of Southern Province. The population of Southern Province is 1,212,124 out of which 203,219 are in District. The prevalence rate for Southern province is currently at 16.2% ranks as the third highest in The country after Capital city and Provinces (NAC The country HIV/AIDS estimates, 2004). District is one of the most densely populated areas in Southern Province and according to estimates of 2004 from the National AIDS Council, District was the second highest in terms of HIV prevalence of 22.5% with a total number of 25,024 people second. The overall poverty levels of Southern Province are high at 76% (CSO – living conditions in The country, 1998) while 59% of the people are classified extremely poor. 

The project is targeting an area north of The district called 2nd district. 2nd district The target area is bound to the east by the Highway, and the Highway passes right through the community. The proximity of 2nd district to the main road makes the area vulnerable to the spread of HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases. This area appears to be particularly hard hit due to its geographical location and high poverty levels. Many small traders come to this area to sell second hand clothes and other merchandise and in the process end up mingling with people. These transient travellers and truckers take advantage of the poor farmers and expose them to HIV/AIDS. This has resulted into many HIV/AIDS patients.

This project will start by addressing the immediate food needs of 500 PLWHA in the target area. Due to the numerous demands on the resources of PLWHA, maintenance of a balanced diet is not often  considered priority. Yet, diet is one of the key elements for success in ART and prolonged life for PLWHA. For purposes of cost effectiveness, PLWHA and their families will be encouraged to consider already familiar indigenous local foods that have proven nutritive value.

The CFSP will also establish and strengthen local community based structures to lead in issues of nutrition, care and prevention and other services at community level. The project aims at inculcating a spirit of volunteerism among the target community. A volunteer from the partner ICA will be attached to the project. Strong linkages that already exist between the project and permanent service providers will be strengthened. These include Ministry of Health (MoH), District HIV/AIDS Task Force (DATF), Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives (MACO) etc.

In terms of the long term, the project will impart technical skills in family members of PLWHA to enable them produce adequate amounts of food on a sustainable basis. Training in sustainable agriculture will be provided and linkages made with the MACO.

To further secure the livelihoods of PLWHA, the project will impart entrepreneurship and marketing skills in the target group and link those that require additional finances to microfinance institutions that are already operating in the province.



Duration of the action	24 Months
Objectives of the action	Overall objective: To improve the quality of life of PLWHA and their families through the implementation of a broad based sustainable food security initiative in 2nd district area of the district of the Southern Province of The country.
Specific objectives: By the end of two years, at least 500 PLWHA in 2nd district area will have attained improved nutritional status to improve uptake and effectiveness of ART and community based systems and structures established for their families to produce adequate food and generate household income on a sustainable basis.
Partner(s)	1.  ICA

Target group(s) 	500 PLWHA in 2nd district area of Constituency of The district of Southern Province of The country
Final beneficiaries 	Families of 500 PLWHA in 2nd district area of Constituency of The district of Southern Province of The country
Estimated results	1.	At least 200 people will undergo VCT 
2.	At least 250 PLWHA will be linked to appropriate authorities for ART
3.	At least 75% of the 500 targeted households with PLWHA affording 3 meals per day and growing at least 3 major crops
4.	Increased cash income by at least 50% for 200 PLWHA and their families
5.	Fifteen Support Groups, 5 Care and Prevention Teams and 5 Nutrition Groups established and strengthened and serving the target group
Main activities	In the short term, the project will improve the nutritional status of identified PLWHA through food aid initiatives to support their ART programmes.
For the long term, locally managed structures will be facilitated to provide continuous support to PLWHA and their families to secure their livelihoods through Care for PLWHA and prevention against the same as well as production of adequate amounts of food and generation of more incomes on a sustainable basis.
Strategic linkages will be made with permanent service providers and other organisations in the sector for long term support to the target group and community at large.
The target group will be provided with technical and material support to enable them start producing food and generate income
Where applicable, clearly indicate the sector, theme, or geographical area specified in the call for proposals to which the proposed action would apply:


1.4	Objectives

Maximum 1 page. Describe the overall objective(s) to which the action aims to contribute towards and the specific objective that the action aims to achieve.

1.	To improve the nutritional status of PLWHA through food aid in order to improve the uptake and effectiveness of ART

Anti Retroviral Therapy (ART) requires that the patient has a balanced diet. Due to prolonged illness, PLWHA or AIDS patients often find themselves in a situation of depleted resource base due to inability to perform productive work and meeting expenditure required to access ART. Consequently, a balanced diet to PLWHA especially AIDS patients is a far cry. This objective will address this primary requirement in the short term before addressing medium and long term requirements among PLWHA and their families. 

Because nutrition is crucial among PLWHA especially those on ART, the project will support formation of Nutrition groups who will be trained in preparation and processing of foods suitable for PLWHA. Focus will, first and foremost, be directed at local indigenous foodstuffs which even poor families can lay their hands on. The Biodiversity Community Network (BCN) which is an associate in this project has gathered massive experience in supporting such activities.  

1.	To create and strengthen community based structures and groups for sustained care and support for PLWHA and their families

It has been widely documented that the HIV/AIDS issue has placed a huge burden on the Ministry of Health (MoH). It has become common practice to engage local communities in such a way they are involved in providing the necessary services to PLWHA and in this way contributing to the effectiveness of the public sector. The project will facilitate formation and strengthening (where such does not already exist) of community based and managed groups to lead the process of Care and prevention for and against HIV/AIDS, nutrition as it relates to HIV/AIDS and such other services.

In addition, the project will facilitate linkages between essential permanent service providers and organisations working in the sector and the local groups from the start of the project. The philosophy of this project emphasises inculcating the spirit of volunteerism among target communities.

2.	To increase food diversity and security for families with PLWHA on a sustainable basis

The project will aim to restore livelihoods of families with PLWHA by empowering them to produce more food on a sustainable basis. The project will promote sustainable agriculture techniques and methods that are accessible and affordable from the point of view of a resource poor farmer. Both crop and animal production will be promoted. The pas-on-the-gift scheme for small livestock which has worked wonders among PLWHA elsewhere will be introduced. 

In order to ensure long term technical support in agriculture, the project will facilitate stronger linkages with the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives (MACO) and support Community Livestock Workers (CLWs) and Community Development Facilitators (CDFs) through training.

3.	To reduce the socio-economic impact of HIV/AIDS among PLWHA and their families through the implementation of appropriate income earning initiatives 

In order to restore the livelihoods of PLWHA and their families, the project will promote income generation initiatives. Training will be facilitated on entrepreneurship and marketing. These skills will enable them identify and manage business ventures of their choice. Family members of PLWHA will be encouraged to form interest groups based on the business ventures that they will be pursuing. Those that require additional finances will be linked to microfinance institutions for loans and savings services.



a.	Justification

Maximum 3 pages. Please provide the following information:
i.	Relevance of the action to the objectives and priorities of the programme

The action will initially make available to PLWHA food through food aid. This is in order to enable HIV patients improve their nutritional status and thereby improve the uptake and effectiveness of ARVs.

The action will also promote both conservation farming and proven sustainable agriculture methods which are less labour intensive in order to improve sustainable food production and ensure availability of food throughout the year. The action will promote crop diversification to match nutritional needs of HIV/AIDS. The project will work with an associate organisation called BCN who are experts at biodiversity and have studied nutritive values of traditional food crops which are easy and cheap to grow, process and prepare. These will be promoted and grown by HIV patients and their families. 

The integration of food aid with actual sustainable food security which includes cultivation of traditional food crops and a home-grown home based care program are priorities of this project. This action presents an opportunity for vast impact and with massive ramifications such as fewer people contracting AIDS, fewer sick people, and therefore more PLWHA working and supporting their families and contributing to the local economy. There will be fewer families with HIV/AIDS patients, fewer orphans, positive change in behaviour and less call on already stretched health services. This Action is designed to enable resource-poor people create wealth that will facilitate the on-going implementation of further development activities and broaden their food base. For example, seed will be distributed on a seed revolving loan basis where PLWHA will repay their loan in kind to others while continuing to meet their own seed requirements for the following year. 

The project will also build sufficient capacity among the target group to enable them carry on initiatives started during the duration of the project. To this end, local structures will be facilitated in home based care, agriculture and nutrition.

The strong link that the project will facilitate between the target group and local permanent service providers.

ii.	Identification of perceived needs and constraints in the target country/ies, in particular in the region(s) concerned. 

The country is rated among the poorest countries in the world. The country is listed among the Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) as well as the Least Developed Countries (LDC’s). According to the UNDP’s Human Development Report of 2002, The country ranks 163 out of the 175 countries in the world in terms of human development. 

In 2003, the United Nations Human Development report indicated that about 73% of all The citizens live below the official poverty line. On average more than 70% of The citizens are classified as poor while more than 63% are living on less than US$1 per day. In rural areas 83% of the people are poor and 71% are extremely poor. 

Many of the poorest people live in female headed households affected by HIV/AIDS. The prevalence rate is high currently at 16% affecting the most productive age group of between 15 to 49 years (NAC, 2002). Due to HIV/AIDS the number of widows and orphans and the chronically ill has increased considerably. The extended family system is no longer capable of handling the huge burden presented upon it by the impact of HIV/AIDS. HIV Positive people do not have access to healthy diets and the dietary options are limited. This means that positive people cannot live longer and their families end up in destitute or dying before their time.

The The country government has realised that chronic illness that accompany poor health and deterioration of the immune system deplete households assets, reduce labour and lead to reduced food production
This project will be implemented in The district of Southern Province. The consortium will concentrate on constituency. The population of Southern Province is 1,212,124 out of which 203,219 are in District. The prevalence rate for Southern province is currently at 16.2% ranks as the third highest in The country after Capital city and Provinces (NAC The country HIV/AIDS estimates, 2004). District is one of the most densely populated areas in Southern Province and according to estimates of 2004 from the National AIDS Council, District was the second highest in terms of HIV prevalence of 22.5% with a total number of 25,024 people second only to. The overall poverty levels of Southern Province are high at 76% (CSO – living conditions in The country, 1998) while 59% of the people are classified extremely poor. 

The project is targeting an area north of The district called 2nd district. 2nd district covers most of Constituency. 

The target area is bound to the east by the Highway, and the Highway passes right through the community. The proximity of 2nd district to the main road makes the area vulnerable to the spread of HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases. This area appears to be particularly hard hit due to its geographical location and high poverty levels. Many small traders come to this area to sell second hand clothes and other merchandise and in the process end up mingling with people. These transient travellers and truckers take advantage of the poor farmers and expose them to HIV/AIDS. This has resulted into many HIV/AIDS patients.

iii.	Description of the target group(s) and final beneficiaries and estimated number 
The action will target The district, in Southern Province. The specific target community is 2nd district area and beyond. In 2nd district Project area and expansion area the project will work with 500 PLWHA and their families. The direct beneficiaries from 2nd district area will be 300 and 200 in the 2nd district expansion area. The number of indirect beneficiaries will be 3000 people.
iv.	Reasons for the selection of the target group(s) and identification of their needs and constraints. How does the Action contribute to the needs of the target group(s) and final beneficiaries?

The direct beneficiaries have been selected because they are PLWHA. Some are already on ART and are in the extreme poverty bracket. 

The indirect beneficiaries have been selected because they have been adversely affected by the status and condition of the PLWHA in their families. Assets have been lost due to demands placed on PLWHA in terms of nutrition and other logistics necessary for caring for the same. For both PLWHA and their families to get back into productive engagement, they need to have basic needs readily available and accessible. These include food, healthy diets, diversified food production and income generation. This will assist to broaden their food security base.

Contribution to the needs of the target group and final beneficiaries 

1.	The action will assist PLWHA have available and accessible food which will help them improve the uptake and effectiveness of ARVs. Currently there is no food for PLWHA and where little is available it would be the staple food maize which does not help their condition. 
2.	The Home Based Care (HBC) system already in existence will be strengthened through training of care and prevention teams and formation of more support groups so that PLWHA can encourage and support each other.
3.	Food production will be carefully designed so that crops promoted and grown will be of high nutritive value and will increase the availability and accessibility of food making up a healthy diet. Food production will be combined with the promotion of traditional crops of high nutritive value that are easy to grow even in times of drought and have proven medicinal properties such as Amaranthus.
4.	Income generation will ensure that target beneficiaries broaden their food security base so that over - reliance on a single source of income is eradicated.

b.	Detailed description of activities

Maximum 9 pages.  Include the title and a detailed description of each activity to be undertaken to produce the results, justifying the choice of the activities and specifying where applicable the role of each partner (or associates or subcontractors) in the activities. In this respect, the detailed description of activities must not repeat the action plan (see section 1.9).

	Diagrammatic representation of the project concept
 

1.	To improve the nutritional status of PLWHA through food aid in order to improve the uptake and effectiveness of ART

•	Facilitate formation of community based nutrition groups: The project will facilitate formation of 5 nutrition groups who will be trained in the preparation and processing of nutritious foods and diets for PLWHA. The groups will also be responsible for educating fellow community members on issues of nutrition.

•	Training of nutrition groups: Nutrition groups will be trained on locally available food stuffs and the relationship of nutrition to HIV/AIDS. The training will be conducted by health staff from Hospitals as well as the Biodiversity Community Network (BCN).

•	Analysis of diets of PLWHA: Experts will work together with members of nutrition groups to analyse diets of PLWHA in the area. Thereafter, World Food Programme (WFP) instruments will be used to identify ARV patients who require food assistance. 
 
•	Design of food packs: Equipped with analyses of diets of PLWHA, food packs will be designed by nutrition groups.

•	Purchase of food and organisation of logistics: The project will purchase food stuffs based on the EC’s procurement procedures. Appropriate information systems will be applied in the procurement of foodstuffs and subsequent processes. 

•	Distribution and monitoring of distribution and utilisation of food packs: Keepers The country Foundation in close collaboration with the WFP has been involved in distributing foodstuffs and seeds to communities affected by drought and HIV/AIDS in Western province. This experience will be handy in organisation of logistics and monitoring systems for distribution and utilisation of food packs to beneficiaries in this project.

2.	To create and strengthen community based structures and groups for sustained care and support for PLWHA and their families.

•	Awareness for VCT: The project will facilitate awareness creation campaigns for potential beneficiaries of the project to undergo Voluntary Counselling and Testing (VCT). The campaign for VCT will also serve as the awareness for the project in the area. Project staff will use this opportunity to explain the scaling up of existing initiatives. Methods for awareness creation and campaign will include drama sessions by local groups, awareness meetings and role plays

•	Facilitating mobile VCT: In collaboration with the New Start Centre (NSC), mobile VCT sessions will be conducted across the target area. Those whose results will be positive to HIV/AIDS will be automatic beneficiaries of the project

•	Promotion of ART among PLWHA: The first intervention for the target beneficiaries is the linkage for Anti Retroviral Therapy (ART). Apart from those that will be tested after the awareness for VCT, some beneficiaries will already be aware about their status. The project will also take these on board. The project will also directly target households that are hosting chronically ill persons to benefit from the project.

•	Facilitate formation of 10 support groups of PLWHA: Some of the PLWHA will be mobilised into support groups that will lead the process of campaigns for VCT and ART. The support groups will also coordinate Home Based Care (HBC) programmes in the target area.

•	Training for CPTs on care and support to PLWHA: The project will exploit existing collaboration with the Ministry of Health Authorities at the District and at Hospital to train Care and Prevention Teams (CPTs). 

•	Facilitate linkages between CPTs and local stakeholders: In order to enhance the effectiveness of CPTs, the project will facilitate a deliberate campaign to link these to local leaders including headmen, chiefs, religious leaders, politicians and any other persons of influence. 

•	Facilitate linkages between CPTs and other support institutions: The project will ensure that all the relationships with development actors in the district and province are shared with local structures created and facilitated in the target area. To this end, local CPTs will be introduced to organisations like the District HIV/AIDS Task Force (DATF), District Health Management Team (DHMT), Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives (MACO), The country Health Education and Communication Trust, The country Users of ARVs, Network of people living with HIV/AIDS in The country and many such others.

3.	To increase food diversity and security for families with PLWHA on a sustainable basis

•	Training in sustainable agriculture methods: As a long term measure to ensure household food security among PLWHA and their families, the project will encourage use of low cost and sustainable agricultural methods such as agro forestry and potholing. The Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives (MACO) will deliver appropriate training on various sustainable agricultural methods and techniques.

•	Training in crop diversification: MACO will also conduct training in crop diversification both for increased diversity in foodstuffs as well as for generation of income. 

•	Training in production, processing and preparation of indigenous food products: In line with diversification of foodstuffs, the project will promote not just production but processing and preparation of such foodstuffs. The choice of these crops will be informed by the analysis that experts will recommend from a nutrition point of view. Experts from BCN, MACO and MoH will be key in this activity.

•	Training in off-season farming: The area around 2nd district is prone to (partial) drought. This fact coupled with the need to increase the productivity of households with PLWHA calls for agricultural production throughout the year. The project will train beneficiaries in off-season production of vegetables, green maize and any other crops for food and income.

•	Facilitate establishment of seed revolving mechanism: One of the most important inputs for sustainable food security is seed. The project will facilitate establishment of a revolving seed supply mechanism. The idea will be to provide a conducive environment for supply and availability of good quality and affordable seed and planting materials on a timely and sustainable basis. The management of the seed revolving scheme will be done by agricultural and income generation Interest Groups that will be formed in the area. Establishment of the scheme will involve training of seed growers and traders. MACO will be key in delivering this activity.

•	Supply of seed to the seed revolving scheme:  Once adequate capacity has been built in IGs, the project will provide initial seed on a one - off basis. Thereafter, MACO and project staff will offer technical back-up support to ensure sound management of the scheme in the second season.


4.	To reduce the socio-economic impact of HIV/AIDS among PLWHA and their families through the implementation of appropriate income earning initiatives 

•	Facilitate identification of viable economic opportunities in the area and beyond: Project staff will facilitate identification of viable economic activities in the area and beyond among members of households with PLWHA. The role of staff from the project at this stage will be information provision and facilitation of the process.

•	Facilitate formation of interest groups:  Based on viable business ventures identified by family members of PLWHA, interest groups (IGs) will be formed. These IGs will draw action plans on how they will exploit the identified economic opportunities at household and group levels. 
 
•	Training in business, marketing and technical skills: The project will facilitate training of members of IGs in business and marketing skills as well as technical aspects of the particular economic ventures of their choice. Some of the ventures that may be identified (based on past experience in the area) include livestock and mushroom production.

•	Training of community based volunteers: The project will attempt to inculcate a strong spirit of volunteerism among member of 2nd district community. Apart from support groups and CPTs, teams of local persons will be assembled to provide technical support to livestock owners, crop farmers and business persons. Community Livestock workers (CLWs) will be trained through the Department of Animal Health to provide support to keepers of small livestock while Community Development workers will take care of agricultural and business concerns of local households.
 
•	Linkage to financial institutions: The need for additional capital is often identified as a major constraint to promotion of business among rural people. The project will link vibrant IGs to Micro finance Institutions (MFIs) within the province. The MFIs will provide savings and credit services among IGs to enable them grow their businesses.

5.	Project management

•	Inception workshop: Prior to starting the project, an inception workshop will be held involving all key stakeholders and participants in the projects. The workshop will serve to build a common understanding of the major concepts, procedures ands targets for the project. The workshop will also serve to develop an appropriate Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) system for the project. A work plans as well as roles and responsibilities of each participating organisation will be clarified. 

•	Review and planning workshops: Representatives from community based structures, collaborating organisations and members of staff of the project will meet quarterly to review progress and plan for each of the four quarters. 
 
•	Baseline survey: At the onset of the project, a baseline survey will be conducted to determine the status of each of the indicators of progress outlined in the log frame as well as those that project stakeholders may wish to add during the inception workshop. The baseline survey will set benchmarks for future measurement of progress during and after the project intervention.

•	Mid term evaluation: After the tenth month, the project will undergo a mid term evaluation to take stock of progress thus far with a possibility of adjustment to the approach, targets and other aspects of the project based on experience. This evaluation will also identify aspects of the project that will require further support beyond this particular initiative 

•	End of project evaluation: at the conclusion of the project, an end of project evaluation will be undertaken to close out the project and recommend further action to local community members and partners as well as collaborating organisations and institutions.

•	Training of all community groups in participatory monitoring systems: All the community based groups that the project will facilitate will undergo some training in participatory monitoring and evaluation. In this way, the monitoring system for the project will be internalised by the community and its structures and will remain useful long after the project has phased out

c.	Methodology

Maximum 4 pages.  Detailed description of:
i.	Methods of implementation and reasons for the proposed methodology

The methodology used in this project places emphasis on building strong local structures from the start of the project. These structures will be involved in the planning and implementation of project activities as well as the monitoring and evaluation of the same and the results arising from these activities. The project aims to inculcate a spirit of volunteerism among members of the community. A volunteer from ICA will be attached to the project for the whole duration of the project.

The project also takes on board collaborating institutions and organisations that will remain to provide various services to project beneficiaries beyond the life time of the project. Figure 2 (below) is a diagrammatic representation 

The concept of the CFSP is founded on the premises that there are sufficient levels of awareness about HIV/AIDS in 2nd district area. The entry point for the project will therefore be promotion for VCT through meetings, drama and sports among other methods. 

The project will also conduct mobile VCT sessions with the New Start Centre and The country Health Education and Communication Trust. The members of the community that will test positive will be encouraged to participate in activities of the project and some will form support groups (SGs) and care and Prevention Teams (CPTs). The project will also target households with people that are chronically ill. The target group for the project will therefore be households with PLWHA and the PLWHA in particular.

Apart from SGs and CPTs, the project will facilitate formation of Nutrition Groups (NGs) from among the target households. The SGs will be trained in various aspects of nutrition and how it affects HIV/AIDS. Experts will deliver various training sessions to SGs to, among other things, enable them analyse diets of PLWHA and recommend suitable food packs which the project will provide in the short term.



Community Based Structures among households with PLWHA


					
				
Support Groups 



	
	    Nutrition Groups					Care & Prevention Teams 




				Com Development Facilitators 
				       
					Interest Groups

				   Community Livestock workers





Using the recommended food pack and diets, food stocks will be purchased using EC procurement guidelines. Th Foundation will rely heavily on experience in handling food distribution programmes under the Agricultural Recovery Programme (ARP). interaction with World Food Programme in distribution of food under the Disaster Management an Mitigation Unit (DMMU) will also be essential at this stage.

For the sake of the long term, the project will build capacity for target households to produce a diverse range of food crops in adequate quantities. Timely availability of good quality and affordable seeds will be facilitated through a revolving seed supply scheme managed by community members themselves. Rearing of small livestock such as goats and pigs will be promoted on a pass-on-the-gift basis which has worked very well in Western and Central provinces. Strong linkages will be established with the MACO and local capacity will be built to ensure continuous technical support through identification and training of CLWs and CDFs.

The project will also support development of entrepreneurship that will enable target households identify and exploit viable business opportunities. Linkages will be facilitated with micro finance institutions (MFIs) to service those households that will need additional capital to grow their businesses. As MFIs are institutions in their own right, it is expected that they will continue servicing members of the community beyond the lifetime of the project.

In facilitating availability of suitable and adequate amounts of food for PLWHA, the projects will promote, first and foremost, indigenous, locally available and low input crops, vegetables and fruits. The BCN have carried out research on most of these foods in terms of dietary value over the past ten years. The CFSP will therefore aim to integrate these findings in the design of food packs for households with PLWHA as well as in the production of these crops for the medium and long terms. 

The CFSP is also based on the experience of all three organisations participating in the preparation of the project concept. While ICA bring the international experience to the project particularly in the response to HIV/AIDS pandemic, have gathered some considerable experience in design and implementation of livelihood projects in six of The country’s nine provinces. The consortium can also boast of experience in implementing humanitarian initiatives through the European Commission Humanitarian Aid Office (ECHO) and the government’s Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit (DMMU). ICA belong to a network of 15 NGOs which provides a rich reservoir of technical information and expertise. 

An important part of the project approach is the strong link between the project and permanent service providers. The already existing linkages with the MACO, DATF and MoH will be strengthened. Linkages will also be created and strengthened with other players.

The involvement of local communities and groups in the monitoring and evaluation of project activities and outcomes is an important capacity building aspect of the CFSP. ICA has employed this approach where communities have been empowered to make informed decisions about development activities in their areas.

ii.	Where the action is the prolongation of a previous action, explain how the action is intended to build on the results of this previous action 

The CFSP will be scaling up the work that has been going on over the past 2 years financed by ICA. The project has been working with 200 households with PLWHA. Through the facilitation of the project, 189 people have undergone VCT. Five (5) CPTs have been formed and trained but 10 more will be needed for the new initiative and the strengthening of existing ones will be required.

In the process of carrying out these activities, strong linkages were established with the Ministry of Health (MoH), Hospital and Clinic. These vital relationships will be strengthened under this project. 

The CFSP will use the already sufficient levels of awareness about HIV/AIDS done mainly through the project so far. Issues of Food and HIV/AIDS have also been addressed to some extent over the past 2 years and this project will only be scaling up on the same.

In terms of agricultural activities, 130 people have received training in sustainable agriculture and funds have already been secured to provide them with seeds for the season 2006/07. 

iii.	Where the action is part of a larger programme, explain how it fits or is coordinated with this programme. Please specify the potential synergies with other initiatives, in particular from the EC
The CFSP is not a part of a larger programme

iv.	Procedures for follow up and internal/external evaluation

Before the start of the project, all stakeholders will meet to build a common understanding of the project and to streamline the roles of each player. The inception workshop will also review and plan major activities for the project.

In order to empower the target group in decision making, the project will train selected members of the community in Participatory monitoring and evaluation. The design of the project’s monitoring and evaluation system will build on the system established at community level.

A baseline survey will be carried out at the start of the project to benchmark the various indicators of progress elaborated in the logical framework. The baseline survey will be undertaken by independent consultants

Ten months into the implementation of the project, a mid term evaluation will be conducted to take stock of progress and recommend corrective measures and pick up issues that may not have been considered at the beginning of the project. The outcome of the mid term review will also inform organisations and people of 2nd district that would desire to intervene in future.

The project will conduct quarterly and annual reviews for stakeholders to review and plan progress. Participants in the quarterly and annual review meetings will include community members, project staff, partners and collaborators. At the end of the project, an end of project evaluation will be conducted.

v.	Description of the role and participation in the action of the various actors (local partner, target groups, local authorities, etc.), and the reasons for which these roles have been assigned to them. 

Each of the three organisations participating in implementing this project brings a variety of experiences to the table.

The Foundation

The foundation has gathered massive experience over its 10 year period. Some of these are:

•	Participation in the past three years in food aid programmes in close collaboration with the Disaster management and Mitigation Unit (DMMU) and the World Food Programme (WFP)
•	Implementation of humanitarian activities under the Agricultural Recovery Programme (ARP). At least 60% of households benefiting from this initiative are affected by HIV/AIDS
•	Participation in a pilot cash transfer project implemented as an alternative means to mitigate social and economic vulnerability among rural people
•	Implementation of Food Security Pack (FSP) programmes in Western and North Western provinces
•	Implementation of a Forest Resource Management Project under IFAD in conjunction with the Government of the Republic.
•	Implementation of livelihood projects in partnership .


The ICA has implemented and is still implementing various projects in three of The country’s nine provinces. Some of these are:  

•	2003- 2006: Food security project involving women and families keeping orphans and poor resource farmers in Central Province 
•	2003- 2006: Food security project in Capital city Province 
•	2004-2006: HIV/AIDS- prevention, nutrition and care for PLWHA area in Capital city Province for orphans widows and vulnerable children 
•	2005- 2006: HIV/AIDS in 2nd district Project in Southern Province for PLWHA and vulnerable families 
•	2006: Women rights empowerment project in Central province
•	2005 –2006: Sustainable Agriculture and HIV/AIDS for women in Central Province
•	2006: Food security project in in Central Province with a strong focus on HIV/AIDS


ICA

ICA have provided technical and facilitation support to ICAs since 1996, as well as acting as project holders for the following:

•	1996-2003: Integrated Development Programme, 
•	1999-2002: Health and Leadership programme,
•	2000-2003: Integrated Rural Development programme for Women, 
•	2000-2004: Integrated Development Programme, Tanzania 
•	2005-2006: African ICAs HIV/AIDS Initiative (two workshops,)
•	2005-2006: Pilot of Living Well with HIV/AIDS 

With this background, THE ORG will be responsible for:

•	Overall coordination of project activities
•	Manage finances as per EC requirements
•	Employ two Field Officers
•	Host the volunteer from ICA
•	Manage all project procurements 

will be responsible for:

•	Coordination of networking activities with collaborators such as the MoH, MACO, DATF, ZHECT, NSC, BCN, AARVU etc
•	Employ the Project Coordinator


ICA will be responsible for:

•	Placement of a Volunteer
•	Capacity building of local NGO partners through training of project staff and technical support to the project and THE ORG




vi.	Team proposed for implementation of the action (by function: there is no need to include the names of individuals here)


No.
	
Title	
Role

A. Salaried Personnel

1	
Project Coordinator (full time)	
Coordination of the project 

2	
ICA Volunteer (full time)	Providing technical support to the project and staff of the project 

3	
Programme Officer-THE ORG (20%)	
Liaison with the donors and partner organisation & collaborating institutions/organisations

4	
Accountant-THE ORG (30%)	
Providing sound financial management for the project

5	
Field Officers X2 (full time)	
Frontline staff working with communities

B. Voluntary Personnel

1	
Community Livestock Workers	
Technical support to livestock owners

2	
Community Development Facilitators	
Technical support to local farmers on sustainable agriculture and business

3	
Care & Prevention Teams (15 made up of 10)	
Leading care for HIV/AIDS patients and prevention programmes against HIV/AIDS

4	
Nutrition Groups (5 made up of 5)	
Leading nutrition programmes for PLWHA in terms of production, processing and preparation of the same

5	
Support Groups (10 made up of 5)	
Groups of PLWHA organising others to address the various constraints faced by their peers

vii.	Main means proposed for implementation of the action (equipment, tools…)

The project will only have two means thus:

•	Motorbikes (X2 provided by and THE ORG) for the 2 Field staff
•	Bicycles (X 50) for CPTs and CDFs

The action plan must be drawn up using the following format:

Year 1
THE ORG Food Aid & Food Security Action Plan	                   Semester 1	               Semester 2	
Activity	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	Implementing body
													
Objective 1: Improved nutritional status of PLWHA													
Community mobilisation													THE ORG & partners
Purchase & distribution of foodstuffs													THE ORG
													
Objective 2: Strengthening & establishing  local structures													
Awareness for VCT													THE ORG, partners, , MoH
Mobile VCT													THE ORG, , ICA, , 
Promotion of ART													THE ORG, , ICA
Training of CPTs & SGs													MoH, , Hospital
													
Objective 3: Increased Food production & diversity													
Training in agriculture & nutrition													BCN, 
Supply of seed & small livestock													THE ORG & partners
													
Objective 4; Improved socio economic impact through income generation													
Training in entrepreneurship & marketing													THE ORG & partners
Training of community based volunteers													ICA Volunteers, THE ORG & partners
Linkage to micro finance institutions													THE ORG & partners
													
Project management													
Inception workshop													THE ORG & partners
Baseline survey													Consultant
Review & planning meetings													THE ORG & partners
End of Project Evaluation													
Training in Participatory M&E													ICA, MoH
													


Year 2
THE ORG Food Aid & Food Security Action Plan	                   Semester 1	               Semester 2	
Activity	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	Implementing body
													
Objective 2: Strengthening & establishing  local structures													
Awareness for VCT													THE ORG, partners, ZHECT, MoH
Mobile VCT													THE ORG, 
Promotion of ART													THE , ICA
Training of CPTs & SGs													MoH, , Hospital
													
Objective 3: Increased Food production & diversity													
Training in agriculture & nutrition													
Supply of seed & small livestock													THE ORG & partners
													
Objective 4; Improved socio economic impact through income generation													
Training in entrepreneurship & marketing													THE ORG & partners
Training of community based volunteers													ICA Volunteer, THE ORG & partners
Linkage to micro finance institutions													THE ORG & partners
													
Project management													
Inception workshop													THE ORG & partners
Baseline survey													Consultant
Review & planning meetings													THE ORG & partners
End of Project Evaluation													
Training in Participatory M&E													ICA, MoH
													




2.	EXPECTED RESULTS

2.1	Expected impact on target groups/beneficiaries

Maximum 2 pages.  Indicate how the action will improve:
1.1.1	the situation of target groups/beneficiaries

•	An increase of at least 50% in food production at household level by direct beneficiaries
•	At least 75% of direct beneficiaries accessing three meals per day 
•	Improved nutritional status among 500 PLWHA
•	At least 75% of the 500 targeted households growing at least 3 major food crops of nutritive value by the end of 2 years
•	Basic business training for  200 people 
•	More than 50 of the beneficiaries successfully go through a 3 months nutrition programme
•	Increased cash incomes (by 50%) for at least 200 of the PLWHA and their families
•	At least 200 people undergoing VCT per year
•	At least 100 introduced to ART per year

1.1.2	the technical and management capacities of target groups and/or any partners where applicable.

•	More than 10 support groups formed with ability to coordinate development initiatives with minimum external support
•	Strengthened capacity of 5 Care and Prevention Teams (CPTs)
•	Improved technical knowledge and skills among 200 households in agriculture and business to sustain their livelihoods in the midst of the impact of HIV/AIDS
•	Increased technical skills and knowledge by 600 people and 100 households in the production and preparation of indigenous nutritious food crops 
•	Improved skills and knowledge by 10 support groups and 15 CPTs in coordinating and monitoring community based nutrition and HIV/AIDS related initiatives  
•	Increased networking among community based groups in addressing issues of nutrition and HIV/AIDS
•	Improved capacities of implementing partner NGOs in organisational management and ability to meet the needs of beneficiaries


2.2	Concrete outputs

Maximum 1 page. Be specific and quantify outputs as much as possible. Indicate notably foreseen publications.

•	At least 200 people will undergo VCT 
•	At least 250 PLWHA will be linked to appropriate authorities for ART
•	At least 75% of the 500 targeted households with PLWHA affording 3 meals per day and growing at least 3 major crops
•	Increased cash income by at least 50% for 200 PLWHA and their families
•	Fifteen Support Groups, 5 Care and Prevention Teams and 5 Nutrition Groups established and strengthened and serving the target group


2.3	Multiplier effects

Maximum 1 page. Describe the possibilities for replication and extension of the action outcomes.

•	The two The countryn NGOs participating in this project are working in other areas of The country namely; Western, North - Western, Central and Capital city Provinces making up almost half of The country and covering some 50,000 households. Experiences gained through this project will no – doubt spill over to these areas
•	Being an international organisation, ICA is connected to many organisations locally and abroad. Results from this project will add to the pool of experiences gained elsewhere in Africa and beyond
•	The involvement of a wide range of national stakeholders such as the Ministry of Health (MoH), The country Health Education and makes for a broad based network and sharing of experiences across the country
•	Both belong to a network of 15 local NGOs. The available channels of information and experience sharing within this network will enable spill over to other organisations and practitioners. Additionally, is a member of the International NGO (INGO) forum which is another channel for sharing experiences
•	The target area of this p </textarea></td>

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	 <td><textarea name='proptitle' style='border-style: solid; border-width:1px; border-color: white white white white;width:125px;height:300px' id='proptitle' >Enhancing the Skills of Women Leaders of Saving and Credit Organizations through Training Programs  </textarea></td>
	 <td><textarea name='short' style='border-style: solid; border-width:1px; border-color: white white white white;width:175px;height:300px' id='short' >The proposed project aims to train approximately 400 women managers and leaders of  organizations about micro-finance principles, governance, financial management and accounting by Feb. 15, 2000. </textarea></td>
     <td><textarea name='description' style='border-style: solid; border-width:1px; border-color: black black black black;width:400px;height:300px' id='description' >Enhancing the Skills of Women Leaders of Saving and Credit Organizations through Training Programs

A Project Proposal 
Submitted to:
By:
Institute of Cultural Affairs (ICA) 



1. Background
There have been various programs to uplift the status of women in the country. It is felt that the empowerment of women can be achieved best by improving economic condition. The improved economic condition is supposed to penetrate other dimension, especially leadership development and decision power both in household level as well as community level.

The institutions are supposed to enhance the economic condition of the people. So many projects aim to include women in micro-finance organization. Most of the micro finance organizations are doing very well but still they lack system and human resources necessary for the sustainability. The institution so far has been running smoothly because of the strong will power and commitment of the participants rather than well-developed system and appropriate human resources.

It is thus realized that Micro-Finance Institutions, in particular women's organizations , need to develop the systems and human resources required to increase their outreach and improve their sustainability.

The proposed project aims to train approximately 400 women managers and leaders of  organizations about micro-finance principles, governance, financial management and accounting by Feb. 15, 2000.
  
2. Objectives
The proposed project aims to develop the skill of women leader and manager in the field of micro finance management. The specific objective of this project is as follows:
•	To train 400 women leaders and managers to saving and credit organizations management proper accounting system, financial management.
•	To enhance their leadership skill in terms of human resources.
•	To help establish in SCOs, easy and proper accounting system.
•	To develop the accounting system for SCOs that can be managed even by general literate women.
•	To established a system of participatory self-evaluation in SCOs.  

3. Project Area & Beneficiaries
The proposed project aims to train 400 women leaders and managers from various SCOs belonging to Eastern, Central, Western and Far-western of the region and promoted by the women's empowerment program. However CMF will be requested to identify the SCOs to be invited in the training as well as in the stage of participant selection. The participants of the training would be those leading women  and account holder person who are eligible (fit) according to the criteria given by CMF.

4. Output
The major output of the proposed project would be as follows:
a) Product Output
- 400 women leaders and managers of SCOs will be trained on various aspects of micro-finance institutions by 15th Feb. 2000.
- 400 manuals will be distributed among 400 participants in the training course. The manual will include various aspects of SCOs as well as financial management system,
- 32 resource persons will have command in their field. They will get chance to have more experience.

b) Process output
- At least 50% of the trainers will be women experts in their respective field.
- The institutions will have expertise in micro finance institutions.
- Entirely new technique (method) of project evaluation will be adopted which will certainly be the landmark in project evaluation.

5. Methodology:
A brief explanation of the main activities  necessary to achieve the output outlined above are as follows:

a. Selection of the participant:
For this kind of training, participant should be quite literate and responsible person either being leading figures of the organization or account holder (keeper). However, participants will be selected before September 10 with the help of concerned SCOs according to the criteria given by CMF. All the SCOs will be informed through letter and advertisement in newspaper. They will be requested to nominate the participant on behalf of their organization. They will be informed clearly of the criteria of selection as well. The confirmation of the participants and the details of the training (venue, date and other necessary information) will be informed to the responsible person and organization in the due course of time.

b. Selection Resource Persons (Trainers)
Resource persons will be selected based on the subject matter and their expertise in respective field. There will be 16 trainers (Resource persons) altogether for the training and priority will be given to include as many as women trainer not less than 50% in aggregate. The services of the trainers will be confirmed by Sept. 15, 1999 and it will be duly reported to CMF.

c. Finalization of training course:
With the help of experts in the field of micro finance management, the proposed course of the training would be finalized. There will be one workshop to finalize the course content and related issues. The participants of this workshop will be trainers, experts from related field. The workshop will not only finalize the content of the training but also identify and finalize the resource materials as well. Priority will be given to make the resource materials more simple and the language will be provided the condition that all participants necessarily not to be highly educated. 


d. Training
Altogether there will be 16 training for 400 women leaders from various SCOs. Each training will be conducted for 6 consecutive days. Each training will comprise 25 participants. Each training will have four packages. Each training will be provided by 2 trainers. The training will be completed before 15th February 2000. The venue of each training will be decided in consultation. However, priority will be given to organize the training so as to be equal distant from each SCOs to be participated. Various methodologies will be used like Group Facilitation Methods (GFM) developed by ICA International. All participants will be provided the training manual along with necessary resource materials prepared. The necessary cost of each participant will be borne by this project. 

e. Evaluation of training  
The evaluation of the training course will be done at two levels. The first one will be during the course of training while the second one will be 2 months after the training. Both of these evaluations will be done with the help of ICA methods like basic discussion method, wall of wonder method, counter interaction method along with written feedback of the participants. The participants will fill a questionnaire both prior and after training so that the change in their understanding will help evaluate the training during training course.

After two month of the completion of the training, a team comprising trainer, representative from the organization and ICA will visit the training site and organize a workshop to evaluate the training. ICA technologies will be used to evaluate the training. The report of the evaluation will be submitted. This kind of evaluation will help to improve the similar training to be conducted in future. Some adjustments will be made in the training with the help of evaluation report.

6. Reporting
The reporting will be done in four phase. The first three reporting will be done during the training period. The inception report will be submitted immediate after beginning of training. It will include the activities undertaken till the first training from the very beginning.  The second brief report will be submitted to CMF in between the middle part of training i.e. after completing 8 training. These two reports will include the evaluation of the training to date; as well as financial report also. The third brief report will be submitted after completion of all training.

After completion of last (16th) training, ICA will prepare the final report of the project. The final report will include the final evaluation of the last training as well. So final report  will be submitted at the end of April 2000. It will include the audited financial report as well as photo report of the project.

7. Time Line
Project Activities/ Date	1999	2000
	Aug	Sept	Oct	Nov	Dec	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr
- Selection of participants
- Selection of trainers
- Finalization of course
   ( workshop)
- Training material preparation
- Training
- Evaluation of training
- Reporting
- Final report preparation &
   submission              
	






	





          
	




	




	




	




			

									
8. Budget
A. Training Cost (one training)
D.A. Trainer (7day / 2 persons/$.1200.00)			=$ 16 800

Travelling Cost (For Trainers)					= 6 000

Participant Remuneration (25 X $200 X 7)			= 35 000
(including travelling, lodging, snack and food)

Stationary (manual, handouts etc.)			
     (25 participants / $ 200 per head)				= 5 000

Training Materials (Markers, card etc,)				= 1 500
								___________
		Sub total (one training)				=$ 58 900

			For 16 training	 $ 58 900 X 16		 = $ 942 400

B. Workshop Cost
a. Course Evaluation (One day)
D.A. for participants
(32 trainers+4 experts X $ 500)				             = 18 000

Stationary							= 4 000

Snack								=   6 000
								__________		
			Subtotal				$ 28 000

b. Workshop Evaluation (One day)
Resource Persons 3 X $ 1 500					= 4 500

D.A. for participants
(32 Participants $ 300)					             = 9 600

Stationary							= 4 000

Snack								= 6 000
								__________		
			Subtotal				$24 100
									

C. Report Preparation
Report preparation cost (Training and Evaluation Reports)	= 15 000
(stationary, computer, typing, printing etc.)					

D. Audit							$ 10 000
Auditor charge
							
E. Personnel Cost
Coordinator (8 months/ $10 000)				  = 80 000
Support staff (8 months/ $ 5 000)		  		  = 40,000
								____________		
				Subtotal			$120 000

F. Administrative Cost
Travel / Communication					= 10,000
Stationary (Photo, slides etc.)					= 5 000
Limited contingency for inflation				= 10 000
								__________							Subtotal		$25 000	

Grand Total					            $ 1164 500

In Words: Eleven Sixty Four Thousands Five Hundred Only

9. Request:
ICA aims to carry out all 16 training or few as allocated. In that case, the budget will be recalculated as per the training course.

The Institute of Cultural Affairs 
The Institute of Cultural Affairs is an autonomous, non-profitable, non-political and non-governmental organization registered , Social Welfare Council and NGO Federation. It is a member organization of the Institute of Cultural Affairs International. ICA is one of the forties national ICAs established around the world.

ICA in the Country
ICAs activities are based on participation. As a national member of ICA International, ICA  aims to introduce the experiences of various ICAs including ICA International in the country context. The three major areas of activities of the ICAs are sustainable development, life-long education and organizational transformation. The ICAs have their own training modules developed for facilitation, participation and planning. 

Various Technology of Participation (ToP) methods developed by ICA such as Focused Conversation Method, Workshop Method, Strategic Planning Method etc. can be used to solve various problems in our region. These methods can be used from grassroots to corporate level. The ICAs training courses are useful for all development practitioners, particularly governmental and non- - governmental workers active in the field of development.

Apart from such training courses, the ICA principles are also being used to community development sector. The ICA works with the grassroots organizations and individuals to enable the integration of the Technology of Participation into their day to day activities. It helps in improving the quality of other government or NGO sectors by imparting quality training. 

Aims of ICA:
The aims of the ICA are as follows:
- To work for empowering indigenous community,
- To promote a culture of participation at all levels of society,
- To facilitate creative change in individual and groups by promoting socio-economic and cultural development, and
- To encourage people and groups to participate in alleviating poverty, unemployment and backwardness through cooperatives and micro credit.

Activities:
The ICA carries out various activities on Group Facilitation Methods, strategic and action planning and project-based programs. Following activities are undertaken by the ICA in the country.

1. Capacity Building:
The ICA focuses on building human resources and organizational transformation through participatory techniques. It organizes various courses so as to increase people's participation in development and to preserve their own culture and values conducive to creative development and change. The ICA also works in enhancing effectiveness in business community by imparting its knowledge on participatory planning. Similarly, various training courses on micro credit management and environmental management and sustainable development are also conducted.


2. Increasing Public Awareness on Health, Education and Environment:
The lack of public awareness in various sectors particularly health, education and environment has created various problems that undermine the development process in the country.  ICA focuses its programs to alleviate such problems by carrying out action oriented programs on such themes. ICA is also active in promoting children and women rights.

3. Adult Literacy Programs:
The group has initiated literacy classes in some rural areas. People belonging to lower caste group and ethnic minorities are particularly encouraged to participate in such classes. The class is conducted for 6 months. Apart from being able to read, write and calculate the participants are also trained on basic concept of health, nutrition, environment, human rights etc.

4. Community Development:
Some community development projects are commenced by the ICA integrating various issues such as income-generating activities, health, nutrition, family planning, environment etc. The basic objective of such projects is to help in establishing model villages in various parts of the country by integrating a holistic and participatory development approach. 

The ICA is also active in the field of drinking water and its quality management particularly in the rural area. The group demonstrates ways of quality treatment of drinking water among rural mass.

The ICA has carried out micro credit activities enabling poor people to carry out income generating activities such as pig and goat farming, rabbit raising, bee-keeping, tailoring, carpentry etc. This has enabled economically disadvantaged people to take part in entrepreneurial activities. 

An specific Foundation have provided financial assistance to ICA to launch credit and saving program at one district. The projects are undertaken to improve the living condition of so-called lower community. The project is expected to develop awareness among the community towards their role in the development of the area. All of these activities will be undertaken in a participatory way.	

Membership:
The ICA in our country has four types of membership i.e. advisory members, honorary members, associate members and full members. Only full members may apply for the executive committee in general bodies meeting.

The ICA has a 7-membered executive committee. The daily activities of the ICA are performed by a secretariat headed by the Chairman. The executive committee is advised by an advisory board comprising 5 members.

The group has a centrally located secretariat with basic physical facilities such as spacious office, computers, email etc.














July 27, 1999

Dear Ms. 

Referring to the information we got from you, we are happy to know that your organization is planning on organizing different training activities at the national level through collaboration with partner NGOs. ICA is a national member of ICA International and has been operating capacity development and community development activities in our country. I am pleased to inform you that ICA has already worked  in capacity development activities. 

Enclosed please find the proposal. We hope that this proposal fits into the interest and aims  and that you are prepared to discuss it with your colleagues and board members. Of course, we are interested in your questions and remarks on the proposal, so that we can also learn from your experiences in this sector.

We look forward to establish some form of cooperation and look forward your response.

Thank you in advance,

With kind regards,










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	 <td><textarea name='proptitle' style='border-style: solid; border-width:1px; border-color: white white white white;width:125px;height:300px' id='proptitle' >The Community Youth Mentorship Project Evaluation Report
Considering the Challenges and Strengths of the Project </textarea></td>
	 <td><textarea name='short' style='border-style: solid; border-width:1px; border-color: white white white white;width:175px;height:300px' id='short' >Community research aims to work with a community to answer questions that are important to the people who are affected most by the project. By consciously encouraging participation, greater commitment to the project is more likely and the values and aims of the community are better reflected in the questions asked and methods used to evaluate the project.  </textarea></td>
     <td><textarea name='description' style='border-style: solid; border-width:1px; border-color: black black black black;width:400px;height:300px' id='description' >The Community Youth Mentorship Project Evaluation Report
Considering the Challenges and Strengths of the Project

Prepared for: The Funder
August 1, 2007

The CommunityYouth Mentorship Project Evaluation Report
Considering the Challenges and Strengths of the Project

Forward
The The Community Youth Mentorship Project Evaluation Report: Considering the Challenges and Strengths of the Project comes out of a one year research project assessing the outcomes of a youth training program in the community. The action-based community research was introduced at the early stages of the The CommunityYouth Mentorship (THE PROJECT) project by ICA with the goal of measuring the impact and effectiveness of the Youth as Facilitative Leaders (YFL) program.  As part of the funding proposal to The funder, ICA requested a portion of the funding be allocated to hiring a Community Researcher to critically assess the impact of the THE PROJECT project.  

Initially there was uncertainty around what aspects of the project the research should capture.  Through dialogue and reflection it was unanimously decided that the evaluation would be most beneficial when evaluated on three levels:  the individual level, organizational level, and the community level. It is my hope that organizations wishing to do collaborative projects in the future will also use this research as a reference. 

Community research aims to work with a community to answer questions that are important to the people who are affected most by the project. By consciously encouraging participation, greater commitment to the project is more likely and the values and aims of the community are better reflected in the questions asked and methods used to evaluate the project. There are various ways to include the participation of community members in research; ranging from researchers who interview community members (researcher led), to community members who initiate, collect, evaluate, and report the research themselves (community led).   
 Since this research was not initiated by the community (although community support for it was very strong) it could not be assumed that the community would take the responsibility of collecting data.  On the other hand, as a researcher living outside the The Communityarea, I was not comfortable formulating questions based on my perceived ideas of what the community wanted to know.  The chosen approach was to explain to the various stakeholders  what I believed may be important, and then requested feedback on these assumptions.  Since most stakeholders knew the community and youth population, I also requested recommendations on the best approaches to collect information.   Oftentimes the stakeholders offered invaluable insight and advice which could subtly and drastically change what questions needed to be looked at.  

The ‘action’ approach to this community research meant that the research ran parallel to all phases of the project.  In this way, I could report my general findings to the stakeholders as the project progressed.  The research began with general questions and became more specific as the project progressed.  At each phase a reflection at each level was initiated, resulting in a pattern of action – reflection –action.  The immediacy of this way of reporting has meant that any recommendations, insights, or concerns could be addressed within the lifetime of the project.  In other words, the ‘action’ is about using new information to inform practice.  

The The CommunityYouth Mentorship Project Evaluation Report: Considering the Challenges and Strengths of the Project is based on my research beginning July 13th, 2006.  The data was collected by attending meetings, reading reports, evaluating questionnaires, holding a youth focus group, and having open conversations with stakeholders including: ICA,  YFL Program Coordinators, the  Coordinator, Youth Trainers (YTs), Youth Mentors (YM), and the Steering Committee. In part, the recommendations, suggested challenges, and areas being highlighted in this evaluation have been developed through my own understanding of the project to date and should not be thought to necessarily represent the viewpoints of others.  That being said, much of what has been emphasized is a reflection of the topics most commonly cited throughout the project.  It should also be noted that a strong attempt was made to understand and bring forth a wide range of viewpoints expressed during this research process.

This report is divided into four sections, each representing the phases of the research:  Background, pre-training phase, training phase, and the post-training phase.  Each section begins with an overview of what has been included, and with the exception of the background section, each ends with a point form summary of ‘lessons learned’.  Keeping in mind that the project is rife with acronyms, a terminology sheet has been included at the end of the report for easy reference.  

I believe it is a progressive step for any organization to hire an outside source to evaluate the effectiveness of their program.  ICA has shown true leadership by eliciting feedback from all stakeholders of the project and implementing many recommendations as the project progressed. It has been impressive to witness the open, direct, and respectful practices maintained by all stakeholders over the past year. I would like to especially thank ICA, the local Coordinator, and the Steering Committee for their cooperation and support. 

Kind Regards,
	







Table of Contents
SECTION I – BACKGROUND						         Page
Overview of Background								5
Background										5
The Community										5
The Youth of community									5
Partners in the The CommunityYouth Mentorship Project					8
The CommunityYouth Mentorship Project							9
Funders											10

SECTION II – PRE-TRAINING PHASE
Overview of pre-training phase								11
Funding										12
Researcher										13
Local Coordinator								14
Community General Meeting and Steering Committee					15
Trainer Mentors										18
Recruiting Youth									19
Youth Trainers										21
Recruitment										22
Participation										22
Concerns and Challenges to Participation						22
Lessons learned during the pre-training phase						23

SECTION III – TRAINING PHASE
Overview of the training phase								24
YFL Training: Tools for Teamwork, Group Facilitation, Train the Trainer		24
February - YTs schedule their presentations/EcoMentors begins				28
March and April – Presenting a Workshop						30
May – The Facilitative Planning workshop/ Successfully lead workshops			31
Lessons learned during the training phase						32

SECTION IV – POST-TRAINING PHASE
Overview of the post- training phase							33
Sustainability										33
The Steering Committee								33
ecoMentors										34
Workshops										35
Celebration										36
Building the capacity of the partners							36	
Community connections									37
Conclusions										38
Lessons learned throughout the THE PROJECT project						39
Terminology Used									40
Resources										41
Appendix A										42
Appendix B										45

Background

Overview of Background
The background section of this report provides a brief description of the key stakeholders and their involvement in the THE PROJECT project.  

The Community
The Communityis a town in south-central Region.  The Communityhas an approximate population of 44 000 and covers an area of nearly 288 square kilometers. The area consists of farmland and forests and many cottages located on the shores of.  It is made up of many communities.  

The Youth of The Community
The Communityhas an approximate population of 44 000 people; 11 480 (26 percent) of which are made up by the youngest population, 0 to 18 years of age (Our Children, 2004).  On average The Communityhas a younger age profile than the rest Region, and has therefore been suggested that the demand for youth services will remain high (Town of The Community, 2004).  

The information below documents the community’s perception of the challenges facing the youth of The Community, as well as highlighting what is believed to be their strengths. The data was collected from community members with an interest in youth issues, community influentials, youth trainers, and local research reports.

Racial and cultural diversity 
One influential person mentioned that there were little inter-racial and cross-cultural connections between youth; this is due in part to a minimal history of cultural and racial diversity found in The Community.  In a study of three The Communityschools, less than 1 percent of elementary and high school students were born outside of The country (Our Children, 2004).  Similarly, Statistics The country 2001 Census Population report indicates that 1.2 percent of all The Communityresidents speak French only, while 91.5 percent of the population speaks English only.  When the topic of inter-racial and cross-cultural connections was introduced to the YTs it did not appear to be considered a significant concern.

Poverty and low-income families
The issue of family poverty was presented as a barrier facing the youth of The Community.  One influential person explained that the number of families with an annual income under $22 000 has been increasing over the past 15 years; this may also be linked to the high use of food programs.  Poverty would certainly affect the youth population where more than 11.5 percent of all youth in The Communitylive in low income families. Also noteworthy, lone parent families make up 23 percent of all families in the area. This is significant in that lone parent families are often considered a family type more vulnerable to poverty than two-parent households.

Services
Transportation was cited most often as a needed service for youth in The Community.  This issue was emphasized from key influentials, the youth trainers, as well as the Steering Committee. Youth who do not have driver’s licenses or access to a vehicle are dependent on their parents; many of the youth programs are offered after school hours when parents are still at work.  The need for better transportation services was evident throughout the project when considerable energy was exerted in getting youth to and from workshops and Steering Committee meetings.  Another felt need was a lack of youth employment opportunities.  Here YTs believed that the competition for too few jobs was a barrier to obtaining employment.

Issues at School
The academic performance and literacy levels in The Communityhigh schools have generally shown to be lower in comparison to the rest of the York region.  A focus group with YTs shed light on the many issues present during their school years.  The issues included: bullying (including cyber-bullying), drug use and smoking due to boredom and/or peer pressure, and in-school /between school fist fighting.  Peer pressure to dress in expensive designer clothes was also noted.

Community Support
In the executive summary of The Communityelementary schools entitled, Me and My World, a survey of 40 developmental assets were assessed in upper elementary-age children in June of 2005.  In total 577 Grade 5 classrooms were surveyed.  The study showed that students’ perceptions of the empowerment asset were significantly low, approximately 30 percent.  The lowest ratings given by students were: “child feels valued and appreciated by adults in the community” and “child has opportunities to help others in the community.”  Although this survey represents Grade 5 students, similar perceptions were expressed by the YTs in the focus group.  They pointed out that youth are not represented in local newspapers and in other areas, which suggests to them that local organizations are not interested.  It was also pointed out that feeling undervalued contributes to youth, “not having confidence to speak their mind.”  Similarly, as stated in the Town of The CommunityLeisure Services Master Plan, “A lack of opportunities for youth (both facility and programs) was identified as a long standing issue in the Town…current opportunities are not meeting the needs of youth…The unmet needs of youth are a key issue if not the issue in The Community”. According to the YTs, a lack of leisure services contributes to boredom which can then lead to smoking and drug use, or other negative behaviors such as loitering, vandalism, and break and entering.  

On the other hand, the first general meeting for the THE PROJECT project brought out many adult residents of The Communitywho were very interested in the contributions of youth to the community.  They readily cited benefits that youth bring to The Communityincluding: standing up for their beliefs, contributing skills (computer savvy), volunteering their time, advocates for change, leading others, and optimistically engaging in areas they are passionate about.  In addition, youth were described as being entertaining, enthusiastic, willing to learn, motivated, environmental and health conscious, accepting of differences, focused, and persistent.

Partners in the The CommunityYouth Mentorship Project
ICA
The ICA, or ICA, has a mission to develop the capacity of all people to contribute to their own positive social change.  This is largely accomplished through research, publishing, education and social change projects.  One program in particular, the Youth as Facilitative Leaders, is directed at building the competencies and confidence of youth.  By providing them with meaningful involvement, building mentorship relationships, and providing positive images of their contributions to communities, youth are empowered to become leaders within their communities.  The facilitative training that the YTs were exposed to comes directly from the YFL principles and curriculum. 

Earth Day The country – ecoMentors
Earth Day The country is a national environmental communications organization that runs a host of programs to empower Canadians to take action at the local level to address environmental concerns.   One of Earth Day The country’s programs, ecoMentors, was built into the THE PROJECT project as a mentorship program that would run alongside the YFL training.  Similar to YFL, ecoMentors aims at building the capacity of youth by building their mentorship skills.  The THE PROJECT target was to train 60 youth as ecoMentors and have them present ecoMentors modules to elementary school age youth.  The ecoMentors training would be open to both YTs and to high school youth who were not exposed to the YFL training.  Aside from building mentorship skills, youth would benefit from the ecoMentors program by building references for future employment, receiving rewards, eligibility for the Toyota Earth Day Scholarship, and getting involved in environmental issues.
Partner Youth Centre
The Partner Youth Centre (JYC) is a registered charitable organization and a leader in providing recreation and leisure activities for the youth of The Community.  With an emphasis on peer learning the JYC provides programming to more than 1200 youth throughout the municipality and helps youth to realize their value within the community. The organization also collaborates with social service agencies to encourage youth who may especially benefit from JYC services.  With encouragement from the Executive Director and the Board, the JYC became the local lead partner in THE PROJECT project.  Having a local organization as a partner significantly added legitimacy to the project and provided local connections, knowledge, and the technical skills needed to recruit youth from the The Communityarea.

The CommunityYouth Mentorship Project
The The CommunityYouth Mentorship project was envisioned to develop ‘Youth as Facilitative Leaders’.  Based on a collaborative model, ICA and Earth Day The country, with the administrative support of the Partner Youth Centre, provided training to develop youth as community leaders and mobilizers. Through locally based leadership workshops a core group of YTs would be trained to deliver THE PROJECT workshops to other youth and youth-serving organizations in the The Communityarea.  Rather than having a specific theme to focus on, general leadership skills were to be developed.  These general skills could be taught to other youth with specific agendas – environment, anti-bullying, sports, etc. In addition, there was to be an emphasis on soft skill development such as improving oral communication, self-confidence, and active listening. 

The first phase of the project was to secure funding, develop curriculum for the workshops, hire a local Coordinator and a Community Researcher, recruit six local youth organizations and two youth within each organization to be trained as YTs, and present the project plan to the community.  The second phase of the project was to deliver the following workshops: Tools for Teamwork, Group Facilitation, and Train the Trainers.  Each youth would be assisted by a youth support worker from a local youth organization, ICA YFL Program Coordinators, TMs, the local THE PROJECT Coordinator, and on-line help.  At this time the local THE PROJECT Coordinator would also be trained as an ecoMentors Animator to gain the credentials needed to train youth as ecoMentors.

Once the workshops were complete the youth would then set up their own facilitative workshops, and the ecoMentors program would be fully implemented.  It was assumed that after the full training and practice sessions the youth would then be able to use the  YFL and ecoMentors skills to network with community organizations and lead facilitative workshops where needs were indicated.

Funders
The Region XxFoundation
As an agency of the Ministry of Culture, The Region XxFoundation (OTF) is a leading grantmaking foundation in The country.  The Foundation supports organizations that represent areas in arts and culture, environment, human and social services, and sports and recreation. 

The funding principles and interests of the Foundation were an appropriate fit with the aims of the THE PROJECT project on several levels.  As part of their mission, the Foundation emphasizes, “healthy and vibrant communities throughout Region by strengthening the capacity of the voluntary sector, through investments in community-based initiatives”. The THE PROJECT project was based in the community of The Communityand looked to enhance the ability of youth to contribute to the voluntary sector by increasing their leadership skills and providing opportunities to utilize these skills for the benefit of local organizations. More specifically the THE PROJECT project also reflected the environmental and social service funding interests of the OTF. 

The THE PROJECT project was also in-line with the granting priorities of the OTF.  One priority of the Foundation is “enhancing the success for students and learners”.  By training youth in facilitation methods and having them in turn train other youth, the leadership potential of young people in this community was expected to be significant.  Another funding priority of the Foundation is to assist in creating more effective volunteers and getting more local people involved in their communities.  Throughout the THE PROJECT project a secondary goal was to generate local interest in supporting youth.  This was to be accomplished by setting up a Steering Committee, and building relationships with influentials in the community, local high schools, youth organizations, environmental groups, local businesses, the local media, and individuals. 

The grant issued to the THE PROJECT project by the OTF totaled $42 000.  Although this list is not exhaustive, the grant assisted in the salaries of the YFL Program Coordinators, program costs (transportation and accommodation, honoraria for TMs, promotional material, food and refreshments, rental costs for a celebration summit), and the hiring of the Community Researcher.   

THE PROJECT project by funding the local THE PROJECT Coordinator position through the Youth Internship initiative.  The goal of this initiative is to attract and retain recent post-graduates and provide them with valuable on-the-job skills.  

I Pre-training phase
Overview of pre-training phase
Prior to the workshops delivered in The Communitythere were 8 months of preparing for the training.  March of 2006 saw the partnerships between ICA, The country, and Partner established, while the XxFunding was also approved.  

During the summer months of 2006 the ICA training methods were adapted to a younger youth audience and curriculum was further developed.    Hiring of the Community Researcher also occurred at this time. 

There was a rapid acceleration of the project during the fall months once CFDC funding was secured to fund the employment of the local Coordinator who was then trained in ICA methods. ICA and the Coordinator did outreach work to local youth organizations to find complementary matches for the workshops.  By October, the project was presented at a general community meeting in The Community.  Here ICA, Partner Youth Centre, and ecoMentors made a presentation to the community and sought feedback.  A Community Approval Form was presented and the community members were asked to indicate whether they were prepared to support the project.  They were also encouraged to add any questions, comments, or concerns surrounding their understanding of the THE PROJECT project to date.  Many of the community members at the general meeting signed up as participants for the THE PROJECT Steering Committee.  The Committee would be updated with bi-weekly reports and would meet monthly to discuss the progress of THE PROJECT.  

The final month leading up to the workshops consisted of registering all participating youth and youth organizations, booking community centres for training, booking accommodations for the out-of-town instructors, and touching base with TMs.

Funding
Funding issues are usually one of the first challenges that most collaborative non-profit projects face; the beginning phase of the THE PROJECT project was not any different.  Originally an application was made to the South Lake CFDC matched funding program.  Here South Lake CFDC would cover 50 percent of the total costs if another grantmaker would cover the other half of the funding needed.   At this point the performance indicators were set at 12 youth serving organizations, which would put forward 2 youth and 1 staff person to represent the organization during the training.  The Region XxFoundation was applied to as a matching funder and was approved in March 2006 for $42 000.  Unfortunately, due to administrative changes arising from the federal government, there was a delay in funding from the South Lake CFDC.  Since there was uncertainty whether the South Lake CFDC would be able to provide funding for the THE PROJECT project in a reasonable time frame, if at all, it was decided that the work plan would need to be restructured and the scope of the project would be streamlined by cutting the performance indicators in half; now 6 youth organizations would be targeted rather than the 12 that were originally budgeted for.  In doing this the THE PROJECT project could feasibly continue on a $42 000 grant.  

In order to cover the costs of hiring a local THE PROJECT Coordinator, the South Lake CFDC was applied to again, this time under the Youth Internships initiative; the funding was successful and the local Coordinator was hired in September. Although originally expected to have workshops running early in the fall months, the delays in funding pushed back hiring a local Coordinator, and so the training phase of the project was pushed back until late December of 2006.

Another challenge that arose at this phase of the project was working with two funding timelines.  For example, The Region XxFoundation funding began three months earlier than that of the South Lake CFDC. Potentially this would result in having different midterm and final report schedules, two separate end dates for funding, different evaluation criteria, and less flexibility available when unforeseen circumstances may arise; thus putting the onus on the partners to be extra diligent in the phasing of the project.


Researcher
The role of the researcher prior to the workshop phase was to prepare questions that would address the project on 3 levels: individual experience of participants, organizational competencies and learnings, and community impact. This involved developing questionnaires, focus group questions, and preparing consent forms. In addition, research questions took into consideration the type of information that would need to be collected for The Region XxFoundation evaluation standards.  For this reason, questions were developed to answer the following:  Is the program sustainable after the funding period?  Have the organizations increased their capacity to deliver services?  Has this project added value to community life?  Have community connections and awareness been built?  Has this project strengthened the voluntary sector? 

Although consent forms are not often used within community research it was deemed advisable to distribute consent forms to the youth participating in this project for a variety of reasons .  Youth need to be aware of the level of commitment expected, the benefits of participating in research, and also the challenges or drawbacks. Most importantly youth need to be aware that their participation in the research is completely voluntary.

It was hoped that the youth would have a strong role to play in the research process.  Not only was it expected that youth would offer their perspectives on general questions, there was encouragement to involve them in some of the data collection as well.  The rationale behind this suggestion was to add data collection and analysis to the repertoire of skills developed throughout the THE PROJECT project.  In addition there was discussion of using an arts-based approach to collecting information.  The arts-based approach is an alternative way of collecting information that allows youth to show their creativity and express themselves in ways that may be more comfortable. It is unfortunate that youth involvement in the research process was limited to providing their input to the standard questions.  Although the pre-workshop focus group allowed youth to share perspectives all at once, time constraints very much limited their involvement in other research activities. 

Local THE PROJECT Coordinator
Hiring of the local THE PROJECT Coordinator occurred in September 2006.  The hiring committee, made up of members from ICA, Partner Youth Centre, and Earth Day The country, were looking for an individual with very specific qualifications: a local university graduate in a related field, less than 30 years of age, and someone with an interest and background in ecology and research.  The role of the THE PROJECT Coordinator included becoming trained in ICA facilitative methods, and as an ecoMentor Animator.  Providing the local Coordinator with training would enable the training of others, and promote the program accurately.  The local Coordinator also shared responsibility in recruiting YTs and ecoMentors, booking resources, and supporting the youth throughout the project.  

It was clear to the three partnering organizations that the role of the local Coordinator was crucial to the success of the project. Having a local Coordinator who was familiar with The Communitymeant they were able to provide local knowledge, and were able to offer transportation to and from workshops when traveling became an issue.  The Coordinator, being a youth, already knew some of the YTs and was able to communicate well with them. The local Coordinator’s role in recruiting youth called for several presentations to the local high schools, as well as relationship building with the school staff, parents, local businesses and the media. The local Coordinator would also act as a bridge between ICA, Partner Youth Centre, Earth Day The country, and the Steering Committee.

Community General Meeting and Steering Committee
A significant event in the pre-workshop phase was a community general meeting held in October, 2006.  Nine community members came out to the Town of The Community’s Civic Centre to learn more about the THE PROJECT project.  The community was represented by individuals interested and involved with youth organizations, the environment, and the local media. The THE PROJECT project was introduced by demonstrating the ICA facilitative method of ‘brain blending’. A brief presentation was made by the Partner Youth Centre,.  The community was then asked to speak about their understanding of the challenges facing youth in this area.  A question and answer period highlighted community concerns such as: How are youth trainers selected? How will the youth trainers come up with the topics to demonstrate their facilitation skills?  How would the “neighbourhood-wide capacity building” be measured?  What indicators would be used to evaluate the success of the project over time?  As it turned out the above questions became highly relevant throughout the project.  

How are youth trainers selected?  Originally and ideally youth trainers were to be selected by the youth organizations they served and would have the following qualifications:  Strong self-motivational skills, excellent interpersonal skills, good oral communication skills, an understanding of collaborative facilitation, and experience as a peer mentor or peer trainer.  However, this list of characteristics did not address the need for diversity and inclusively.  How would diversity be encouraged? It was proposed that a concerted effort would be made to attract youth who have the desire to lead groups but may not have had an opportunity to put these skills into practice.  Also unanimous was the desire to make training available to youth from The CommunityIsland, where barriers to transportation have often limited youth participation. Finally, the age range of youth was flexible, noting that youth of different ages had much to learn from each other.

How will the youth trainers come up with the topics to demonstrate their facilitation skills?  It was assumed that once the YTs were trained in general ICA facilitative training methods they could then apply these skills to a topic of interest. Another option was to facilitate meetings and workshops of other youth groups who had specific interests (i.e. the environment, health issues, sports, and anti-bullying). YTs were also encouraged to take the ecoMentors training and utilize their facilitation skills in a classroom setting.

How would we be measuring some of the expected outcomes such as “neighbourhood-wide capacity building”? This question was answered by the Community Researcher.  There would be an assessment on the level of relationship building between the local community and the partnering organizations, as well as the networks created within the community. 

What indicators would be used to gauge the success of the project over time? At this phase of the project the Community Researcher and partnering organizations were unable to commit to evaluating the project past the end date.  It was however reiterated that ICA did intend to maintain close ties with the community and offer support where needed. One community member proposed that youth could champion an on-going evaluation as part of their high school education.  It was also suggested that members of the community organize together to ensure that the evaluation continued after the project end date.  

What skills and characteristics were being considered for attracting YTs?  This final question addressed the concern of finding appropriate participants for the THE PROJECT project. Keeping with the theme of diversity, it was also noted that there would be no strict age range – that young, motivated youth were equally apt to take the training as the older and experienced youth.  One community member suggested that the “high achieving” youth may be too busy to devote their weekends to the training, while “the average” youth would also not be enthusiastic in giving up their free time.  It was generally decided that youth who were truly motivated to learn facilitative skills would stick with the training and that the level of support available offered a protective factor from youth leaving the training early.

At the end of the general meeting the Community Approval Forms  were signed, written comments were provided, and four of the nine community members signed on to represent the newly formed THE PROJECT Steering Committee.  The Steering Committee would be made up of people “who were generally interested in supporting the youth of The Communityand specifically supporting them through the THE PROJECT Project.”  The role of the Committee was largely governance (final decision maker), community representation (guidance), and sustainability (encourage the continuation of THE PROJECT). It was decided that the Steering Committee would meet once a month to discuss the progress of THE PROJECT and make suggestions.  In between meetings the Steering Committee was kept up to date through the local THE PROJECT Coordinator’s bi-weekly reports.  It was also decided that the Community Researcher would report progress and findings to the Steering Committee.   After further outreach, the Steering Committee grew to 15 members and consisted of representatives from ICA and Partner Youth Centre, the Community Researcher, local THE PROJECT Coordinator, a Regional Police officer, members of local youth and environmental groups, youth, and local media representatives.
Trainer Mentors
ICA began the recruitment of volunteer TMs (TMs) as early as April 2006.  The goal was to link professional facilitators with YTs to develop a mentoring relationship.   The role of the TMs was to offer guidance and experiential knowledge to the YTs throughout the workshops and specifically in the application phase.

The qualifications required of a TM included knowledge and practical experience in the application of ICA methods, interest in working with and supporting youth, and the ability to be flexible in order to be available to the needs of the youth.  The TMs were made aware of their roles and responsibilities which included obtaining a police clearance check, attending one of the training workshops to meet the YTs, initiating a mentoring relationship, and to report back to ICA and the Community Researcher on their progress. 

Prior to establishing a mentorship, an electronic survey was e-mailed to the 14 TMs to gauge their initial understandings of the THE PROJECT project.  Based on the 7 returned surveys the TMs appeared to make up a diverse group of individuals.  They came from various professional backgrounds and experiences, and ranged widely by age.  The number of years in which TMs have been exposed and trained in ICA facilitation methods also varied.  One respondent had 40 years of experience facilitating while at the low end, 3 of the 7 responding mentors had one year or less training in ICA methods. The trainers also varied in the number of times they had facilitated groups using the ICA methods – over a thousand to less than 5 times. Combined, the TMs brought over 88 years of direct experience working with youth.  Although there were two respondents who did not previously have direct involvement with youth, the large majority of TMs had extensive experience.

The TMs were asked to describe what their role was in the THE PROJECT project. Most TMs believed it was to offer support to the YTs.  Other aspects of the role included giving advice, feedback, and practical support; help youth understanding the ICA methods and values behind them; to offer alternatives and different perspectives when needed.

The TMs were also asked what challenges or concerns they may face in the THE PROJECT project.  Most often cited were age and geographical differences.  The concern in age difference grew out of the possibility that the TMs would be viewed in an authoritative role, or that they would not be able to relate to the youth. Also noted was the potential problem of being located outside of the community. Limited face-to-face interaction and a disconnection from the concerns of the community were pointed out. Other challenges and concerns included:  Understanding the definition of “mentor” and what that implies (in comparison to the definition of “trainer” or “facilitator”), and creating dependency by doing too much for the YTs.  

Recruiting Youth
Recruiting YTs occurred in the first phase of the project. The responsibility of bringing youth and youth serving organizations into the project was held by both the local THE PROJECT Coordinator and the Executive Director of ICA.  Each worked together to develop rapport with local youth serving organizations and high schools. 

Youth Serving Organizations/High schools
The responsibilities of the youth serving organizations included recognizing one or two youth to be trained as YTs and making available one staff member to train alongside and support the youth.  The organizations were to pay a minimal fee of $10 which would go toward paying for the manuals and demonstrating that they are committed to the project. The organizations were also requested to provide a snack for one training session.  

Although there was enthusiasm and agreement that the YFL and ecoMentors program would be beneficial to the youth of The Community, many youth organizations were unable to sign on. Youth organizations stated they had an insufficient number of youth participating in the organizations to select an appropriate candidate; similarly, there were not enough support staff to recruit for the project. The third factor for declining participation was the time commitment. High schools anticipated difficulty in the youth finding the time for the training while they were pursuing their studies and current extra curricular interests.  In addition, a December start date was a hectic time for many youth and support staff, while devoting multiple Saturdays or Sundays to training appeared to be a further deterrent.   

Although it is unfortunate that resources and time limited the number of organizations able to participate in the project, there were many benefits that came out of the recruitment phase.  The Executive Director of ICA and the local THE PROJECT Coordinator were able to actively engage with various youth organizations and learn further about the needs of the local youth. For example, discussions arose around the possibility of having a high school credit available to those who completed the THE PROJECT training, and count training and application time toward their volunteer hours.  Also, through positive interaction the THE PROJECT project became known and many organizations became interested it the process and outcomes.  Some organizations that did not have the resources to participate in the THE PROJECT project, still continued to show their support by having members sit on the Steering Committee.  

Flexibility and adaptation to the recruitment  process was evident when it was decided that youth who wished to participate in the YFL training, but were not represented by an organization, could  still sign-up.  This way of recruiting came primarily from the local Coordinator’s THE PROJECT presentations to high schools. If students wished to participate in the THE PROJECT project they could sign-up as “self-selected” participants and be paired up with a youth organization that wished to participate and were not already supporting other YTs.   Although this was an unplanned occurrence, and perhaps thought of as a last resort, it should be noted that the process of self-selection spoke to the inclusively clause whereby youth who have not had the opportunity to belong to a youth serving group could nonetheless participate in the program.  It also offered an opportunity for interested youth to work along with a youth serving organization and build possible future collaborations. Without altering the recruitment criteria it is possible that the THE PROJECT project would not have recruited enough YTs to get past the first phase of the project.  

At the end of the recruitment phase four organizations (Partner Youth Centre, Chippewas of THE project.  

The Youth Trainers
Prior to beginning the training, the youth were made aware of their roles and responsibilities both verbally and in writing. Responsibilities included attending and participating in five days of training, with two additional follow-up days of training,  coordinating practice sessions with the local THE PROJECT Coordinator, and delivering training to practice groups.  They were also encouraged to engage with their assigned TMs and the Community Researcher.  During and after the workshops the YTs were also expected to participate in the on-line discussion board, schedule dates and locations for workshops, recruit participants, and do outreach.

It was important to get a sense of the needs and perceptions of the YTs prior to the training in order to track any changes to expectations and outcomes over time, and to quickly address any concerns, challenges, or misperceptions they may have during the early stages of the training. A focus group of YTs was scheduled to take place prior to their first workshop.  Due to illness on the part of the Community Researcher the focus group took place on the second weekend of training.   Consent forms were created for the YTs highlighting what their involvement in both the workshops and research component would require.  

A focus group was held on a Saturday and Sunday to give all YTs an opportunity to participate. The 8 respondents ranged in age from 14 to 17 years old and spoke candidly about their reasons for becoming involved, expectations, and concerns and challenges to participating in the THE PROJECT project.  Below is a summarization of the insights that came out of the two focus groups.


Recruitment
The youth were recruited through multiple methods.  Three of the respondents learned of the THE PROJECT project primarily by their youth organizations. Two of the youth became aware of the program through school presentations, and three youth indicted that they learned of the THE PROJECT project through several sources: youth organizations, an e-mail from the local Coordinator, and/or a student presentation. 

Participation
The reasons most cited for wanting to participate in the THE PROJECT program included building confidence to speak in front of others, applying skills to career goals, general interest, personal improvement (increase personal awareness, solve personal problems, organize thoughts), and a willingness to try something new.

Concerns and challenges to participating
The concerns and challenges the youth perceived they might have during and after training included: Having to rely on others for transportation (primarily parents), time and scheduling difficulties during training, ability to teach facilitation skills, questioning the usefulness of the training, and getting assistance in the future if needed.

Based on this initial focus group it became clear that many youth, prior to the training, did not believe that they would be capable of leading a workshop and train others in the YFL facilitation methods.  When asked how they feel about training other youth, one YT did not believe they would be able to facilitate a group on their own, while another did not believe that they could stand up in front of a group to deliver the training.  The Community Researcher presented the question to the ICA Program Coordinators and Steering Committee as to whether or not the YTs were fully aware that they will be facilitating these methods to other youth.  However, it was felt that at this stage it  was natural that the YTs would lack confidence in their abilities when they had not yet been exposed to the training or had an opportunity to practice.

Another concern that came out of the focus group was the YT’s uncertainty of how they would utilize this training for community building purposes.  When asked what topics or interests they would like to facilitate, or who they would expect to present their workshops to, there were no participants with a general area of interest.  A lack of interest or an uncertainty in how to apply their skills suggested a potential barrier when it came time for the YTs to facilitate others. The general impression coming out of the focus groups was that most YTs understood how they could benefit personally from the training, but were less aware of how this training could be applied to make positive social changes within a larger context.  

Summary:
Lessons learned during the pre-training phase
•	Funding and the timing of funding directly contribute to the ability of partner organizations to move the project forward.
•	A local Coordinator is vital to the everyday functioning of a project where working partnerships are formed between geographically diverse.
•	Community research should involve participants in various aspects of the research process.
•	Sufficient time should be allowed to identify local community issues that have a potential to affect the project outcomes.
•	A local Steering Committee offers greater accountability to the community and suggestions are based on local knowledge.
•	Flexibility and adaptation to unplanned occurrences are essential in the first phase of any project.






II Training phase
Overview of the training phase
The second part of the THE PROJECT project can be considered the training phase. Starting in late December 2006 the YFL program was introduced to the YTs at community centres in the The Communityarea. The workshops were led by the ICA’s YFL Program Coordinators, and emphasized bottom-up approaches to youth development, inclusivity, and group-process methods. The training was delivered sequentially with the initial workshops being an introduction to the YFL ‘Tools for Teamwork’ methods, the ‘Group Facilitation,’ and the ‘Train the Trainer’ methods.  After the initial workshops were completed, the recruitment for ecoMentors began while the YTs also began scheduling their presentations.  The final training in this phase of the project was the introduction of the last YFL method, the ‘Facilitative Planning’ workshop.

YFL Training: Tools for Teamwork, Group Facilitation, Train the Trainer 
Although 24 youth signed up to attend the YFL workshops there were only 9 youth to have participated to some degree in the YFL workshops.  The last minute cancellations were largely due to scheduling conflicts.  In total, six days of training were held over four weekends where three different workshops were offered: Tools for Teamwork (two days), Group Facilitation (two days) and Train the Trainer (two days).  By late January 2007 all three YFL workshops were introduced and completed.

The greatest challenge during the December to January stretch of workshops was the retention of YTs.  The first two YTs declined further participation in the THE PROJECT project after participating in one workshop. The time commitment (weekends) and family commitments were cited as the primary reasons for leaving the training early. Other YTs became concerned that they would not be able to complete their training due to the interference of school exams, part-time jobs, and extracurricular activities.  Another potential obstacle occurred when a support staff person left the training early due to a change in employment.  At this point a quick adaptation of the course schedule was the solution.  The shrinking size of the groups allowed each group to merge into one.  In response to the concerns that the time commitment for training was too great, the ICA YFL Program Coordinators restructured the work plans and were able to eliminate a day of training.  Due to the many changes occurring throughout the training, the THE PROJECT project may have appeared to be faltering or at least disorganized.  The Steering Committee became concerned with the high numbers of YTs leaving the THE PROJECT project and it was a struggle to pinpoint why the numbers were declining. 

At this time the THE PROJECT project had retained just over 50 percent of active YTs. There were 13 youth expected to participate, 9 were introduced to the program, 7 had been trained and 6 remained in the program.  Although perceptions differ as to why YTs were not continuing with the YFL training, many general areas were considered:  the recruitment process, age of the YTs, the workshop presentation and the intensity and level of the training, transportation issues, and a combination of any of the above factors.  One mitigating factor to limit the decline in participation of youth was the high degree of support offered.

Recruitment process
As mentioned in the previous phase of the THE PROJECT project, the recruitment of youth proved to be a daunting task.  For this reason, there was flexibility when it came to the selection of YTs. It has been proposed that the retention rates may have been higher if the youth had a strong understanding of how they would utilize their new skills.  In this way, there seems to be a return to the original notion that YTs should already possess leadership skills and a strong determination for positive social change.  Similarly, in the final Steering Committee meeting it was suggested that leadership could have been cultivated by first exposing the youth to the less intensive ecoMentors workshops.  Youth would then be able to better gauge how interested they were in furthering their leadership and peer-mentoring skills.




Age of the YTs
Again, in part due to the difficulties of recruiting youth as well as the desire to incorporate diversity and inclusivity the age of the YTs ranged widely from 14 to 17 years of age.  This was to be the youngest group of youth that ICA had worked with and it was generally acknowledged that the training concepts and expectations were seen to be less appropriate for the younger youth.

Workshop presentation and the intensity and level of the training 
The ICA YFL Program Coordinators were diligent about receiving feedback on their training methods.  This included eliciting verbal and written feedback from the YTs after each workshop, informally requesting feedback from the local THE PROJECT Coordinator, TMs, as well as engaging in the responses coming from the Steering Committee’s and Community Researcher’s initial findings.

Information regarding the effectiveness of the workshops was collected from the TMs in the Trainer Mentor Survey. Each respondent gave their own reflection and suggestions regarding their observations of the THE PROJECT workshops.  This included:  structure of the workshop (Design, sequence of activities, time allocation to activities, set-up, and length of workshop), facilitation, presentation style, and effectiveness of the facilitators; as well as the appropriateness of text materials.  The responses toward the structure of the workshops were positive and supportive.  Suggestions included more description of what a facilitator is, and creating clearer connections between topics.  The feedback on the effectiveness of the facilitators was positive with common phrases being: “good rapport with youth”, “friendly”, “inviting”, and “lots of energy and enthusiasm.” Although the TMs’ use of the THE PROJECT binders were limited, most found the resources “attractive”, “clear”, and having good quality graphics.

Steering Committee members (particularly those who attended the workshops) suggested that the workshops could have been more youth-centred.  The general consensus was that youth engage best when there is maximum participation, interaction, and plenty of activity.  It was also suggested that the youth may have responded differently had the workshops been led by a local youth, such as the local THE PROJECT Coordinator.  It was decided that further suggestions would be encouraged from the support staff that attended the workshops, as they had the most experience with youth.

Transportation issues
Transportation to and from workshops was seen as a barrier to participation.  Although the local THE PROJECT Coordinator worked with the YTs to schedule carpooling, the distances between destinations may have been a further deterrent.  Winter conditions were a particularly significant barrier to participation for youth traveling from The CommunityIsland.

Despite the difficulties in maintaining the number of YTs participating in THE PROJECT, there were many positive outcomes that occurred at this phase in the project.  On the individual level, many youth participating gained confidence in their own ability to lead others.  Given the relatively short period of time it is significant that three YTs accepted the offer to become members of the Steering Committee. Although only one YT attended a Steering Committee meeting, it should be recognized that the youth accepted this offer with the assurance that their voices counted and that they were important knowledge holders in the THE PROJECT project. It was also documented that one YT presented their YFL skills in the school classroom at the request of their teacher.  There is also much anecdotal evidence from the youth support workers to suggest that particular youth benefited enormously from the YFL training in regards to demonstrating higher levels of confidence in general.

At the organizational level ICA received considerable feedback on the workshops and training methods. A follow-up meeting was held with THE PROJECT support workers to discuss revisions in the curriculum and teaching methods for future training sessions with youth.  In addition, many new learning experiences were reflected upon with regards to strategic planning in the project development stage.  For example, it has been suggested that local support from the community and Steering Committee be implemented at an earlier stage in order to assist with the process of recruiting and building relations.  Other realizations include recruiting youth and groups who already have a focused interest, and 
deferring the train-the-trainer component until the YTs are  more experienced in leadership methods.

At the community level there was a better understanding of the challenges facing the youth of The Community. At the same time interest within the community was growing.  Local businesses were offering their support in various ways: granting free training space for future workshops, guaranteeing the YTs a job interview upon completion of training, and offering donations for reward packages.  In addition, the local newspapers, The The CommunityAdvocate and the newspaper, got involved when each printed an article on the THE PROJECT project, and advertised for up-coming workshops. 

February – Youth Trainers schedule their presentations/ecoMentors begins
Once the initial YFL workshops were complete, the next step was to have the YTs work with the local THE PROJECT Coordinator to schedule workshop dates and present the YFL methods.  Retaining the participation of YTs continued to be problematic; while enrolling local youth to learn from the YTs also proved to be difficult.

An undisputed factor in retaining YTs was the level of support available to the youth. In February a Youth Trainers’ Practice Day was scheduled by the local THE PROJECT Coordinator to assist YTs in becoming comfortable with the FAIR group facilitation methods.  The local THE PROJECT Coordinator also spent considerable time assisting YTs in setting up dates, locations and audience to practice their facilitation skills. In addition to the support of the local THE PROJECT Coordinator, the youth could rely on the help of the youth organization support staff, TMs, and the on-line live journal community.  The youth were also provided opportunities to be active decision-makers at the stage in the training.  The YTs chose the location of their workshops, the dates that they would present, and the promotional material to advertise their workshops.  They were also encouraged to collectively plan the end-of-project Celebration Summit.  It is important to consider to what degree the YTs felt comfortable in planning their own workshops since much of the experiential learning and confidence building comes not only in the training but also from the actual coordinating of workshops.  

Flexibility and adaptation were themes repeated in this phase of the training.  The decision was made to pair up YTs to conduct a workshop together and offer them rewards for doing so.  This would be less stressful on the part of the YTs and easier to accommodate.  At this point there were 6 YTs still active in the THE PROJECT training and the balance of YTs to TMs was no longer balanced at 2:1.  Instead each pair of YTs was supported by four TMs.  Although there appeared to be minimal involvement between the YTs and TMs it can be seen as a positive aspect of the project that expert support was offered and available when needed.  

Only through speculation can it be said that the underutilization of the TMs and was due to a disconnection between ages, interests, and geographical distance of the two groups.   It is also not readily apparent why the Live Journal of THE PROJECT On-line postings were largely unsuccessful (three youth joined the Live Journal group but few postings were made).  Initially the technology was not seen as easy to navigate and a TM volunteered their expertise to assist the YTs in signing onto the forum.  Unfortunately, the Live Journal was rarely used in any capacity.  It can be pointed out however that the Live Journal was conceptualized during the beginning phase of the project as an alternative way of engaging in discussions pertaining to the training. Had the idea of the Live Journal come from the YTs and “owned” by them, then perhaps it would have been more effective.

 There were difficulties in maintaining the momentum at this phase in the project. One YT required a postponement to their workshop dates with the result being a reshuffling of partners. Eventually another YT would decide that he was no longer interested in facilitating a partnered workshop and left the project early.  The inconsistency of partners and loss of peer participation may have been frustrating to the remaining YTs and can be considered a potential push factor in discontinuing their enrolment in the project.

The month of February also saw the start up of the recruiting for ecoMentors.  Having already been trained as an ecoMentor Animator in the previous phase of the project, the local THE PROJECT Coordinator was able to promote the program at local high school presentations. A variety of methods were used to recruit interested youth including e-mail alerts, posting flyers, and working with a local newspaper to advertise the training.  At this point the response rate was slow and not promising. 

March and April – Presenting a Workshop
Recruiting participants for the youth-led workshops proved to be difficult. Scheduled workshops were cancelled when participants failed to sign up.  When this challenge was brought to the Steering Committee suggestions were offered at each level.  From a community standpoint it was believed that the support of the school boards would be needed.  At an organizational level it was suggested that defining goals for the project and establishing measures for outcomes needed to be built prior to the start of training.   Another suggestion was to have clear written responsibilities for youth-serving organizations as to their roles and responsibilities in recruiting and supporting YTs. At the individual level it was noted that weekend workshops appeared to be a deterrent for many youth; planning a workshop after school may be more practical. To attract greater numbers, it was proposed that the project should target specific youth who were already active in school groups, such as a student council.  Some Steering Committee members pointed out that the concept of THE PROJECT was not simplistic and that visuals of some sort   would aid in understanding the goals and expectations of the project.  Similarly, one recommendation was to provide video footage of an actual workshop in order to get a better orientation of the project. 



May – The Facilitative Planning workshop/ Successfully lead workshops
The final Facilitative Planning workshop occurred in May.  Based on the reflections and recommendations made largely by the Steering Committee, deliberate changes were made to the workshop structure.  The most significant changes included the training being conducted by one of the very experienced Trainer Mentors with a great deal of youth experience and opening the workshop to all interested youth of The Community, rather than limiting it to the previous.  The workshop was heavily advertised by the local THE PROJECT Coordinator who used a variety of methods to get the word out. Recruitment included: flyers, e-mails to youth groups, high schools, including student councils, local libraries, a youth shelter, a local employment centre, and a youth advocacy group.  The advertising was successful in recruiting six youth who were new to the project.

May was also the period where YTs were expected to try their hand at facilitating groups.  There were two primary ways that the youth-led workshops would take place.  Either youth were encouraged through advertisements to take a scheduled workshop led by a YT, or a community group could request a YT to facilitate one of their group sessions.  In the case of the scheduled workshops one was successfully completed by a pair of YTs who presented the Tools for Team Work, and Group Facilitation methods.  Although the turnout was minimal, the opportunity encouraged the YTs to continue building their facilitation skills.

In comparison, when an opportunity to facilitate a local high school parent council meeting the YTs declined the offer; even when a $30 honorarium was offered.  Despite the missed opportunity (for unknown reasons) the support of the local parent council is noteworthy.  Fortunately another opportunity arose for the YTs to showcase their skills and this time they accepted.  Two YTs each led a focus group during a strategic planning session for the Partner Youth Centre staff. Based on the three previous examples it would appear that the decision on whether to facilitate a group or not may be determined by how comfortable the YTs are with the groups they are presenting to; they more often presented to peers and familiar groups than to unfamiliar adults or groups.

Although the project saw many ups and downs there is reason to believe that community capacity building was furthered during this phase of the project.  At the individual level the Youth Internship funding allowed the local THE PROJECT Coordinator to network with other youth at The Region Rural Council’s Rural Youth Forum in Belleville; further networking occurred when the local Coordinator presented the THE PROJECT project to the Youth Interagency Group .  EcoMentors was given more attention when the ecoMentors Program Coordinator teamed up with the local THE PROJECT Coordinator to present ecoMentors to the The CommunityEnvironmental Advisory Committee.  In addition the lead partners of THE PROJECT and the Steering Committee demonstrated their belief in the project by writing letters of recommendation to ensure the local THE PROJECT Coordinator’s position would be funded an additional 4 months after the completion of the first funding period.

Summary:
Lessons learned during the training phase
•	It is better to have support underutilized than to be without any support. 
•	The level of support accessed is likely to be higher when youth choose who they would like support from and by what method (face -to-face, e-mail, forum, phone)
•	YTs may need to deliver many informal workshops to peers before they will feel comfortable applying skills to a larger audience
•	Although flexibility and adaptation are key to keeping the THE PROJECT project functioning, too many changes in one phase of the project can be frustrating to YTs and may act as a deterrent to future facilitation
•	Community support is crucial to the sustainability of the THE PROJECT project 







III. Post-training phase
Overview of the post- training phase
The final phase of the THE PROJECT project considers the progress that has been made by the YTs, partner organization, and the community and highlights the issue of sustainability.  Will the THE PROJECT project continue?  How can THE PROJECT be sustained? Who will take on responsibilit </textarea></td>

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	 <td><textarea name='proptitle' style='border-style: solid; border-width:1px; border-color: white white white white;width:125px;height:300px' id='proptitle' >Enhancing the Skills of Women Leaders of Saving and Credit Organizations through Training Programs </textarea></td>
	 <td><textarea name='short' style='border-style: solid; border-width:1px; border-color: white white white white;width:175px;height:300px' id='short' > The proposed project aims to train approximately 400 women managers and leaders of Saving and Credit Organizations about micro-finance principles, governance, financial management and accountin. </textarea></td>
     <td><textarea name='description' style='border-style: solid; border-width:1px; border-color: black black black black;width:400px;height:300px' id='description' >Enhancing the Skills of Women Leaders of Saving and Credit Organizations through Training Programs


A Project Proposal 



1. Background
There have been various programs to uplift the status of women. It is felt that the empowerment of women can be achieved best by improving economic condition. The improved economic condition is supposed to penetrate other dimension, especially leadership development and decision power both in household level as well as community level.

Micro-finance institutions are  supposed to enhance the economic condition of the people. So many projects aim to include women in micro-finance institution. Most of the micro finance institutions are doing very well but still they lack system and human resources necessary for the sustainability. Micro- finance institution so far has been running smoothly because of the strong will power and commitment of the participants rather than well-developed system and appropriate human resources.

It is thus realized that Micro-Finance Institutions, in particular women's Saving & Credit Organizations (SCOs), need to develop the systems and human resources required to increase their outreach and improve their sustainability.

The proposed project aims to train approximately 400 women managers and leaders of Saving and Credit Organizations about micro-finance principles, governance, financial management and accountin.
  
2. Objectives
The proposed  project aims to develop the skill of women leader and manager in the field of micro finance management. The specific objective of this project is as follows:
•	To train 400 women leaders and managers to Saving and Credit organizations SCO management proper accounting system, financial management.
•	To enhance their leadership skill in terms of human resources.
•	To help establish in SCOs, easy and proper accounting system.
•	To develop the accounting system for SCOs that can be managed even by general literate women.
•	To established a system of participatory self-evaluation in SCOs.  

3. Project Area & Beneficiaries
The proposed project aims to train 400 women leaders and managers from various SCOs. The SCOs will be invited to the training as well as in the stage of participant selection. The participants of the training would be those leading women of SCOs and account holder person who are eligible (fit) according to the criteria.

4. Output
The major output of the proposed project would be as follows:
a) Product Output
- 400 women leaders and managers of SCOs will be trained on various aspects of micro-finance institutions by 15th Feb. 2000.
- 400 manuals will be distributed among 400 participants in the training course. The manual will include various aspects of SCOs as well as financial management system,
- 32 resource persons will have command in their field. They will get chance to have more experience.

b) Process output
- At least 50% of the trainers will be women experts in their respective field.
- The institutions will have expertise in micro finance institutions.
- Entirely new technique (method) of project evaluation will be adopted which will certainly be the landmark in project evaluation.

5. Methodology :
A brief explanation of the main activities  necessary to achieve the output outlined above are as follows:

a. Selection of the participant:
For this kind of training, participant should be quite literate and responsible person either being leading figures of the organization or account holder (keeper). However, participants will be selected with the help of concerned SCOs according to criteria. All the SCOs will be informed through letter and advertisement in newspaper. They will be requested to nominate the participant on behalf of their organization. They will be informed clearly of the criteria of selection as well. The confirmation of the participants and the details of the training (venue, date and other necessary information) will be informed to the responsible person and organization in the due course of time.

b. Selection Resource Persons (Trainers)
Resource persons will be selected based on the subject matter and their expertise in respective field. There will be 16 trainers (Resource persons) altogether for the training and priority will be given to include as many as women trainer not less than 50% in aggregate. The services of the trainers will be confirmed by Sept. 15, 1999 and it will be duly reported.

c. Finalization of training course:
With the help of experts in the field of micro finance management, the proposed course of the training would be finalized. There will be one workshop to finalize the course content and related issues. The participants of this workshop will be trainers, experts from related field and representative. The workshop will not only finalize the content of the training but also identify and finalize the resource materials as well. Priority will be given to make the resource materials more simple and the language will provided the condition that all participants necessarily not to be highly educated. 

d. Training
Altogether there will be 16 training for 400 women leaders from various SCOs. Each training will be conducted for 6 consecutive days. Each training will comprise 25 participants. Each training will have four packages. Each training will be provided by 2 trainers. The venue of each training will be decided in consultation. However, priority will be given to organize the training so as to be equal distant from each SCOs to be participated. Various methodologies  will be used like Group Facilitation Methods (GFM) developed by ICA. All participants will be provided the training manual along with necessary resource materials prepared. The necessary cost of each participants will be borne by this project. 

e. Evaluation of training  
The evaluation of the training course will be done at two levels. The first one will be during the course of training while the second one will be 2 months after the training. Both of these evaluations will be done with the help of ICA methods like basic discussion method, wall of wonder method, counter interaction method along with written feedback of the participants. The participants will fill a questionnaire both prior and after training so that the change in their understanding will help evaluate the training during training course.

After two month of the completion of the training, a team comprising trainer, representative from CMF and ICA will visit the training site and organize a workshop to evaluate the training. ICA technologies will be used to evaluate the training. The report of the evaluation will be submitted to CMF. This kind of evaluation will help to improve the similar training to be conducted in future. Some adjustments will be made in the training with the help of  the evaluation report.

6. Reporting
The reporting will be done in four phase. The first three reporting will be done during the training period. The inception report will be submitted immediate after beginning of training. It will include the activities undertaken till the first training from the very beginning.  The second brief report will be submitted in between the middle part of training i.e. after completing 8 training. These two report will include the evaluation of the training to date; as well as financial report also. The third brief report will be submitted after completion of all training.

After completion of last ( 16th) training, ICA will prepare the final report of the project. The final report will include the final evaluation of the last training as well. So final report will be submitted at the end. It will include the audited financial report as well as photo report of the project.

7. Time Line
Project Activities/ Date	1999	2000
	Aug	Sept	Oct	Nov	Dec	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr
- Selection of participants
- Selection of trainers
- Finalization of course
   ( workshop)
- Training material preparation
- Training
- Evaluation of training
- Reporting
- Final report preparation &
   submission              
	






	





          
	




	




	




	




			
8. Budget
A. Training Cost ( one training)
D.A. Trainer ( 7day / 2 persons/ 1200.00)			= 16 800

Travelling Cost (For Trainers)					= 6 000

Participant Remuneration (25 X 200 X 7)			= 35 000
(including travelling, lodging, snack and food)

Stationary (manual, handouts etc.)			
     (25 participants / 200 per head)				= 5 000

Training Materials (Markers, card etc,)				= 1 500
								___________
		Sub total ( one training)				= 58 900

			For 16 training	  58 900 X 16		 =  942 400

B. Workshop Cost
a. Course Evaluation (One day)
D.A. for participants
(32 trainers+4 experts X 500)				= 18 000

Stationary							=  4 000

Snack								=   6 000
								__________		
			Subtotal				= 28 000

b. Workshop Evaluation (One day)
Resource Persons 3 X 1 500					= 4 500

D.A. for participants
(32 Participants 300)					= 9 600

Stationary							= 4 000

Snack								= 6 000
								__________		
			Subtotal				24 100
									

C. Report Preparation
Report preparation cost (Training and Evaluation Reports)	= 15 000
(stationary, computer, typing, printing etc.)					

D. Audit							= 10 000
Auditor charge
							
E. Personnel Cost
Coordinator ( 8 months/ 10 000)				  = 80 000
Support staff ( 8 months/ 5 000)		  		  = 40,000
								____________		
				Subtotal			120 000

F. Administrative Cost
Travel / Communication					= 10,000
Stationary ( Photo, slides etc.)					= 5 000
Limited contingency for inflation				= 10 000
								__________							Subtotal		25 000	

Grand Total					1164 500


9. Request 
ICA aims to carry out all 16 training or few as allocated by CECI. In that case, the budget will be recalculated as per the training course.

The Institute of Cultural Affairs
ICA is an autonomous, non-profitable, non-political and non-governmental organization.

ICA:
ICAs activities are based on participation. The three major areas of activities of the ICAs are sustainable development, life-long education and organizational transformation. The ICAs have their own training modules developed for facilitation, participation and planning. 

Various Technology of Participation (ToP) methods developed by ICA such as Focused Conversation Method, Workshop Method, Strategic Planning Method etc. can be used to solve various problems. These methods can be used from grassroots to corporate level. The ICAs training courses are useful for all development practitioners, particularly governmental and non- - governmental workers active in the field of development.

Apart from such training courses, the ICA principles are also being used to community development sector. ICA works with the grassroots organizations and individuals to enable the integration of the Technology of Participation into their day to day activities. It helps in improving the quality of other government or NGO sectors by imparting quality training. 

Aims of ICA
The aims of the ICA are as follows:
- To work for empowering indigenous community,
- To promote a culture of participation at all levels of society,
- To facilitate creative change in individual and groups by promoting socio-economic and cultural development, and
- To encourage people and groups to participate in alleviating poverty, unemployment and backwardness through cooperatives and micro credit.

Activities:
ICA carries out various activities on Group Facilitation Methods, strategic and action planning and project-based programs. Following activities are undertaken by the ICA.

1. Capacity Building:
The ICA focuses on building human resources and organizational transformation through participatory techniques. It organizes various courses so as to increase people's participation in development and to preserve their own culture and values conducive to creative development and change. ICA also works in enhancing effectiveness in business community by imparting its knowledge on participatory planning. Similarly, various training courses on micro credit management and environmental management and sustainable development are also conducted.

2. Increasing Public Awareness on Health, Education and Environment:
The lack of public awareness in various sectors particularly health, education and environment has created various problems that undermine the development process. The ICA focuses its programs to alleviate such problems by carrying out action oriented programs on such themes. The ICA is also active in promoting children and women rights.

3. Adult Literacy Programs:
The group has initiated literacy classes in some rural areas. People belonging to lower caste group and ethnic minorities are particularly encouraged to participate in such classes. The class is conducted for 6 months. Apart from being able to read, write and calculate the participants are also trained on basic concept of health, nutrition, environment, human rights etc.

4. Community Development:
Some community development projects are commenced by the ICA integrating various issues such as income-generating activities, health, nutrition, family planning, environment etc. The basic objective of such projects is to help in establishing model villages in various parts of the country by integrating a holistic and participatory development approach. 

The ICA is also active in the field of drinking water and its quality management particularly in the rural area. The group demonstrates ways of quality treatment of drinking water among rural mass. ICA has carried out micro credit activities enabling poor people to carry out income generating activities such as pig and goat farming, rabbit raising, bee-keeping, tailoring, carpentry etc. This has enabled economically disadvantaged people to take part in entrepreneurial activities. 

Projects are undertaken to improve the living condition of so-called lower community. The project is expected to develop awareness among the community towards their role in the development of the area. All of these activities will be undertaken in a participatory way.	

Membership:
The ICA has four types of membership i.e. advisory members, honorary members, associate members and full members. Only full members may apply for the executive committee in general bodies meeting. The daily activities of the ICA are performed by a secretariat. The executive committee is advised by an advisory board comprising 5 members.

The group has a centrally located secretariat with basic physical facilities such as spacious office, computers, email etc.



Dear Sir

Referring to the information we got from you, we are happy to know that XXX is planning on organizing different training activities at the national level through collaboration with partner NGOs. ICA has been operating capacity development and community development activities I am pleased to inform you that ICA has already worked in capacity development activities. 

Enclosed please find the proposal on 'Enhancing the Skills of Women Leaders of Saving and Credit Organizations through Training Programs'. We hope that this proposal fits into the interest and aims  of xxx and that you are prepared to discuss it with your colleagues and board members. Of course, we are interested in your questions and remarks on the proposal, so that we can also learn from your experiences in this sector.

We look forward to establish some form of cooperation and look forward your response.

Thank you in advance,

With kind regards,


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	 <td><textarea name='proptitle' style='border-style: solid; border-width:1px; border-color: white white white white;width:125px;height:300px' id='proptitle' >Sustainability Planning Proces </textarea></td>
	 <td><textarea name='short' style='border-style: solid; border-width:1px; border-color: white white white white;width:175px;height:300px' id='short' >The first part of the YFL sustainability plan will focus on financial sustainability. The second section will demonstrate the importance and strategy for non-financial sustainability through growth and awareness activities.   </textarea></td>
     <td><textarea name='description' style='border-style: solid; border-width:1px; border-color: black black black black;width:400px;height:300px' id='description' >Sustainability Planning Process	

Program sustainability requires both financial and non-financial strategies.  The first part of the YFL sustainability plan will focus on financial sustainability. The second section will demonstrate the importance and strategy for non-financial sustainability through growth and awareness activities.  

Part One:  Financial Sustainability
The financial strategy for sustainability includes two specific funding streams: traditional funding and social enterprise.  Traditional funding, for the purpose of this sustainability plan, can be defined as the process through which non-profit organizations solicit funds from foundations, donors or members to support the organization’s activities and programs.  Social enterprise can be defined as “any earned-income business or strategy undertaken by a nonprofit for the purpose of generating revenue in support of the nonprofit’s social mission.” (Social Enterprise Alliance) In this context earned income refers to “payments received in direct exchange for a product, service or privilege (Social Enterprise Alliance).  Both traditional funding and social enterprise options will be pursued to ensure the continued sustainability of YFL.  The process for financial sustainability is outlined below:

 
Phase 1: Market Research/Environmental Scan

Funding Stream 1: Social Enterprise Opportunities
Overview
Market research will be completed to source key pieces of information to be used determining the feasibility of each venture.  The market research will focus on earned revenue/fee-for service opportunities.  YFL has already identified a number of possible earned income ventures that will provide sustainability for the program.  They include, but are not limited to: 
•	Tiered certification program – YFL will position themselves as leaders in the youth education field.  A tiered certification process will be created for professionals who work with youth.  The programs required for certification will focus on developing the skills of professionals to engage and develop the skills of the youth with whom they are working.  The courses required for the certification will have a fee associated with them.  YFL will explore a variety of formats to offer courses required for certification including: live (traditional face-to-face), live (podcasts), at Colleges as part of the Continuing Education course offerings, online (pre-recorded).  
•	Public courses – YFL will explore the options of offering public courses to youth as development opportunities to increase their employability.  A number of target participant groups will be explored.  Various fee levels will also be explored including student and young professionals.  To ensure that all youth can participate regardless of their financial status, a select number of seats will be reserved for youth who are unable to pay the course fees. 
•	Train-the-trainer & off-the-shelf course sales – Organizations who are interested in training all of their staff or a group of youth using YFL’s training modules, will have the opportunity to participate in a train-the-trainer session and purchase the training materials that they will require to train their group.   
•	Young Professionals Association – A Young Professionals Association will be created to provide an avenue for young people to become involved in social change.  There are many young professionals who want to enhance the community in which they live, but do not have the time or ability to source these opportunities.  The Young Professionals Association, organized by YFL, will work with local non-profit organizations to create the opportunities.  These opportunities may be ongoing or one time special events.  YFL will then offer these opportunities to its membership.  

Tasks
•	Identify fee-for-service/earned revenue opportunities
•	Facilitate market research for each opportunity
•	Create a list of criteria to which each venture needs to adhere

Outcomes/Deliverables
A market research report for each of the identified opportunities.

Funding Stream 2: Traditional Funding Opportunities
Overview
This phase will include an in-depth environmental scan to explore the various fund development options available to YFL.   The scan will be completed to source new funding opportunities and update existing information.  

 
Tasks
•	Internet search of online funding databases 
•	Identification of granting priorities and criteria for each Funder

Outcomes/Deliverables
A Resource Guide of Foundations and Private Businesses, whose granting criteria correlate to YFL’s program.

Phase 2: Feasibility Analysis

Funding Streams 1 & 2
Overview
A feasibility study will be completed to determine the viability of each opportunity and the capacity of YFL to undertake both the traditional and social enterprise fund development opportunities. The feasibility study may analyze the following opportunities: capital campaign, planned giving, corporate donations, fundraising (sale of a product or an event), grants from private businesses  and grants from foundations.  It will also determine the feasibility of the social enterprise concepts explained in Phase 1 and other fee-for-service opportunities that develop. The feasibility study will determine the return on investment of each opportunity.

Tasks
•	Review environmental scan and market research
•	Undertake a feasibility analysis for each opportunity
•	Determine which funding opportunities to pursue

Outcomes/Deliverables
A feasibility report that outline the feasibility of potential funding opportunities.  

Phase 3: Fund Development Planning

Funding Streams 1 & 2
Overview
A fund development plan, that outlines both the social enterprise and traditional funding opportunities that will be implemented, will be created to guide YFL as it undertakes the initiatives identified for fund development.  
 
Tasks
•	Create a fund development plan that outlines: 
o	Each fund development initiative
o	Goals for each initiative (ie. 15,000 from corporate donations or 15,000 in revenue from social enterprise activities)

Outcomes/Deliverables
A completed fund development plan.  

 

Phase 4: Pre-Implementation Planning (social enterprise & traditional funding)

Funding Stream 1: Social Enterprise 
Overview
A business plan, marketing plan and implementation plan will be created for each earned revenue/fee-for-service initiative. The business plan will include key areas such as: company summary, market analysis, product/service description, operations plan, management plan, and financial plan.  The marketing plan will include: customer profile, marketing strategy, communications strategy and marketing objectives.

Tasks
•	Develop a business plan for each initiative 
•	Develop a marketing plan for each initiative
•	Develop an implementation plan for each initiative
o	Determine the tasks for each traditional fund development initiative
o	Determine who will complete each task
o	Determine the timeframe for completion of each task

Outcomes/Deliverables
•	A completed business, marketing and implementation plan.

Funding Stream 2: Traditional Fund Development
Overview
An implementation plan, that outlines the in-depth tasks required to implement each initiative list in the fund development plan, will be created.  The implementation plan will include specific on tasks, who will complete which tasks and when each task is to be completed.  

Tasks
•	Determine the tasks for each traditional fund development initiative
•	Determine who will complete each task
•	Determine the timeframe for completion of each task

Outcomes/Deliverables
•	A fully developed and approved implementation plan.

Phase 5: Implementation

Funding Streams 1 & 2
Overview
The implementation phase will be guided by the implementation plans created in Phase 4.  During the implementation phase it is expected that YFL will meet or exceed its projected financial targets so that the program will achieve sustainability. 

Tasks
•	To be determined by each implementation plan

Outcomes
Sustainability of the YFL program.

 
Part Two:  Non-Financial Sustainability
Raising awareness of YFL and increasing participation in the YFL program are essential components to the Sustainability Plan.  These are equally as important as financial sustainability, in terms of focus, resource allocation, and ultimately, overall program sustainability.

Overview
YFL’s development of greater community awareness and engagement with communities across the province will be guided by the work plan and the Communications/Marketing Plan. 

Tasks
Outlined in the work plan and to be determined through the development of the Communications/Marketing Plan.  Will include:
•	Project work
•	Train-the-trainer programs to aid in succession planning
•	Use of ongoing communication tools, including a web communication platform and other youth-centric web communication tools 

Outcomes
Throughout the work of the grant period, YFL will be developing:
•	Broader awareness and understanding of the program and the potential benefits of the program to communities
•	Higher level of reach to communities, which results in ongoing support from funders 
•	Increased base of YFL trainers, for train the trainer and ongoing support 
•	Increased linkages and concrete partnerships with other organizations that focus on youth engagement and leadership   
•	Development and support of a virtual community of youth and agencies interacting through innovative web communication tools – providing ongoing support to each other, opportunities to benefit from lessons learned and best practices
•	Development of an alumni association, with a directory, ongoing linkages, and membership fees
By combining efforts to develop funds with efforts to increase awareness and participation in the YFL program, the goal of sustainability will be achieved.


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	 <td><textarea name='proptitle' style='border-style: solid; border-width:1px; border-color: white white white white;width:125px;height:300px' id='proptitle' >Food Aid and Food Security 
Programme for The country </textarea></td>
	 <td><textarea name='short' style='border-style: solid; border-width:1px; border-color: white white white white;width:175px;height:300px' id='short' >This project will start by addressing the immediate food needs of 500 PLWHA in the target area. Due to the numerous demands on the resources of PLWHA, maintenance of a balanced diet is not often  considered priority. Yet, diet is one of the key elements for success in ART and prolonged life for PLWHA. For purposes of cost effectiveness, PLWHA and their families will be encouraged to consider already familiar indigenous local foods that have proven nutritive value.  The CFSP will also establish and strengthen local community based structures to lead in issues of nutrition, care and prevention and other services at community level.  </textarea></td>
     <td><textarea name='description' style='border-style: solid; border-width:1px; border-color: black black black black;width:400px;height:300px' id='description' >Food Aid and Food Security 
Programme for The country

Deadline for receipt of applications: 2nd October, 2006



CONCEPT NOTE 

. 

1. Summary of the action
Please provide the following information:
1.1	Brief description of the proposed action

The UNDP report of 2003 indicated that about 73% of all The citizens live below the official poverty line. On average more than 70% of The citizens are classified as poor while more than 63% are living on less than US$1 per day. In rural areas 83% of the people are poor and 71% are extremely poor. 

Many of the poorest people live in female headed households affected by HIV/AIDS. The prevalence rate is high currently at 16% affecting the most productive age group of between 15 to 49 years (NAC, 2002). Due to HIV/AIDS the number of widows and orphans and the chronically ill has increased considerably. The extended family system is no longer capable of handling the huge burden presented upon it by the impact of HIV/AIDS. HIV Positive people do not have access to healthy diets and the dietary options are limited. This means that positive people cannot live longer and their families end up in destitute or dying before their time.

This project will be implemented in The district of Southern Province. The population of Southern Province is 1,212,124 out of which 203,219 are in District. The prevalence rate for Southern province is currently at 16.2% ranks as the third highest in The country after Capital city and Copperbelt Provinces (NAC The country HIV/AIDS estimates, 2004). District is one of the most densely populated areas in Southern Province and according to estimates of 2004 from the National AIDS Council, District was the second highest in terms of HIV prevalence of 22.5% with a total number of 25,024 people second only to Livingstone. The overall poverty levels of Southern Province are high at 76% (CSO – living conditions in The country, 1998) while 59% of the people are classified extremely poor. 

The project is targeting an area north of The district called 2nd district. The target area is bound to the east by the Highway, and the Highway passes right through the community. The proximity of 2nd district to the main road makes the area vulnerable to the spread of HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases. This area appears to be particularly hard hit due to its geographical location and high poverty levels. Many small traders come to this area to sell second hand clothes and other merchandise and in the process end up mingling with people. These transient travellers and truckers take advantage of the poor farmers and expose them to HIV/AIDS. This has resulted into many HIV/AIDS patients.

This project will start by addressing the immediate food needs of 500 PLWHA in the target area. Due to the numerous demands on the resources of PLWHA, maintenance of a balanced diet is not often  considered priority. Yet, diet is one of the key elements for success in ART and prolonged life for PLWHA. For purposes of cost effectiveness, PLWHA and their families will be encouraged to consider already familiar indigenous local foods that have proven nutritive value.

The CFSP will also establish and strengthen local community based structures to lead in issues of nutrition, care and prevention and other services at community level. The project aims at inculcating a spirit of volunteerism among the target community. A volunteer from t ICA will be attached to the project. Strong linkages that already exist between the project and permanent service providers will be strengthened. These include Ministry of Health (MoH), District HIV/AIDS Task Force (DATF), Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives (MACO) etc.

In terms of the long term, the project will impart technical skills in family members of PLWHA to enable them produce adequate amounts of food on a sustainable basis. Training in sustainable agriculture will be provided and linkages made with the MACO.

To further secure the livelihoods of PLWHA, the project will impart entrepreneurship and marketing skills in the target group and link those that require additional finances to microfinance institutions that are already operating in the province.

2. Relevance:
Please describe the following: 
2.1	How relevant is your proposal to the needs and constraints of the target country(ies) or region?
2.2	What are the problems to be resolved and the needs to be met? 

The action will initially make available to PLWHA food through food aid. This is in order to enable HIV patients improve their nutritional status and thereby improve the uptake and effectiveness of ARVs. The action will also promote both conservation farming and proven sustainable agriculture methods which are less labour intensive in order to improve sustainable food production and ensure availability of food throughout the year. The action will promote crop diversification to match nutritional needs of HIV/AIDS. The project will work with an associate organisation who are experts at biodiversity and have studied nutritive values of traditional food crops which are easy and cheap to grow, process and prepare. 

The integration of food aid with actual sustainable food security which includes cultivation of traditional food crops and a home-grown home based care program are priorities of this project. This action presents an opportunity for vast impact and with massive ramifications such as fewer people contracting AIDS, fewer sick people, and therefore more PLWHA working and supporting their families and contributing to the local economy. There will be fewer families with HIV/AIDS patients, fewer orphans, positive change in behaviour and less call on already stretched health services. This Action is designed to enable resource-poor people create wealth that will facilitate the on-going implementation of further development activities and broaden their food base. 

The project will also build sufficient capacity among the target group to enable them carry on initiatives started during the duration of the project. To this end, local structures will be facilitated in home based care, agriculture and nutrition. The project will also build strong links between the target group and local permanent service providers hospital, Ministry of Health and Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives to mention but a few.

2.3	Who are the actors involved (final beneficiaries, target groups)?
The specific target community is 2nd district area. The direct beneficiaries from 2nd district area will be 500 PLWHA and the indirect beneficiaries will be the families of these 500 PLWHA making up a total of 3,000 people. (using the The countryn average of 6 persons per family)

2.4	What are the objectives and expected results?

The objectives of the project are:

•	To improve the nutritional status of PLWHA through food aid in order to improve the uptake and effectiveness of ART
•	To create and strengthen community based structures and groups for sustained care and support for PLWHA and their families
•	To increase food diversity and security for families with PLWHA on a sustainable basis
•	To reduce the socio-economic impact of HIV/AIDS among PLWHA and their families through the implementation of appropriate income earning initiatives

Expected results are: 

•	At least 200 people will undergo VCT 
•	At least 250 PLWHA will be linked to appropriate authorities for ART
•	At least 75% of the 500 targeted households with PLWHA affording 3 meals per day and growing at least 3 major crops
•	Increased cash income by at least 50% for 200 PLWHA and their families
•	Fifteen Support Groups, 5 Care and Prevention Teams and 5 Nutrition Groups established and strengthened and serving the target group

2.5	What is the added value of the action (what adds the action by reference to (central or local) government action and actions implemented by non state actors)?

•	The two country NGOs participating in this project are working in four other provinces making up almost half of The country and covering some 50,000 households. Experiences gained through this project will no – doubt spill over to these areas
•	Being an international organisation, ICA is connected to many organisations locally and abroad. Results from this project will add to the pool of experiences gained elsewhere and beyond
•	The involvement of a wide range of national stakeholders such as the MoH, the Association of ARV users, New Start Centre etc makes for a broad based network and sharing of experiences across the country
•	Both belong to a network of 15 local NGOs under the umbrella of xxx. The available channels of information and experience sharing within this network will enable spill over to other organisations and practitioners. 
•	The volunteer who will be attached to the project by ICA will carry the experiences gained from the project to other parts of the world
•	The ICA driven HIV/AIDS Africa conference to which A PARTNER  is a member is another channel for sharing information and experiences from the project

3. Methodology and Sustainability:
Please describe the following: 
3.1	What are the main project activities?
In the short term, the project will improve the nutritional status of identified PLWHA through food aid initiatives to support their ART programmes.
For the long term, locally managed structures will be facilitated to provide continuous support to PLWHA and their families to secure their livelihoods for PLWHA and prevention against the same as well as production of adequate amounts of food and generation of more incomes on a sustainable basis.
Strategic linkages will be made with permanent service providers and other organisations in the sector for long term support to the target group and community at large.
The target group will be provided with technical and material support to enable them start producing food and generate income

3.2	Who will be your main implementing partners, what is the length of your relationship with them and how will they be involved in the project?

There will be two implementing partners with whom has worked for the past three year. These are:

In the project, will be responsible for overall coordination of project activities, manage finances as per EC requirements, employ two Field Officers, host the volunteer from and manage all project procurements 

will be responsible for coordination of networking activities with collaborators such as the They will also employ the Project Coordinator

ICA will be responsible for placement of a Volunteer at the project and capacity building of local NGO partners through training of project staff and technical support to the project.


3.3	How will the project achieve sustainability? 

•	Income generation skills and activities that will be facilitated through the project will remain within households and can be applied long after project has phased out
•	The project will build capacity among beneficiaries to produce and prepare local foods which are normally more accessible and nutritious. 
•	The strong linkage that exists between the project and government departments and ministries (such as the MoH and MACO) will be strengthened.  These linkages will assure continuous support to the target group long after the end of the project
•	The Volunteer who will be attached to the project and the project will be imparting the spirit of volunteerism among local communities 
•	The evaluation that will be conducted after 10 months will determine funding needs and strategies for further support beyond this project
•	The project will facilitate linkages to microfinance institutions for external financing of beneficiaries that will involve themselves in business ventures. 
•	Both have a long term agenda for the target area. The capacity that this project will build in these organisations will go towards enhancing long term benefits to the target group in this area and beyond. 
•	Strengthened CPTs and Support Groups will continue to provide HBC support to PLWHA in the area 

3.4	Will it have multiplier effects?

•	The two The country NGOs participating in this project are working in four other provinces making up almost half of The country and covering some 50,000 households. 
•	Being an international organisation, ICA is connected to many organisations locally and abroad. Results from this project will add to the pool of experiences gained elsewhere and beyond
•	The involvement of a wide range of national stakeholders such as the MoH, ZHECT, the Association of ARV users, New Start Centre etc makes for a broad based network and sharing of experiences across the country
•	Both belong to a network of 15 local NGOs under the umbrella. The available channels of information and experience sharing within this network will enable spill over to other organisations and practitioners. 
•	The target area of this project receives many visitors and is the gateway to the south of The country. Results from the project are expected to go far and wide through the many people that visit the area
•	The volunteer who will be attached to the project by ICA will carry the experiences gained from the project to other parts of the world
•	The ICA driven HIV/AIDS Africa conference to which is a member is another channel for sharing information

4. Expertise and operational capacity:
Please describe the following: 
4.1	What is the experience of your organisation in project management?

THE ORG has gathered massive experience over its 10 year period. Some of these are:

•	Participation in the past three years in food aid programmes in close collaboration with the Disaster management and Mitigation Unit (DMMU) and the World Food Programme (WFP)
•	Implementation of humanitarian activities under the ECHO funded Agricultural Recovery Programme (ARP) with OXFAM. At least 60% of households benefiting from this initiative are affected by HIV/AIDS
•	Participation in a pilot cash transfer project implemented to mitigate social and economic vulnerability among rural people
•	Implementation of Food Security Pack (FSP) programmes with Programme Against Malnutrition (PAM) in Western and North Western provinces
•	Implementation of a Forest Resource Management Project under IFAD funding in conjunction with the Government  in all the seven districts of North Western Province.
•	Implementation of livelihood projects in partnership partners with funding from

4.2. 	What is the experience of your organisation and your partner(s) of the issues to be 	addressed?

Has implemented and is still implementing various projects in three of The country’s nine provinces. Some of these are:  

•	2003- 2006: Food security project in Naluyanda involving women and families keeping orphans and poor resource farmers in Central Province 
•	2003- 2006: Food security project 
•	2004-2006: HIV/AIDS- prevention, nutrition and care for  The country National AIDS Network
•	2005- 2006: HIV/AIDS in 2nd district Project in Southern Province for PLWHA and vulnerable families.
•	2006: Women rights empowerment project funded by World Bank
•	2005 –2006: Sustainable Agriculture and HIV/AIDS for women in Central Province
•	2006: Food security project with a strong focus on HIV/AIDS
•	ICA have provided technical and facilitation support to ICAs since 1996, as well as acting as project holders for the following:

•	1996-2003: Integrated Development Programme, 
•	1999-2002: Health and Leadership programme, 
•	2000-2003: Integrated Rural Development programme for Women
•	2000-2004: Integrated Development Programme, 

I.	THE ACTION
1.	DESCRIPTION

1.1	Title

2nd district Food Security Project (CFSP)

1.2	Location(s)

2nd district area in The district in the Southern Province of The country


Total eligible cost of the action	Amount requested from the Contracting Authority	% of total eligible cost of action
734,477.40	661,297.90	90 %

1.3	Summary

Maximum 1 page 

The UNDP report of 2003 indicated that about 73% of all The citizens live below the official poverty line. On average more than 70% of The citizens are classified as poor while more than 63% are living on less than US$1 per day. In rural areas 83% of the people are poor and 71% are extremely poor. 

Many of the poorest people live in female headed households affected by HIV/AIDS. The prevalence rate is high currently at 16% affecting the most productive age group of between 15 to 49 years (NAC, 2002). Due to HIV/AIDS the number of widows and orphans and the chronically ill has increased considerably. The extended family system is no longer capable of handling the huge burden presented upon it by the impact of HIV/AIDS. HIV Positive people do not have access to healthy diets and the dietary options are limited. This means that positive people cannot live longer and their families end up in destitute or dying before their time.

This project will be implemented in The district of Southern Province. The population of Southern Province is 1,212,124 out of which 203,219 are in District. The prevalence rate for Southern province is currently at 16.2% ranks as the third highest in The country after Capital city and Provinces (NAC The country HIV/AIDS estimates, 2004). District is one of the most densely populated areas in Southern Province and according to estimates of 2004 from the National AIDS Council, District was the second highest in terms of HIV prevalence of 22.5% with a total number of 25,024 people second. The overall poverty levels of Southern Province are high at 76% (CSO – living conditions in The country, 1998) while 59% of the people are classified extremely poor. 

The project is targeting an area north of The district called 2nd district. 2nd district The target area is bound to the east by the Highway, and the Highway passes right through the community. The proximity of 2nd district to the main road makes the area vulnerable to the spread of HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases. This area appears to be particularly hard hit due to its geographical location and high poverty levels. Many small traders come to this area to sell second hand clothes and other merchandise and in the process end up mingling with people. These transient travellers and truckers take advantage of the poor farmers and expose them to HIV/AIDS. This has resulted into many HIV/AIDS patients.

This project will start by addressing the immediate food needs of 500 PLWHA in the target area. Due to the numerous demands on the resources of PLWHA, maintenance of a balanced diet is not often  considered priority. Yet, diet is one of the key elements for success in ART and prolonged life for PLWHA. For purposes of cost effectiveness, PLWHA and their families will be encouraged to consider already familiar indigenous local foods that have proven nutritive value.

The CFSP will also establish and strengthen local community based structures to lead in issues of nutrition, care and prevention and other services at community level. The project aims at inculcating a spirit of volunteerism among the target community. A volunteer from the partner ICA will be attached to the project. Strong linkages that already exist between the project and permanent service providers will be strengthened. These include Ministry of Health (MoH), District HIV/AIDS Task Force (DATF), Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives (MACO) etc.

In terms of the long term, the project will impart technical skills in family members of PLWHA to enable them produce adequate amounts of food on a sustainable basis. Training in sustainable agriculture will be provided and linkages made with the MACO.

To further secure the livelihoods of PLWHA, the project will impart entrepreneurship and marketing skills in the target group and link those that require additional finances to microfinance institutions that are already operating in the province.



Duration of the action	24 Months
Objectives of the action	Overall objective: To improve the quality of life of PLWHA and their families through the implementation of a broad based sustainable food security initiative in 2nd district area of the district of the Southern Province of The country.
Specific objectives: By the end of two years, at least 500 PLWHA in 2nd district area will have attained improved nutritional status to improve uptake and effectiveness of ART and community based systems and structures established for their families to produce adequate food and generate household income on a sustainable basis.
Partner(s)	1.  ICA

Target group(s) 	500 PLWHA in 2nd district area of Constituency of The district of Southern Province of The country
Final beneficiaries 	Families of 500 PLWHA in 2nd district area of Constituency of The district of Southern Province of The country
Estimated results	1.	At least 200 people will undergo VCT 
2.	At least 250 PLWHA will be linked to appropriate authorities for ART
3.	At least 75% of the 500 targeted households with PLWHA affording 3 meals per day and growing at least 3 major crops
4.	Increased cash income by at least 50% for 200 PLWHA and their families
5.	Fifteen Support Groups, 5 Care and Prevention Teams and 5 Nutrition Groups established and strengthened and serving the target group
Main activities	In the short term, the project will improve the nutritional status of identified PLWHA through food aid initiatives to support their ART programmes.
For the long term, locally managed structures will be facilitated to provide continuous support to PLWHA and their families to secure their livelihoods through Care for PLWHA and prevention against the same as well as production of adequate amounts of food and generation of more incomes on a sustainable basis.
Strategic linkages will be made with permanent service providers and other organisations in the sector for long term support to the target group and community at large.
The target group will be provided with technical and material support to enable them start producing food and generate income
Where applicable, clearly indicate the sector, theme, or geographical area specified in the call for proposals to which the proposed action would apply:


1.4	Objectives

Maximum 1 page. Describe the overall objective(s) to which the action aims to contribute towards and the specific objective that the action aims to achieve.

1.	To improve the nutritional status of PLWHA through food aid in order to improve the uptake and effectiveness of ART

Anti Retroviral Therapy (ART) requires that the patient has a balanced diet. Due to prolonged illness, PLWHA or AIDS patients often find themselves in a situation of depleted resource base due to inability to perform productive work and meeting expenditure required to access ART. Consequently, a balanced diet to PLWHA especially AIDS patients is a far cry. This objective will address this primary requirement in the short term before addressing medium and long term requirements among PLWHA and their families. 

Because nutrition is crucial among PLWHA especially those on ART, the project will support formation of Nutrition groups who will be trained in preparation and processing of foods suitable for PLWHA. Focus will, first and foremost, be directed at local indigenous foodstuffs which even poor families can lay their hands on. The Biodiversity Community Network (BCN) which is an associate in this project has gathered massive experience in supporting such activities.  

1.	To create and strengthen community based structures and groups for sustained care and support for PLWHA and their families

It has been widely documented that the HIV/AIDS issue has placed a huge burden on the Ministry of Health (MoH). It has become common practice to engage local communities in such a way they are involved in providing the necessary services to PLWHA and in this way contributing to the effectiveness of the public sector. The project will facilitate formation and strengthening (where such does not already exist) of community based and managed groups to lead the process of Care and prevention for and against HIV/AIDS, nutrition as it relates to HIV/AIDS and such other services.

In addition, the project will facilitate linkages between essential permanent service providers and organisations working in the sector and the local groups from the start of the project. The philosophy of this project emphasises inculcating the spirit of volunteerism among target communities.

2.	To increase food diversity and security for families with PLWHA on a sustainable basis

The project will aim to restore livelihoods of families with PLWHA by empowering them to produce more food on a sustainable basis. The project will promote sustainable agriculture techniques and methods that are accessible and affordable from the point of view of a resource poor farmer. Both crop and animal production will be promoted. The pas-on-the-gift scheme for small livestock which has worked wonders among PLWHA elsewhere will be introduced. 

In order to ensure long term technical support in agriculture, the project will facilitate stronger linkages with the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives (MACO) and support Community Livestock Workers (CLWs) and Community Development Facilitators (CDFs) through training.

3.	To reduce the socio-economic impact of HIV/AIDS among PLWHA and their families through the implementation of appropriate income earning initiatives 

In order to restore the livelihoods of PLWHA and their families, the project will promote income generation initiatives. Training will be facilitated on entrepreneurship and marketing. These skills will enable them identify and manage business ventures of their choice. Family members of PLWHA will be encouraged to form interest groups based on the business ventures that they will be pursuing. Those that require additional finances will be linked to microfinance institutions for loans and savings services.



a.	Justification

Maximum 3 pages. Please provide the following information:
i.	Relevance of the action to the objectives and priorities of the programme

The action will initially make available to PLWHA food through food aid. This is in order to enable HIV patients improve their nutritional status and thereby improve the uptake and effectiveness of ARVs.

The action will also promote both conservation farming and proven sustainable agriculture methods which are less labour intensive in order to improve sustainable food production and ensure availability of food throughout the year. The action will promote crop diversification to match nutritional needs of HIV/AIDS. The project will work with an associate organisation called BCN who are experts at biodiversity and have studied nutritive values of traditional food crops which are easy and cheap to grow, process and prepare. These will be promoted and grown by HIV patients and their families. 

The integration of food aid with actual sustainable food security which includes cultivation of traditional food crops and a home-grown home based care program are priorities of this project. This action presents an opportunity for vast impact and with massive ramifications such as fewer people contracting AIDS, fewer sick people, and therefore more PLWHA working and supporting their families and contributing to the local economy. There will be fewer families with HIV/AIDS patients, fewer orphans, positive change in behaviour and less call on already stretched health services. This Action is designed to enable resource-poor people create wealth that will facilitate the on-going implementation of further development activities and broaden their food base. For example, seed will be distributed on a seed revolving loan basis where PLWHA will repay their loan in kind to others while continuing to meet their own seed requirements for the following year. 

The project will also build sufficient capacity among the target group to enable them carry on initiatives started during the duration of the project. To this end, local structures will be facilitated in home based care, agriculture and nutrition.

The strong link that the project will facilitate between the target group and local permanent service providers.

ii.	Identification of perceived needs and constraints in the target country/ies, in particular in the region(s) concerned. 

The country is rated among the poorest countries in the world. The country is listed among the Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) as well as the Least Developed Countries (LDC’s). According to the UNDP’s Human Development Report of 2002, The country ranks 163 out of the 175 countries in the world in terms of human development. 

In 2003, the United Nations Human Development report indicated that about 73% of all The citizens live below the official poverty line. On average more than 70% of The citizens are classified as poor while more than 63% are living on less than US$1 per day. In rural areas 83% of the people are poor and 71% are extremely poor. 

Many of the poorest people live in female headed households affected by HIV/AIDS. The prevalence rate is high currently at 16% affecting the most productive age group of between 15 to 49 years (NAC, 2002). Due to HIV/AIDS the number of widows and orphans and the chronically ill has increased considerably. The extended family system is no longer capable of handling the huge burden presented upon it by the impact of HIV/AIDS. HIV Positive people do not have access to healthy diets and the dietary options are limited. This means that positive people cannot live longer and their families end up in destitute or dying before their time.

The The country government has realised that chronic illness that accompany poor health and deterioration of the immune system deplete households assets, reduce labour and lead to reduced food production
This project will be implemented in The district of Southern Province. The consortium will concentrate on constituency. The population of Southern Province is 1,212,124 out of which 203,219 are in District. The prevalence rate for Southern province is currently at 16.2% ranks as the third highest in The country after Capital city and Provinces (NAC The country HIV/AIDS estimates, 2004). District is one of the most densely populated areas in Southern Province and according to estimates of 2004 from the National AIDS Council, District was the second highest in terms of HIV prevalence of 22.5% with a total number of 25,024 people second only to. The overall poverty levels of Southern Province are high at 76% (CSO – living conditions in The country, 1998) while 59% of the people are classified extremely poor. 

The project is targeting an area north of The district called 2nd district. 2nd district covers most of Constituency. 

The target area is bound to the east by the Highway, and the Highway passes right through the community. The proximity of 2nd district to the main road makes the area vulnerable to the spread of HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases. This area appears to be particularly hard hit due to its geographical location and high poverty levels. Many small traders come to this area to sell second hand clothes and other merchandise and in the process end up mingling with people. These transient travellers and truckers take advantage of the poor farmers and expose them to HIV/AIDS. This has resulted into many HIV/AIDS patients.

iii.	Description of the target group(s) and final beneficiaries and estimated number 
The action will target The district, in Southern Province. The specific target community is 2nd district area and beyond. In 2nd district Project area and expansion area the project will work with 500 PLWHA and their families. The direct beneficiaries from 2nd district area will be 300 and 200 in the 2nd district expansion area. The number of indirect beneficiaries will be 3000 people.
iv.	Reasons for the selection of the target group(s) and identification of their needs and constraints. How does the Action contribute to the needs of the target group(s) and final beneficiaries?

The direct beneficiaries have been selected because they are PLWHA. Some are already on ART and are in the extreme poverty bracket. 

The indirect beneficiaries have been selected because they have been adversely affected by the status and condition of the PLWHA in their families. Assets have been lost due to demands placed on PLWHA in terms of nutrition and other logistics necessary for caring for the same. For both PLWHA and their families to get back into productive engagement, they need to have basic needs readily available and accessible. These include food, healthy diets, diversified food production and income generation. This will assist to broaden their food security base.

Contribution to the needs of the target group and final beneficiaries 

1.	The action will assist PLWHA have available and accessible food which will help them improve the uptake and effectiveness of ARVs. Currently there is no food for PLWHA and where little is available it would be the staple food maize which does not help their condition. 
2.	The Home Based Care (HBC) system already in existence will be strengthened through training of care and prevention teams and formation of more support groups so that PLWHA can encourage and support each other.
3.	Food production will be carefully designed so that crops promoted and grown will be of high nutritive value and will increase the availability and accessibility of food making up a healthy diet. Food production will be combined with the promotion of traditional crops of high nutritive value that are easy to grow even in times of drought and have proven medicinal properties such as Amaranthus.
4.	Income generation will ensure that target beneficiaries broaden their food security base so that over - reliance on a single source of income is eradicated.

b.	Detailed description of activities

Maximum 9 pages.  Include the title and a detailed description of each activity to be undertaken to produce the results, justifying the choice of the activities and specifying where applicable the role of each partner (or associates or subcontractors) in the activities. In this respect, the detailed description of activities must not repeat the action plan (see section 1.9).

	Diagrammatic representation of the project concept
 

1.	To improve the nutritional status of PLWHA through food aid in order to improve the uptake and effectiveness of ART

•	Facilitate formation of community based nutrition groups: The project will facilitate formation of 5 nutrition groups who will be trained in the preparation and processing of nutritious foods and diets for PLWHA. The groups will also be responsible for educating fellow community members on issues of nutrition.

•	Training of nutrition groups: Nutrition groups will be trained on locally available food stuffs and the relationship of nutrition to HIV/AIDS. The training will be conducted by health staff from Hospitals as well as the Biodiversity Community Network (BCN).

•	Analysis of diets of PLWHA: Experts will work together with members of nutrition groups to analyse diets of PLWHA in the area. Thereafter, World Food Programme (WFP) instruments will be used to identify ARV patients who require food assistance. 
 
•	Design of food packs: Equipped with analyses of diets of PLWHA, food packs will be designed by nutrition groups.

•	Purchase of food and organisation of logistics: The project will purchase food stuffs based on the EC’s procurement procedures. Appropriate information systems will be applied in the procurement of foodstuffs and subsequent processes. 

•	Distribution and monitoring of distribution and utilisation of food packs: Keepers The country Foundation in close collaboration with the WFP has been involved in distributing foodstuffs and seeds to communities affected by drought and HIV/AIDS in Western province. This experience will be handy in organisation of logistics and monitoring systems for distribution and utilisation of food packs to beneficiaries in this project.

2.	To create and strengthen community based structures and groups for sustained care and support for PLWHA and their families.

•	Awareness for VCT: The project will facilitate awareness creation campaigns for potential beneficiaries of the project to undergo Voluntary Counselling and Testing (VCT). The campaign for VCT will also serve as the awareness for the project in the area. Project staff will use this opportunity to explain the scaling up of existing initiatives. Methods for awareness creation and campaign will include drama sessions by local groups, awareness meetings and role plays

•	Facilitating mobile VCT: In collaboration with the New Start Centre (NSC), mobile VCT sessions will be conducted across the target area. Those whose results will be positive to HIV/AIDS will be automatic beneficiaries of the project

•	Promotion of ART among PLWHA: The first intervention for the target beneficiaries is the linkage for Anti Retroviral Therapy (ART). Apart from those that will be tested after the awareness for VCT, some beneficiaries will already be aware about their status. The project will also take these on board. The project will also directly target households that are hosting chronically ill persons to benefit from the project.

•	Facilitate formation of 10 support groups of PLWHA: Some of the PLWHA will be mobilised into support groups that will lead the process of campaigns for VCT and ART. The support groups will also coordinate Home Based Care (HBC) programmes in the target area.

•	Training for CPTs on care and support to PLWHA: The project will exploit existing collaboration with the Ministry of Health Authorities at the District and at Hospital to train Care and Prevention Teams (CPTs). 

•	Facilitate linkages between CPTs and local stakeholders: In order to enhance the effectiveness of CPTs, the project will facilitate a deliberate campaign to link these to local leaders including headmen, chiefs, religious leaders, politicians and any other persons of influence. 

•	Facilitate linkages between CPTs and other support institutions: The project will ensure that all the relationships with development actors in the district and province are shared with local structures created and facilitated in the target area. To this end, local CPTs will be introduced to organisations like the District HIV/AIDS Task Force (DATF), District Health Management Team (DHMT), Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives (MACO), The country Health Education and Communication Trust, The country Users of ARVs, Network of people living with HIV/AIDS in The country and many such others.

3.	To increase food diversity and security for families with PLWHA on a sustainable basis

•	Training in sustainable agriculture methods: As a long term measure to ensure household food security among PLWHA and their families, the project will encourage use of low cost and sustainable agricultural methods such as agro forestry and potholing. The Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives (MACO) will deliver appropriate training on various sustainable agricultural methods and techniques.

•	Training in crop diversification: MACO will also conduct training in crop diversification both for increased diversity in foodstuffs as well as for generation of income. 

•	Training in production, processing and preparation of indigenous food products: In line with diversification of foodstuffs, the project will promote not just production but processing and preparation of such foodstuffs. The choice of these crops will be informed by the analysis that experts will recommend from a nutrition point of view. Experts from BCN, MACO and MoH will be key in this activity.

•	Training in off-season farming: The area around 2nd district is prone to (partial) drought. This fact coupled with the need to increase the productivity of households with PLWHA calls for agricultural production throughout the year. The project will train beneficiaries in off-season production of vegetables, green maize and any other crops for food and income.

•	Facilitate establishment of seed revolving mechanism: One of the most important inputs for sustainable food security is seed. The project will facilitate establishment of a revolving seed supply mechanism. The idea will be to provide a conducive environment for supply and availability of good quality and affordable seed and planting materials on a timely and sustainable basis. The management of the seed revolving scheme will be done by agricultural and income generation Interest Groups that will be formed in the area. Establishment of the scheme will involve training of seed growers and traders. MACO will be key in delivering this activity.

•	Supply of seed to the seed revolving scheme:  Once adequate capacity has been built in IGs, the project will provide initial seed on a one - off basis. Thereafter, MACO and project staff will offer technical back-up support to ensure sound management of the scheme in the second season.


4.	To reduce the socio-economic impact of HIV/AIDS among PLWHA and their families through the implementation of appropriate income earning initiatives 

•	Facilitate identification of viable economic opportunities in the area and beyond: Project staff will facilitate identification of viable economic activities in the area and beyond among members of households with PLWHA. The role of staff from the project at this stage will be information provision and facilitation of the process.

•	Facilitate formation of interest groups:  Based on viable business ventures identified by family members of PLWHA, interest groups (IGs) will be formed. These IGs will draw action plans on how they will exploit the identified economic opportunities at household and group levels. 
 
•	Training in business, marketing and technical skills: The project will facilitate training of members of IGs in business and marketing skills as well as technical aspects of the particular economic ventures of their choice. Some of the ventures that may be identified (based on past experience in the area) include livestock and mushroom production.

•	Training of community based volunteers: The project will attempt to inculcate a strong spirit of volunteerism among member of 2nd district community. Apart from support groups and CPTs, teams of local persons will be assembled to provide technical support to livestock owners, crop farmers and business persons. Community Livestock workers (CLWs) will be trained through the Department of Animal Health to provide support to keepers of small livestock while Community Development workers will take care of agricultural and business concerns of local households.
 
•	Linkage to financial institutions: The need for additional capital is often identified as a major constraint to promotion of business among rural people. The project will link vibrant IGs to Micro finance Institutions (MFIs) within the province. The MFIs will provide savings and credit services among IGs to enable them grow their businesses.

5.	Project management

•	Inception workshop: Prior to starting the project, an inception workshop will be held involving all key stakeholders and participants in the projects. The workshop will serve to build a common understanding of the major concepts, procedures ands targets for the project. The workshop will also serve to develop an appropriate Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) system for the project. A work plans as well as roles and responsibilities of each participating organisation will be clarified. 

•	Review and planning workshops: Representatives from community based structures, collaborating organisations and members of staff of the project will meet quarterly to review progress and plan for each of the four quarters. 
 
•	Baseline survey: At the onset of the project, a baseline survey will be conducted to determine the status of each of the indicators of progress outlined in the log frame as well as those that project stakeholders may wish to add during the inception workshop. The baseline survey will set benchmarks for future measurement of progress during and after the project intervention.

•	Mid term evaluation: After the tenth month, the project will undergo a mid term evaluation to take stock of progress thus far with a possibility of adjustment to the approach, targets and other aspects of the project based on experience. This evaluation will also identify aspects of the project that will require further support beyond this particular initiative 

•	End of project evaluation: at the conclusion of the project, an end of project evaluation will be undertaken to close out the project and recommend further action to local community members and partners as well as collaborating organisations and institutions.

•	Training of all community groups in participatory monitoring systems: All the community based groups that the project will facilitate will undergo some training in participatory monitoring and evaluation. In this way, the monitoring system for the project will be internalised by the community and its structures and will remain useful long after the project has phased out

c.	Methodology

Maximum 4 pages.  Detailed description of:
i.	Methods of implementation and reasons for the proposed methodology

The methodology used in this project places emphasis on building strong local structures from the start of the project. These structures will be involved in the planning and implementation of project activities as well as the monitoring and evaluation of the same and the results arising from these activities. The project aims to inculcate a spirit of volunteerism among members of the community. A volunteer from ICA will be attached to the project for the whole duration of the project.

The project also takes on board collaborating institutions and organisations that will remain to provide various services to project beneficiaries beyond the life time of the project. Figure 2 (below) is a diagrammatic representation 

The concept of the CFSP is founded on the premises that there are sufficient levels of awareness about HIV/AIDS in 2nd district area. The entry point for the project will therefore be promotion for VCT through meetings, drama and sports among other methods. 

The project will also conduct mobile VCT sessions with the New Start Centre and The country Health Education and Communication Trust. The members of the community that will test positive will be encouraged to participate in activities of the project and some will form support groups (SGs) and care and Prevention Teams (CPTs). The project will also target households with people that are chronically ill. The target group for the project will therefore be households with PLWHA and the PLWHA in particular.

Apart from SGs and CPTs, the project will facilitate formation of Nutrition Groups (NGs) from among the target households. The SGs will be trained in various aspects of nutrition and how it affects HIV/AIDS. Experts will deliver various training sessions to SGs to, among other things, enable them analyse diets of PLWHA and recommend suitable food packs which the project will provide in the short term.



Community Based Structures among households with PLWHA


					
				
Support Groups 



	
	    Nutrition Groups					Care & Prevention Teams 




				Com Development Facilitators 
				       
					Interest Groups

				   Community Livestock workers





Using the recommended food pack and diets, food stocks will be purchased using EC procurement guidelines. Th Foundation will rely heavily on experience in handling food distribution programmes under the Agricultural Recovery Programme (ARP). interaction with World Food Programme in distribution of food under the Disaster Management an Mitigation Unit (DMMU) will also be essential at this stage.

For the sake of the long term, the project will build capacity for target households to produce a diverse range of food crops in adequate quantities. Timely availability of good quality and affordable seeds will be facilitated through a revolving seed supply scheme managed by community members themselves. Rearing of small livestock such as goats and pigs will be promoted on a pass-on-the-gift basis which has worked very well in Western and Central provinces. Strong linkages will be established with the MACO and local capacity will be built to ensure continuous technical support through identification and training of CLWs and CDFs.

The project will also support development of entrepreneurship that will enable target households identify and exploit viable business opportunities. Linkages will be facilitated with micro finance institutions (MFIs) to service those households that will need additional capital to grow their businesses. As MFIs are institutions in their own right, it is expected that they will continue servicing members of the community beyond the lifetime of the project.

In facilitating availability of suitable and adequate amounts of food for PLWHA, the projects will promote, first and foremost, indigenous, locally available and low input crops, vegetables and fruits. The BCN have carried out research on most of these foods in terms of dietary value over the past ten years. The CFSP will therefore aim to integrate these findings in the design of food packs for households with PLWHA as well as in the production of these crops for the medium and long terms. 

The CFSP is also based on the experience of all three organisations participating in the preparation of the project concept. While ICA bring the international experience to the project particularly in the response to HIV/AIDS pandemic, have gathered some considerable experience in design and implementation of livelihood projects in six of The country’s nine provinces. The consortium can also boast of experience in implementing humanitarian initiatives through the European Commission Humanitarian Aid Office (ECHO) and the government’s Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit (DMMU). ICA belong to a network of 15 NGOs which provides a rich reservoir of technical information and expertise. 

An important part of the project approach is the strong link between the project and permanent service providers. The already existing linkages with the MACO, DATF and MoH will be strengthened. Linkages will also be created and strengthened with other players.

The involvement of local communities and groups in the monitoring and evaluation of project activities and outcomes is an important capacity building aspect of the CFSP. ICA has employed this approach where communities have been empowered to make informed decisions about development activities in their areas.

ii.	Where the action is the prolongation of a previous action, explain how the action is intended to build on the results of this previous action 

The CFSP will be scaling up the work that has been going on over the past 2 years financed by ICA. The project has been working with 200 households with PLWHA. Through the facilitation of the project, 189 people have undergone VCT. Five (5) CPTs have been formed and trained but 10 more will be needed for the new initiative and the strengthening of existing ones will be required.

In the process of carrying out these activities, strong linkages were established with the Ministry of Health (MoH), Hospital and Clinic. These vital relationships will be strengthened under this project. 

The CFSP will use the already sufficient levels of awareness about HIV/AIDS done mainly through the project so far. Issues of Food and HIV/AIDS have also been addressed to some extent over the past 2 years and this project will only be scaling up on the same.

In terms of agricultural activities, 130 people have received training in sustainable agriculture and funds have already been secured to provide them with seeds for the season 2006/07. 

iii.	Where the action is part of a larger programme, explain how it fits or is coordinated with this programme. Please specify the potential synergies with other initiatives, in particular from the EC
The CFSP is not a part of a larger programme

iv.	Procedures for follow up and internal/external evaluation

Before the start of the project, all stakeholders will meet to build a common understanding of the project and to streamline the roles of each player. The inception workshop will also review and plan major activities for the project.

In order to empower the target group in decision making, the project will train selected members of the community in Participatory monitoring and evaluation. The design of the project’s monitoring and evaluation system will build on the system established at community level.

A baseline survey will be carried out at the start of the project to benchmark the various indicators of progress elaborated in the logical framework. The baseline survey will be undertaken by independent consultants

Ten months into the implementation of the project, a mid term evaluation will be conducted to take stock of progress and recommend corrective measures and pick up issues that may not have been considered at the beginning of the project. The outcome of the mid term review will also inform organisations and people of 2nd district that would desire to intervene in future.

The project will conduct quarterly and annual reviews for stakeholders to review and plan progress. Participants in the quarterly and annual review meetings will include community members, project staff, partners and collaborators. At the end of the project, an end of project evaluation will be conducted.

v.	Description of the role and participation in the action of the various actors (local partner, target groups, local authorities, etc.), and the reasons for which these roles have been assigned to them. 

Each of the three organisations participating in implementing this project brings a variety of experiences to the table.

The Foundation

The foundation has gathered massive experience over its 10 year period. Some of these are:

•	Participation in the past three years in food aid programmes in close collaboration with the Disaster management and Mitigation Unit (DMMU) and the World Food Programme (WFP)
•	Implementation of humanitarian activities under the Agricultural Recovery Programme (ARP). At least 60% of households benefiting from this initiative are affected by HIV/AIDS
•	Participation in a pilot cash transfer project implemented as an alternative means to mitigate social and economic vulnerability among rural people
•	Implementation of Food Security Pack (FSP) programmes in Western and North Western provinces
•	Implementation of a Forest Resource Management Project under IFAD in conjunction with the Government of the Republic.
•	Implementation of livelihood projects in partnership .


The ICA has implemented and is still implementing various projects in three of The country’s nine provinces. Some of these are:  

•	2003- 2006: Food security project involving women and families keeping orphans and poor resource farmers in Central Province 
•	2003- 2006: Food security project in Capital city Province 
•	2004-2006: HIV/AIDS- prevention, nutrition and care for PLWHA area in Capital city Province for orphans widows and vulnerable children 
•	2005- 2006: HIV/AIDS in 2nd district Project in Southern Province for PLWHA and vulnerable families 
•	2006: Women rights empowerment project in Central province
•	2005 –2006: Sustainable Agriculture and HIV/AIDS for women in Central Province
•	2006: Food security project in in Central Province with a strong focus on HIV/AIDS


ICA

ICA have provided technical and facilitation support to ICAs since 1996, as well as acting as project holders for the following:

•	1996-2003: Integrated Development Programme, 
•	1999-2002: Health and Leadership programme,
•	2000-2003: Integrated Rural Development programme for Women, 
•	2000-2004: Integrated Development Programme, Tanzania 
•	2005-2006: African ICAs HIV/AIDS Initiative (two workshops,)
•	2005-2006: Pilot of Living Well with HIV/AIDS 

With this background, THE ORG will be responsible for:

•	Overall coordination of project activities
•	Manage finances as per EC requirements
•	Employ two Field Officers
•	Host the volunteer from ICA
•	Manage all project procurements 

will be responsible for:

•	Coordination of networking activities with collaborators such as the MoH, MACO, DATF, ZHECT, NSC, BCN, AARVU etc
•	Employ the Project Coordinator


ICA will be responsible for:

•	Placement of a Volunteer
•	Capacity building of local NGO partners through training of project staff and technical support to the project and THE ORG




vi.	Team proposed for implementation of the action (by function: there is no need to include the names of individuals here)


No.
	
Title	
Role

A. Salaried Personnel

1	
Project Coordinator (full time)	
Coordination of the project 

2	
ICA Volunteer (full time)	Providing technical support to the project and staff of the project 

3	
Programme Officer-THE ORG (20%)	
Liaison with the donors and partner organisation & collaborating institutions/organisations

4	
Accountant-THE ORG (30%)	
Providing sound financial management for the project

5	
Field Officers X2 (full time)	
Frontline staff working with communities

B. Voluntary Personnel

1	
Community Livestock Workers	
Technical support to livestock owners

2	
Community Development Facilitators	
Technical support to local farmers on sustainable agriculture and business

3	
Care & Prevention Teams (15 made up of 10)	
Leading care for HIV/AIDS patients and prevention programmes against HIV/AIDS

4	
Nutrition Groups (5 made up of 5)	
Leading nutrition programmes for PLWHA in terms of production, processing and preparation of the same

5	
Support Groups (10 made up of 5)	
Groups of PLWHA organising others to address the various constraints faced by their peers

vii.	Main means proposed for implementation of the action (equipment, tools…)

The project will only have two means thus:

•	Motorbikes (X2 provided by and THE ORG) for the 2 Field staff
•	Bicycles (X 50) for CPTs and CDFs

The action plan must be drawn up using the following format:

Year 1
THE ORG Food Aid & Food Security Action Plan	                   Semester 1	               Semester 2	
Activity	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	Implementing body
													
Objective 1: Improved nutritional status of PLWHA													
Community mobilisation													THE ORG & partners
Purchase & distribution of foodstuffs													THE ORG
													
Objective 2: Strengthening & establishing  local structures													
Awareness for VCT													THE ORG, partners, , MoH
Mobile VCT													THE ORG, , ICA, , 
Promotion of ART													THE ORG, , ICA
Training of CPTs & SGs													MoH, , Hospital
													
Objective 3: Increased Food production & diversity													
Training in agriculture & nutrition													BCN, 
Supply of seed & small livestock													THE ORG & partners
													
Objective 4; Improved socio economic impact through income generation													
Training in entrepreneurship & marketing													THE ORG & partners
Training of community based volunteers													ICA Volunteers, THE ORG & partners
Linkage to micro finance institutions													THE ORG & partners
													
Project management													
Inception workshop													THE ORG & partners
Baseline survey													Consultant
Review & planning meetings													THE ORG & partners
End of Project Evaluation													
Training in Participatory M&E													ICA, MoH
													


Year 2
THE ORG Food Aid & Food Security Action Plan	                   Semester 1	               Semester 2	
Activity	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	Implementing body
													
Objective 2: Strengthening & establishing  local structures													
Awareness for VCT													THE ORG, partners, ZHECT, MoH
Mobile VCT													THE ORG, 
Promotion of ART													THE , ICA
Training of CPTs & SGs													MoH, , Hospital
													
Objective 3: Increased Food production & diversity													
Training in agriculture & nutrition													
Supply of seed & small livestock													THE ORG & partners
													
Objective 4; Improved socio economic impact through income generation													
Training in entrepreneurship & marketing													THE ORG & partners
Training of community based volunteers													ICA Volunteer, THE ORG & partners
Linkage to micro finance institutions													THE ORG & partners
													
Project management													
Inception workshop													THE ORG & partners
Baseline survey													Consultant
Review & planning meetings													THE ORG & partners
End of Project Evaluation													
Training in Participatory M&E													ICA, MoH
													




2.	EXPECTED RESULTS

2.1	Expected impact on target groups/beneficiaries

Maximum 2 pages.  Indicate how the action will improve:
1.1.1	the situation of target groups/beneficiaries

•	An increase of at least 50% in food production at household level by direct beneficiaries
•	At least 75% of direct beneficiaries accessing three meals per day 
•	Improved nutritional status among 500 PLWHA
•	At least 75% of the 500 targeted households growing at least 3 major food crops of nutritive value by the end of 2 years
•	Basic business training for  200 people 
•	More than 50 of the beneficiaries successfully go through a 3 months nutrition programme
•	Increased cash incomes (by 50%) for at least 200 of the PLWHA and their families
•	At least 200 people undergoing VCT per year
•	At least 100 introduced to ART per year

1.1.2	the technical and management capacities of target groups and/or any partners where applicable.

•	More than 10 support groups formed with ability to coordinate development initiatives with minimum external support
•	Strengthened capacity of 5 Care and Prevention Teams (CPTs)
•	Improved technical knowledge and skills among 200 households in agriculture and business to sustain their livelihoods in the midst of the impact of HIV/AIDS
•	Increased technical skills and knowledge by 600 people and 100 households in the production and preparation of indigenous nutritious food crops 
•	Improved skills and knowledge by 10 support groups and 15 CPTs in coordinating and monitoring community based nutrition and HIV/AIDS related initiatives  
•	Increased networking among community based groups in addressing issues of nutrition and HIV/AIDS
•	Improved capacities of implementing partner NGOs in organisational management and ability to meet the needs of beneficiaries


2.2	Concrete outputs

Maximum 1 page. Be specific and quantify outputs as much as possible. Indicate notably foreseen publications.

•	At least 200 people will undergo VCT 
•	At least 250 PLWHA will be linked to appropriate authorities for ART
•	At least 75% of the 500 targeted households with PLWHA affording 3 meals per day and growing at least 3 major crops
•	Increased cash income by at least 50% for 200 PLWHA and their families
•	Fifteen Support Groups, 5 Care and Prevention Teams and 5 Nutrition Groups established and strengthened and serving the target group


2.3	Multiplier effects

Maximum 1 page. Describe the possibilities for replication and extension of the action outcomes.

•	The two The countryn NGOs participating in this project are working in other areas of The country namely; Western, North - Western, Central and Capital city Provinces making up almost half of The country and covering some 50,000 households. Experiences gained through this project will no – doubt spill over to these areas
•	Being an international organisation, ICA is connected to many organisations locally and abroad. Results from this project will add to the pool of experiences gained elsewhere in Africa and beyond
•	The involvement of a wide range of national stakeholders such as the Ministry of Health (MoH), The country Health Education and makes for a broad based network and sharing of experiences across the country
•	Both belong to a network of 15 local NGOs. The available channels of information and experience sharing within this network will enable spill over to other organisations and practitioners. Additionally, is a member of the International NGO (INGO) forum which is another channel for sharing experiences
•	The target area of this pr </textarea></td>

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	 <td valign='top'>51 <input type='hidden' name='id' id='id' value='51'/></td> <td>  
	 <td><textarea name='proptitle' style='border-style: solid; border-width:1px; border-color: white white white white;width:125px;height:300px' id='proptitle' >HIV/AIDS Community Caretakers Mobilization </textarea></td>
	 <td><textarea name='short' style='border-style: solid; border-width:1px; border-color: white white white white;width:175px;height:300px' id='short' > This project intends to work in eight countries to strengthen and expand village level HIV/AIDS caretakers program. </textarea></td>
     <td><textarea name='description' style='border-style: solid; border-width:1px; border-color: black black black black;width:400px;height:300px' id='description' >HIV/AIDS Community Caretakers Mobilization
Project


2) Organization Description

 (ICA) is a private, not-for-profit social change organization. Its primary objective is to promote positive change in communities, organizations and individual lives around the world by helping people find their own solutions to problems and the means to implement those solutions.  The ICA uses highly participatory methods developed over 30 years to foster creative thinking, consensus-based decision making and team building. It’s methods generate ownership, create clear goals, open lines of communication, broaden perspectives and motivate people to adapt to their changing environment while honoring the cultural traditions and diversity of all involved.

ICA was incorporated in 1973 after operating for several years as a program division of the Ecumenical Institute in Illinois.  ICA currently operates autonomously as a registered member of thirty-five independent ICA affiliates located throughout North and South America, Africa, Europe, Asia and the Pacific. ICAI has Consultative Status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (Category II) and with UNICEF.

Over the years, ICA has helped effect change within governments, local communities, corporations, volunteer organizations and community development groups. It has demonstrated that a program’s effectiveness increases when the people it affects are part of the development and implementation process. ICA acts as a catalyst in areas such as education, leadership training, organizational transformation, democracy building, micro-credit, agricultural development, job development and training, neighborhood improvement and in fostering the art of facilitating diverse groups.

Thirty years of methods testing and refinement have enabled ICA to create and sustain a variety of programs across the US and abroad which invoke one common principle—the desire to release the creativity of the people involved and allow them to help shape their own destiny.  ICA facilitates this creative process so that people can learn for themselves how to think, plan and lead.  ICA’s experience in participatory problem-solving and its unique understanding of cultural diversity make it eminently qualified to work in today’s environments of change. 
 
ICA’s unique Technology of Participation (ToP) provides proven ways for people to master problem solving, planning and critical decision making within their organizations and communities. Over a million people worldwide have turned to the ICA to sharpen their facilitation skills and strengthen their work performance. 

The Institute of Cultural Affairs has offices and development activities in many countries: In half of the countries, ICA has been an active agency in broad-based development in many villages for up to 25 years.  Staff has worked at the village level and is known and trusted.  ICA offices are well positioned to integrate an HIV/AIDS intervention project into their ongoing development activities.   In fact, it is necessary to do so.  

ICA projects have 20 years of experience with health caretaker. ICA worked with 1,500 villages training village leaders to plan and implement their own projects and village health caretakers to use simple health messages and projects (toilets, home gardens, dish rakes and roof water tanks). In a comprehensive two-year study by the University, significant differences were found in  health knowledge, family planning attitudes and behavior. ICA has also run an urban slum mother-child clinic for ten years using health caretakers. The project focused on health caretakers not only giving home demonstrations on family spacing and nutrition practices, but also re-supplying condom and birth control pills. This was done in conjunction with a nurse run clinic. 

ICA has worked to bring better health care at the local level with particular focus on child-to-child programs and women’s empowerment. With a largely illiterate population of women, they developed a health curriculum using pictures and delivered by older women health outreach workers. They also worked on strategies and programs to stop female genital mutilation  

ICA started a village pharmacy box program that was later picked up to replicate countrywide. Training a cadre of rural health workers, the pharmacy boxes provided not only medicine and health advice, but also a small business enterprise for young men and women.  ICA has worked on an HIV/AIDS awareness campaign with the World Bank.  The focus of this work was to provide public messages about the dangers of HIV/AIDS through the use of billboards and poster campaigns. For four years the Japanese Government and ICA have implemented an HIV testing and awareness project with the public schools and village markets.
  
This project intends to work in eight countries to strengthen and expand village level HIV/AIDS caretakers program. 


3) Need for HIV/AIDS Training and Capacity-Building

It became increasingly clear during preparation and follow up to the ICA International Conference in 2000 that ICA needed to integrate HIV/AIDS prevention work into all of our work.  70% of all the cases in the world were in Sub-Saharan Africa. A pilot project was launched in July, 2002 and in seven additional countries in 2003. 

We found that the need of each country is very different, both in terms of it’s HIV rate and experience with HIV, but also in terms of the needs of the villages selected for implementation.  


The following chart summarizes the 2002-3 villages, locations, and HIV rates.  This proposed project would expand from these villages, which will have a new location.
 
Village/country	HIV/AIDS rate*	Location	Type	Need/Experience
Country 1
	3%	3 hrs toAccra. 
Crossroad t	Agricultural	No personal HIV experience
Country 2, , 	21.5%	2 hrs to. Crossroads 	Agricultural
5 villages stretched over 20 km	Every family has lost members, cared for orphans. 
Country 3
	6%	On truck route	Fragmented community	Little personal HIV experience  
Country 4
	8%	District,. 6 hours to
	Agricultural
4 villages in 5 km radius	Previous experience with an HIV project
Country 5
	33.7%	Suburb of 	Peri-urban	Severe epidemic

Country 6
	20%	100 km from 	Rural, isolated, few services	Severe epidemic
Country 7
	15%	District, Eastern Providence.
3 hours to 	Agricultural/ commercial/semi-arid	 
Severe epidemic
Country 8
	5%	2 hours from 	Agricultural 
5 villages against Nile River; isolated 
	“Been there, done that,” 
Very experienced 
*Report on the global HIV/AIDS epidemic, UNAIDS, 2002

Although there was a basic design for the program, (explained in Section 4), the launch phase of the project in each of the nine countries adapted to the specifics of the situation and to the desires of the local leadership and participants.  We can assume that in this expansion phase of the project, the new villages will be similar to those initially recruited.  Thus the ideas and suggestions of local village leaders and launch-phase participants will guide the expansion phase.  Examples of needs and the responses are:
•	The district administrator did not want just an education project – people already know about HIV – he wanted emphasis on community planning to address poverty.  Thus we changed the curriculum and started with a review of what people knew and what they wanted to know.  
•	Participants had little knowledge of HIV and AIDS, only ominous rumors.  There, the teaching curriculum was entirely appropriate and was followed closely.  

Staff leaders from all eight countries both trained and were trained, gave feed back, and prepared to lead the projects in their own countries with assistance from another country leader.  Leadership of all countries met in March 2004 to evaluate, share experiences and agree to expand programs in their countries.  Peer educators gave feedback to every aspect of training, helping to shape the HIV/AIDS Prevention Education Guide, a tool to use when talking to their neighbors and produced on site.  Additional changes were made to the guide following the project, and new lessons were added before testing and treatment - reflecting participant feedback about what they needed to know.   ICA methods themselves elicit input: Community planning is participatory and determines strategies of the project for the coming year.

The intent of Phase I was to learn about mounting a major HIV/AIDS project and to build capacity in ICA staffs, prepare a core of village caretakers or peer educators, and build relationships with local leadership and health resources.  All the evidence is not yet in, but we have demonstrated already that much has been successful but that the need is great. Each of the eight ICA offices was able to organize and launch a project with very limited outside financial and staff support.  Seven of the eight projects are actively implementing the project.  Each ICA has a core of HIV/AIDS trained staff but more are needed.  Many are already expanding their avenues of work and developing a donor base for needed funds.
•	ICA has finished a contract with the AIDS Commission to train other NGOs.
•	ICA has obtained HIV/AIDS funding from.
•	ICA has obtained funding to expand work to focus on orphans, youth and credit.
•	ICA has expanded work to the surrounding 50 villages 
•	ICA has been asked to host a VCT Center and have hired a nurse to staff it.
•	ICA has obtained financial support from the National AIDS Control Council to train other NGO’s, and is integrating HIV/AIDS into all their programmes.
•	ICA has integrated peer educator training into 50 CBO’s across.
•	ICA has submitted a proposal to a major donor to focus on orphans, patients and affected families. 

ICA’s strategy was to test a community-based approach that focused on training community peer educators, formulate a plan, and begin carrying out concrete actions, to break the silence, and to systematically engage the community in working together.  The evaluation in July 2003 of the project conducted:
•	A core group of peer educators (stake leaders) remains interested in HIV prevention and other community improvements
•	The community seems supportive of the group and says that the stake leaders have contributed to a sense of “community” and pride in their area.
•	People seem to talk more easily and openly about HIV.
•	Peer educators seem comfortable and confident in their ability to talk about HIV/AIDS.  At the training, one man had suggested that the way to deal with someone with HIV was to kill him.  At evaluation he was one of the most engaged and sensitive participants. 
•	The group wants continued training, has cut back on house-to-house education, and sees their community plan to be the primary focus of their activities.
•	A wide variety of activities were initiated such as a HIV/AIDS youth club, poster campaigns, presentations at schools, churches, and funerals.
•	The queen mother and other village leadership became an active advocate, holding meetings with youth and arranging for scholarships for 45 girls.   
•	The group sees lack of funds as a major barrier and wants assistance with raising and managing funds.
•	The group wants more regular staff support.
•	Monitoring and record keeping of activities need improvement.

Part of this strategy was to build partnerships with the government, other NGOs, and the donor community.  It is obvious from the list above, that countries are actively pursuing government and donor collaborations.  One important learning is that the ‘who’ the projects can most helpfully partner with will vary greatly. local leadership proved to be powerful allies.  It was the local health clinic, as well as cooperative work in home care.  

It is difficult – and we did not have the resources in Phase I – to effectively measure changes in knowledge, attitudes, and behavior.  The attributable effect on the HIV rate may never be measurable, but has demonstrated and stands as an example that talking about HIV/AIDS and how to prevent it is a major step in reversing the epidemic.  We believe that energy focused on giving local people the tools and training to talk with their neighbors and a vehicle to plan for systematic community action to manage the challenge will have a positive effect.  The Parish plan had four strategies to address needs:  Make condoms and testing convenient and available; change attitudes and behavior; organize assistance for HIV/AIDS patients; and organize income generating groups and savings and credit cooperatives.  If they can do these things, they will be down the road in managing HIV/AIDS.       
 
4) Project Summary and Implementing Plan

In July of 2002, ICA piloted a project for the ICA HIV/AIDS village mobilization campaign in the small village.  During three weeks, twenty-three village peer educators were trained in HIV/AIDS prevention, a community plan to protect the next generation was designed by the village, and a regional HIV/AIDS resource guide was developed. A training manual was tested and a Village Education Guide was written based on village feedback during training. the Minister of Health, and the Director of the AIDS Commission met with ICA staff, providing television and newspaper support for the community-based effort, as well as stressing the importance of combating HIV while it still enjoyed a low infection rate of 4%.

In 2003 projects were launched in, , , , ,.  There is an ICA staff master trainer in each country prepared to lead village HIV/AIDS training and mobilization projects, and another 20 staff who have been trained in HIV/AIDS prevention.  We have trained 204 village peer educators and village appropriate education materials have been translated into six local languages. Twenty volunteer health professionals from around the world joined the launch teams to initiate training and community planning.  Public launching ceremonies created occasions for staff, villagers, and local and other officials and NGO’s in the area to recognize the importance of the effort being initiated.  

Each country had a two to three week “launch,” to be followed by an initial one year implementation period.  A community plan is in place in seven of eight countries and ICA staff is providing staff support to village educators as they educate their peers and assist in carrying out the village’s plan to address the HIV/AIDS challenge.  Those projects, launched in 2003, will not complete their initial phase until 2004.  Most of these environments were quite different than the launch site, because of much higher HIV rates and experience with the disease.  Evaluation will take place in the Fall.  
What we are proposing is to expand to four surrounding villages using the momentum and learnings form the 2002-2003 launches to rapidly scale up the expansion of villages in each of the eight countries. The support and networking with surrounding government agencies, NGOs and international organization will allow for this rapid growth. Most important, the African ICA staff and villages have gained valuable experience after this initiating period. This expansion project will increase the effectiveness and impact of villager large-scale caretaker work. The expanded project will give sufficient critical mass to show that this approach has possibilities to managing the HIV/AIDS challenge village by village. The expansion project will start in January 2005.  (A one-year, quarterly work plan follows on page 10 and personnel on 9.) 
  
5) Results/Outcomes

We expect to have 32 communities who have a thorough knowledge of HIV/AIDS as well as a plan of action they are implementing to prepare a long-term vision of a HIV/AIDS free community. From this work we will have a cluster of communities that will be a demonstration to the region of taking up the task of AIDS. We are convinced that communities will be educated about HIV/AIDS when their fellow villagers are willing to open the space for dialogue/action and spearhead initiative to use condoms and be tested. We will document progress in accomplishing each villages plan, record family visits, and community project/campaigns initiated through monthly support staff visits. It has been shown that people who are willing to be tested are 40% more likely to practice safe sex. Therefore we anticipate that through HIV/AIDS education plus campaigns, we will produce a 25% increase in HIV/AIDS knowledge and a 10% increase in ABC (Abstinence, Be Faithful and Use Condoms).

6) Evaluation and Dissemination Plan

During the initiation of the project we will survey 10 people from each of five sections of the village with an HIV/AIDS knowledge, attitudes and behavior questionnaire.  (See the appendix for questionnaire). At the end of the year we will re-do the questionnaire with the 50 people to measure for changes in knowledge, attitudes and behavior.  We will also do group discussions with the caretakers, village leaders and other groups to both review the year and plan the next year.  PACT USA has agreed to publish our HIV/AIDS community education manual which is being updated and modified, to make it available to other organizations and communities globally. ICAI has an international conference in Guatemala in August 2004,which will have an HIV/AIDS track. That will be an opportunity to share what we have learned with organizations from many countries and to learn from their successes.  

7) Collaboration with Other Organizations

In our Phase I launch projects we have developed relationships with the governments, and health resources, as well as civil society organizations (churches, service organizations, etc.). These relations will continue and be deepened..



ICA Budget

Project Revenue	Source	Total Project	 % of Project 





TOTAL REVENUE	 (proposed) 
) 	100,000
   20,000
   10,000
     3,333

$133,333
	75%
15%
  7.5%
2.25%


Project Expenses











TOTAL EXPENSES/ GRANT AMOUNT	Personnel
  1/3 ICA Coordinator
  8 ICA Staff @ 600 per  month for 12 months 

Non-Personnel costs (in country)
  Materials and supplies
  Local travel
  Training Week Room and Board
  HIV/AIDS Training Manual
  Communications

Non-personnel costs (USA)

	67,000
    10,000
    57,600


52,400
     20,600
      4,800
     16,000
      4,000
      7,000

13,333
     

133,000	50,700  75%




39,300  75%






10,000  75%


100,000  75%


2005 Work Plan
ICA USA                                                                                                                                                                           April 2004
Quarters	Quarter I	Quarter II	Quarter  III	Quarter I V








Tasks	•	Community Leaders  Meeting      

•	Choosing Caretakers

•	Four One-Week Village HIV/AIDS Training Programs

•	Four Community HIV/AIDS Planning Sessions.

•	Meeting of Caretakers from all Four Villages to Share Work and Learnings	•	Monthly Village HIV/AIDS Family Education Visits

•	Village Plans Implemented and Reported

•	Monthly Village Caretakers Meeting and Planning

•	Quarterly Meeting of Four Village’s Caretakers	•	Voluntary Counseling and Testing Campaign

•	Condom Campaign

•	Youth  and Gender Meetings

•	Monthly Village Caretakers’ Meeting

•	Quarterly Meeting of Four Village Caretakers	•	Four Village’s Caretakers’ Meeting to Review Year and Plan next Year

•	Evaluation of knowledge, attitude and behavior changes

•	Monthly Village Caretakers’ Meetings and Planning

•	Quarterly Meeting of Four Village Caretakers


Indicators
	•	80 Trained HIV/AIDS Caretakers
•	Four Community HIV/Plans	•	350 Family Lessons Given Each Month
•	12 village Projects Started	•	50 Villagers VCT

•	500 Condoms Handed Out/ 350 Demonstrations	•	25% Increase in HIV Knowledge
•	10% Increase in ABC (abstain, be faithful, condoms)

Eight Nations
Totals	•	640 Trained Caretakers
•	16 HIV Plans	•	2800 lessons
•	96 Village Projects	•	400 VCTS
•	4000 Condoms /2800 Demonstrations	
           See Above

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