Detailed Mechanism Funding and Narrative

Years of mechanism: 2007 2008 2009

Details for Mechanism ID: 4667
Country/Region: Namibia
Year: 2007
Main Partner: Project HOPE
Main Partner Program: NA
Organizational Type: NGO
Funding Agency: USAID
Total Funding: $1,439,326

Funding for Sexual Prevention: Abstinence/Be Faithful (HVAB): $97,791

Project HOPE Namibia (HOPE) has been working in Omusati and Oshana Regions for the past year with the Village Health Fund (VHF) methodology to empower caregivers of orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) with the skills and opportunities to access small scale micro-credit loans. It has established a track record and the capacity to expand its activities. It proposes to replicate these micro-credit activities while integrating services to address the societal issues driving cross-generational sex (cross-gen). This initiative arose from the expressed needs of young women in Caprivi, Kavango and Ohangwena regions and discussions with SMA, Nawa Life Trust/JHU, the DAPP and Acquire (Engender Health) which has been tasked with implementing a cross-gen intervention addressing societal norms with girls and young women, their families, the communities in which they live and the men with whom they have cross-gen sex.

HOPE proposes to partner with and complement cross-gen efforts with its micro credit and capacity building and training to provide opportunities for alternative economic support through the community-based behavior change programs of Nawa Life Trust/JHU implemented by Community Action Forums (CAFs) and the DAPP through its TCE program, SMA through its Borders of Hope and PolAction programs and the technical assistance of Engender Health through its gender program, Acquire. The project will also use the VHF loan group meetings to incorporate and convey behavior change messages at the community level with HIV/AIDS/health education sessions that address secondary abstinence, promoting fidelity (within marriages or through other sexual relationships), and subsequently reducing overall exposure to HIV/AIDS (see Other Prevention and Systems Strengthening). HOPE will utilize the established curricula of, SMA, Nawa Life Trust/JHU, the DAPP and Engender Health, in addition to their experience in these communities.

The anticipated activities include: • Adapt and contextualize tools and materials through focus group discussions that endorse societal and community norms supportive of partner reduction, marital fidelity, and refraining from sex outside of marriage. • Targeted interventions that work to establish an empowering community environment which denounces cross-gen sex, transactional sex, rape, incest, and other forced sexual activity. • Conduct meetings within communities where CAFs, DAPP TCE programs and SMA police programs work to explain the scope and activities of the project and exploring the issues of cross-gen sex, including community perceptions of the practice. • Coordinate with other USG organizations and stakeholders (Global Fund, EU) working with high risk young women such as school drop-outs to identify other potential participants. • Provide orientation and training to help them form VHF, including electing leaders, implementing group policies & procedures, and assisting with group organization. • Provide seed capital through micro loans to participating young women to invest in income generation activities. As they repay, they will be offered a subsequent loan of higher amount so their business can grow. • Provide comprehensive AB information to young women and their families utilizing materials developed through the focus groups, Engender Health curricula and Project HOPE's three health modules • Mobilize and empower the young women and their VHF groups to be advocates in their communities. • Conduct continuous progress monitoring and evaluation of activities to ensure quality and address challenges.

Funding for Sexual Prevention: Other Sexual Prevention (HVOP): $97,791

The HIV/AIDS epidemic has compelled program planners to take a broader view of HIV/AIDS and reducing risk behaviors. Harmful community and male norms and behaviors and the lack of positive societal and family roles for boys and men were identified by PEPFAR implementing partners during development of the FY2007 COP as some leading challenges in the fight against HIV/AIDS in Namibia. Other substantive issues include: cross-generational and transactional sex between older men and younger girls including male teachers and school girls, widespread prevalence of intimate partner violence throughout the country, and the widespread abuse of alcohol which fuels violence and sexual coercion. This project proposes leveraging other partners' activities addressing these issues (see AB and Systems Strengthening), integrating a micro-credit program and developing referral links with other implementing partners' services at community level, including how and where to access counseling, support and gender violence services, etc..

Project HOPE Namibia (HOPE) has been working in Omusati and Oshana Regions for the past year with the Village Health Fund (VHF) methodology working with caregivers of orphans and vulnerable children (OVC). It has established a track record and the capacity to expand its activities. It proposes to replicate these micro-credit activities while integrating activities to address the societal issues driving cross-generational sex (cross-gen). This initiative arose from the expressed needs of young women in the Caprivi, Ohangwena and Kavango regions and discussions with USG partner SMA, Nawa Life Trust/JHU, the DAPP and Acquire (Engender Health) which have been tasked with implementing a cross-gen intervention addressing societal norms with girls and young women, their families, the communities in which they live and the men with whom they are having cross-gen sex.

HOPE proposes to partner with and complement cross-gen efforts with its micro-credit and capacity building and training to provide opportunities for alternative economic support the community-based behavior change programs of Nawa Life Trust/JHU implemented by Community Action Forums (CAFs) and the DAPP through its TCE program, SMA through its Borders of Hope and PolAction programs and the technical assistance of Engender Health through its gender program, Acquire. The project will also use the VHF loan group meetings to incorporate and convey behavior change messages at the community level with HIV/AIDS/health education sessions addressing comprehensive prevention utilizing the established curricula of Nawa Life Trust/JHU and Engender Health, their experience in these communities. The anticipated activities include: • Adapt and contextualize tools and materials through focus group discussions • Conduct meetings within communities where CAFs, DAPP TCE programs and SMA police programs work to explain the scope and activities of the project and exploring the issues of cross-gen sex, including community perceptions of the practice. • Coordinate with other USG organizations and stakeholders (Global Fund, EU) working with high risk young women such as school drop-outs to identify other potential participants. • Provide orientation and training to help them form VHF, including electing leaders, implementing group policies & procedures, and assisting with group organization. • Provide seed capital through micro-loans to participating young women to invest in income generation activities. As they repay, they will be offered a subsequent loan of higher amount so their business can grow. • Provide comprehensive prevention information to young women and their families utilizing materials developed through the focus groups, Engender Health's curricula and Project HOPE's three health modules • Work to establish an empowering community environment that rejects the practice of cross-gen sex. • Mobilize and empower the young women and their VHF groups to be advocates in their communities. • Conduct continuous progress monitoring and evaluation of activities to ensure quality and address challenges. • Collect baseline information on new participants in order to document potential changes in socio-economic status and changes in high risk behaviors.

Funding for Care: Orphans and Vulnerable Children (HKID): $650,311

For the past one-and-a half years, Project HOPE has been implementing the Sustainable Strengthening of Families of Orphans and Vulnerable Children micro credit activity in the Oshana and Omusati regions. According to a 2001 UNICEF OVC Situational Analysis, these two regions have the highest concentration of OVC in Namibia. Since inception of the project, more than 400 OVC care givers (women) have accessed loans, successfully participated in small business and management training, and managed to secure seed funds to earn a small income for meeting basic needs of OVC and their families. With a loan repayment rate of 97% and intensive on-site supervision and support, many care givers have gradually expanded the scope of their loans to initiate small businesses (women often start off with obtaining loans for basic survival, and eventually move on to selling items in the local or regional market). At the beginning of 2006, Project HOPE conducted a baseline survey of 250 OVC and caregivers in both regions to identify priority needs across households responsible for care and support to OVC. The results of the survey validated the concern that most caregivers cannot afford to access basic health services, food/nutrition, or maintain OVC in school. Caregivers lack resources to obtain birth and death certificates and become ineligible to receive government social welfare grants that require such essential documentation.

As a result of this baseline, Project HOPE will continue to provide micro credit loan opportunities for caregivers to OVC through a Village Health Fund (VHF) approach that provides small scale loans to groups of women to start or expand their income generation activities. Project Hope will expand coverage in FY07 to caregivers and with the addition of older OVC with a special emphasis on young women and girls. All caregivers and OVC who apply for loans will be provided with health education sessions that address critical OVC care and support issues such as obtaining psychosocial support, handling stigma and discrimination, achieving better health and better nutrition, and dealing with the ramifications of HIV/AIDS in the community.

Every two weeks, at loan repayment time, a different health module will be covered, as part of an OVC Family Curricula developed by Project HOPE using different Namibian and International experiences in the field. Health education sessions will also be complemented by health fairs on weekends to enable the participation of children and also husbands/partners. The topics to be covered during the health fairs will be similar to those covered with the loan participants, but also incorporate more sensitive issues (i.e. alcoholism and gender-based violence) depending upon the support requested by the community. Specialist speakers (counselors, nurses, etc.) will be invited to facilitate topics based upon skills required.

These efforts will support families to understand basic health care needs and obtain relevant information to access prevention, treatment, care, and support services. Project HOPE will strengthen collaboration with other USG partners such as AED, PACT, CAPACITY and others to support access to education, home based care, and treatment services, and institute a system for tracking referrals through forms and follow-up support. Project HOPE will train community volunteers as TOT to provide peer education and counseling to OVC care givers and their children. Volunteers will receive intensive training on the core health topics covered in health education sessions, and be provided with M&E training to monitor progress of activities at the community level. A Health Coordinator will supervise these peer education activities of volunteers, and also monitor referrals to any service provider organizations. This level of community involvement and ownership in implementation and monitoring will allow the activity to improve based upon actual needs.

Caregivers or OVC who obtain micro credit loans will be empowered in an understanding of rights and responsibilities, and be more capable of accessing social welfare grants through the Ministry of Gender, Equality, and Child Welfare. Project HOPE will also couple loan provision with basic market assessments to assist micro credit loan seekers with expanded opportunities. A total of 24 additional VHFs will be formed in FY07, including those from last year to enable 60 VHFs to be in operation. The Omusati region will establish a second office and staff to support these additional activities.

Project HOPE will endeavor to support other micro credit organizations with training their beneficiaries in caring for OVC through the OVC Family Curricula. These organizations are Omusati Cooperatives SCA, Koshi Yomuti ELO, and Shack Dweller Federation. A community health worker will be assigned to work with these organizations and provide

bi-weekly educational sessions. Each group of beneficiaries of the mentioned organizations will elect health activists, who will assist in reporting OVC accessing services.

Project HOPE has developed tools to monitor caregivers and OVC receiving education by service topic, and track accessing services and referrals. These tools will be further refined during FY07 through the hire of an information specialist and a data entry person, whom will be responsible to enter, maintain and process data for reporting purposes. This will allow Project HOPE to report more accurately the number of OVC by the number of services they have received from us or from another organization working in the same area.

All these interventions will allow Project HOPE to directly serve a total of 1,000 care givers and 3,200 OVC during FY07 through multiple services including: • Economic opportunity/strengthening via access to micro-finance • Food and Nutritional Support via training on nutrition to care givers and OVC • Health Care via o Referrals and linkages to child health care o Training of caregivers to monitor children's health o Training of caregivers and guardians on how to talk to children about abstinence and safe sexual behaviors and support healthy life decisions • Protection via coaching caregivers to better access community and system level support to which OVC are entitled. • Psychosocial support via strengthen the capacity of caregivers to listen to and talk with children

Funding for Health Systems Strengthening (OHSS): $593,433

Project HOPE Namibia (HOPE) has been working in Omusati and Oshana Regions for the past year with the Village Health Fund (VHF) methodology working with caregivers of orphans and vulnerable children. It has established a track record and the capacity to expand its activities. It proposes to replicate these micro credit activities with young women at risk for cross-generational sex while integrating activities to address the societal issues driving this problem. This initiative arose from the expressed needs of young women in the Caprivi, Ohangwena and Kavango regions and discussions with SMA, Nawa Life Trust/JHU, the DAPP and Acquire (Engender Health) which have been tasked with implementing a cross-gen intervention addressing societal norms with girls and young women, their families, the communities in which they live and the men with whom they are having cross-gen sex. This project proposes leveraging other partners' activities addressing these issues (see AB and Other Prevention), integrating a micro-credit program and developing referral links with other implementing partners' services at community level, including how and where to access counseling, support and gender violence services, etc..

Project HOPE plans to establish 60 VHFs in one year, whereby 780 young women will be able to access loan capital in sufficient quantities to start small scale income generating activities. The mutual guarantee mechanisms will require that these groups meet regularly to review and manage loan repayments and self-govern themselves within a capacity building environment. Project HOPE's VHF program represents a successful model for economic strengthening whereby interested women in target communities select each other to form an organized group of between 12-20 members who elect a management committee to govern themselves. Project HOPE staff trains the management committee and the members to operate as a community institution following democratic principles and established rules and procedures and serve the economic and health needs of its members.

Each VHF receives seed capital from Project HOPE, and in turn invests in the income generation activity of each member. The group collectively and each individual woman are both accountable for repaying the seed capital using principles of group solidarity. The group meets every two weeks to discuss proper business management and to make payments as well as to receive the targeted education and training. The focus is upon strengthening the capacity of the participants to manage the group themselves, and overcome whatever problems they face, by developing skills in leadership and collective action in an empowering environment.

As the women repay their loans they benefit from the increased income, new confidence from successfully managing money, and gain the capacity to influence control over their lives. The educational approach emphasizes being informed about and promoting responsibility about health matters. It uses highly participatory activities, builds upon peer-experience, and uses key behavior change messages. Participants learn how to use their increased income to reduce risks, and to live more healthy lives. Just as important for long-term well-being, the successful handling and repayment of the loans by participating women contributes to improved self- confidence and self-esteem that strengthens the women's bargaining power and participation in decision-making.