08.P0215: Constella Futures Group - Society against HIV and AIDS

This activity targets students at the UB for a range of HIV prevention activities. The University group

Students Against HIV/AIDS or SAHA is affiliated with the University Wellness Programme, is the

implementer and supported by Constella Futures Group.

In 2007, SAHA sponsored talks and events on campus and supported a mentoring program between

university students and students in nearby secondary schools and they have up to date reached 1,108

students with their activities and have distributed over 2,000 IEC materials. This funding year, the program

will change to focus more intently on the needs of the University of Botswana student body.

In 2008, SAHA first will conduct a formative assessment of the university population, to help adopt a more

strategic and creative response to reduce the risk of infection and transmission among students. This

assessment will review existing and current initiatives to identify their strengths and gaps and obtain input

from groups of students about the key HIV-related issues they face and the best ways to address them.

In collaboration with on-campus HIV testing services, SAHA's activities will include promotion of VCT

through campaigns, public talks, and other events. SAHA will connect with the Zebras for Life initiative to

bring that program to campus. SAHA also will continue to host HIV/AIDS orientation workshops for all new

students and will continue to hold commemorations and events related to the national Month of Youth

against HIV/AIDS, Month of Prayer, and World AIDS Day. They also develop and distributing HIV/AIDS

materials across campus forums. SAHA will continue to strengthen its base for working with OVC, through

its collaboration with Marang Child Care Network Trust and its "Big Brother/Sister" mentoring program,

which will reach at least 20 OVC.

New for 2008, they plan to initiate a peer education program. The peer education program will target a few

student residential blocks and established University clubs to which either SAHA members will be attached

or some members of those clubs and residents of the selected blocks will be trained as peer educators. A

peer education manual developed by the Youth Peer Education Network will be used to train 100 peer

educators. The peer educators will reach club members and fellow residents with a number of key risk

behavior messages using both interpersonal and small group discussions. Peer educators will also reinforce

general themes used at campus-wide commemoration events. SAHA members also will target leaders in

other campus groups and clubs to support their events and find ways to incorporate HIV/AIDS into their

activities, as appropriate. SAHA plans to create referral guides for all students, to assist with their HIV-

related service needs.

SAHA will build its institutional capacity by employing a full-time project officer to keep project activities

going and facilitate volunteer student involvement and organization. With assistance from the Constella

Futures Group, SAHA will also develop a project monitoring system and better reporting tools, to better

track activities, their achievements, and challenges.

The funding for this activity is from the AB program area (50%) and the C/OP program area (50%). The

target population includes university students ages 18-30, many of whom are sexually active and therefore

need information and services about every HIV prevention method available. Program effort will include

promotion of abstinence, fidelity, sexual partner reduction, as well as correct and consistent condom use,

uptake of STI and other sexual health services, alcohol abuse prevention and risk reduction, and

discussions about transactional and cross-generational sex.

08.P0515: Constella Futures Group - Society against HIV and AIDS

This activity targets students at the University of Botswana (UB) for a range of HIV prevention activities. The

Society of Students against HIV and AIDS (SAHA) is operating under the guidance of the University

Wellness Program through the technical assistance of Health Policy Initiative

In 2007, SAHA held talks and HIV prevention events on campus and supported a mentoring program

between university students and students in nearby secondary schools. They have to date reached 1,108

with their activities and have distributed over 2,000 IEC materials. In 2008, the program will change to focus

more intently on the needs of the University of Botswana student body.

SAHA will conduct a formative assessment of the university population, to help adopt a more strategic and

creative response to reduce the risk of HIV infection and transmission among students. This assessment

will review existing and current initiatives to identify their strength and gaps and obtain input from groups of

students about the key issues they want and need addressed in their HIV related University programs and

the best ways to address them.

Given the existence voluntary testing units on campus, SAHA's activities will include promotion of VCT

through campaigns, public talks, training workshops and during commemoration events. In promoting VCT

on campus, SAHA will partner with the Zebras for Life youth program aimed at modeling abstinence and

encouraging healthy life style and choices. SAHA will continue to host HIV/AIDS orientation workshops for

all new students and to hold commemorations and events related to the national Month of Youth against

HIV/AIDS, Month of reflection, and World AIDS Day. They will develop and/or distribute HIV/AIDS materials

across campus forums. SAHA will continue to strengthen its base for working with OVC and provide support

that reduces risk of HIV infection among needy children. In this regard SAHA will continue collaborating with

Marang Child Care Network Trust to offer a "Big Brother/Sister" mentoring program that will link SAHA

members who volunteer with one OVC (matched by gender) to cover at least 20 OVC. SAHA members will

pledge to provide tutoring at least twice a week for 6 months there by providing educational, prevention, and

psychosocial support to selected OVCs.

Also in 2008, SAHA plans to initiate a peer education program. The peer education program will target a

few student residential blocks and established University clubs. The selected and trained SAHA members

will be attached to these clubs or residential blocks. A peer education manual developed by the Youth Peer

Education Network will be used to train 100 peer educators. The peer educators will reach club members

and fellow residents with a number of key risk behavior messages using both interpersonal and small group

discussions. Peer educators will also reinforce general themes that will be communicated in various

commemoration events. SAHA members also will target leaders in other campus groups and clubs to

support their events and find ways to incorporate HIV/AIDS into their activities, as appropriate. SAHA hopes

to create referral guides for all students, to assist with their HIV-related service needs.

SAHA will build its institutional capacity by employing a full-time project officer to keep project activities

going and facilitate volunteer student involvement and organization. With assistance from the Costella

Futures Group, SAHA will also develop a project monitoring system, including the clear reporting tools, to

better track activities, their achievements, and challenges.

The funding for this activity is from the AB program area (50%) and the C/OP program area (50%). The

target population includes university students ages 18-30, many of whom are sexually active and therefore

need information and services about every HIV prevention method available. Program effort will include

promotion of abstinence, fidelity, sexual partner reduction, as well as correct and consistent condom use,

uptake of STI and other sexual health services, alcohol abuse prevention and risk reduction, and

discussions about transactional and cross-generational sex.

08.C0801 Marang Childcare Network

The Marang Child Care Network Trust is the only umbrella body for organizations serving OVC in

Botswana. Currently, the organization has a membership of 37 community-based organizations. The main

purpose of Marang is to strengthen the organizational, management and technical capacity of its members.

Marang works to equip partner organizations with relevant skills and capacities in OVC programming.

To date Marang provided support and built capacity of 50 partner OVC-serving organizations in 24 districts

in the following areas: leadership skills, program planning and design, implementation and management,

M&E, local social and resource mobilization, and advocacy. The Marang Child Care Network Trust will

continue scaling up these activities which focus on the development of NGOs/CBOs/FBOs' capacities.

In FY2008, Marang will continue strengthening other OVC service providers especially community based

organizations in delivery quality services to OVC. In addition to this Marang will assist MLG's DSS in

advocacy and coordination. This will include dissemination of relevant legislation affecting orphans and

other children made vulnerable by HIV/AIDS. Marang will establish a data base of technical persons whose

capacity has already been developed by Marang to assist in training other service providers. Marang will

hire one additional technical staff person: a Day Care Officer. Exchange visits with OVC programs in other

countries and continued internal staff capacity building will expand.

Marang will work with DSS and other relevant stakeholders in establishing and strengthening coordination

committees such as the District Child Welfare Committees and Village Child Welfare Committees. Marang

will assist DSS in establishing Community Child Care Forums (CCCF). These CCCF will serve as the

"watch dogs" for OVC services at the community level. DSS will also collaborate with Marang in holding a

National OVC forum. This will be an annual event bringing all NGOs/CBOs/FBOs and other relevant

stakeholders together to share progress, best practices and lessons learned in OVC programming.

08-X1414: Constella Futures Group - Gender and HIV/AIDS

In support of the Botswana National Strategic Framework on HIV/AIDS (2003-2009), the U.S.

Ambassador's HIV/AIDS Initiative has supported local partners to mitigate and reduce the stigma related to

HIV/AIDS. In order enhance the work already undertaken by this Initiative the US Embassy plans to

support a new activity that will address the gender emphasis area to increase women's access to income

and productive resources. This is in recognition that women and girls' lack of economic assets increases

their vulnerability to HIV/AIDS. Therefore providing women with economic opportunities empowers them to

avoid high risk behaviors, seek and receive health care services and better care for their families.

Botswana has prioritized poverty alleviation in its national development plan; however, women in Botswana

tend to suffer poverty and economic marginalization more acutely than men. A number of factors contribute

to the differences in the experience of poverty and economic disadvantage between the two groups. These

factors include legal and cultural norms that restrict women's access to, and control of, productive

resources.

Gender inequalities also exist in the education system and these impacts negatively on poverty alleviation

strategies. In the area of women and health, it is important to bear in mind the fact that people's health and

well being are outcomes of the economic, social, political and cultural context in which they lead their lives.

In the case of Botswana, women lack full and equal participation in the cited context, and therefore,

experience different and additional health barriers. Nevertheless, Botswana has made some strides in this

area of Women and Health. Since 1995, Botswana has revised the Family Planning guidelines with the aim

of removing barriers to accessing health services by women and girls. There is also an integration of STI

and HIV/AIDS prevention with family planning services and reduction of mother to child transmission of HIV.

However violence against women is one of the pervasive and escalating social problems in Botswana.

Despite the commendable work and initiative by GOB, many young women in poorer, outlying communities

remain highly vulnerable to HIV because they lack access to independent income generating activities, and

thus have the potential to be abused and exploited in their relationships with male partners. Since many

adult women and adolescent girls continue to lack direct access to cash income, their ability to successfully

resist sexual demands from male partners is greatly undermined. Over 50% of people in Botswana live in

rural areas and most of them are women. Studies also show that HIV/AIDS prevalence is also high in rural

areas. Botswana‘s rural areas are endowed with natural resources that if prudently utilized, can carry

Botswana sustainably into the future. Women residing in rural areas, as custodians of the natural

environment, need to be empowered economically and politically to improve their livelihood systems.

NGO's like Women Against Rape (WAR) have tried to break the dependency syndrome that results from

women not having their own income and their own resources through an Africa Development Foundation

(ADF) funded project that included conducting research on viable small businesses for women in Ngamiland

(from cooking, and sewing, to basketry and other activities). Somarelang Tikologo (Environment Watch

Botswana) also engaged in a project called Green Shop Project for Women's Economic Empowerment

funded by the Women's Affairs Department in which they educated and trained women, and developed

marketing centers. Other organizations such as Bomme Isago Association, are working with women to

empower HIV positive women on their reproductive health rights and available services.

This activity introduces a unique project approach that aims at economically empowering the rural woman,

using raw material from the natural resource base by giving them the resources needed to establish them

as enterprises. The uniqueness of this project lies in the emphasis to utilize the natural resource base,

which if prudently used, will bear sustainable outputs. The project also moves beyond training and

educating, and gives rural women the chance to utilize skills and indigenous knowledge to finally run output

-oriented enterprises.

Rural Women Economic Empowerment Project seeks to provide opportunity for rural and peri urban based

women aged 25 years and above to engage in business, sustainably utilizing their natural resources to

attain independence over livelihood choices, socio-cultural and political choices. Specific objectives are:

--To educate and empower women on HIV/AIDS issues.

--To reduce vulnerability to HIV/AIDS amongst women by avoiding dependence on men in relationships.

--To economically empower women to have independence in decision making at household level.

--To provide women with seed money to start businesses to improve their rural livelihood.

--To use the rural woman to conserve the environment while at the same time benefiting from it.

The activity will be implemented by an experienced Non -Governmental Organization, which has experience

in Gender issues and natural resource management, it will coordinate the program and work closely with 3

NGO's in 3 regions in Botswana. Women will be provided with funds to start up or improve on projects that

have natural resources as their raw material. They will also be sensitized on HIV/AIDS issues and their

reproductive health needs. Linkages with other PEPFAR supported partners such as BONASO, BONELA,

Hope World Wild, Catholic Relieve Services and BONEPWA will be formed to leverage support and

utilization of available technical assistance. Additionally support will be sort from Peace Corps volunteers

working in the NGO and PMTCT programs in order to foster collaboration and maximize available

resources.

The activity will assist Botswana in addressing a number of policy priority areas including economic

diversification, poverty alleviation, women empowerment, sustainable environmental management and rural

development.