SUMMARY:

HOPE worldwide South Africa (HWSA) will continue to support the expansion of a comprehensive HIV

prevention program through a skills-based, gender-focused program for young boys and men, and the

promotion of abstinence and being faithful (AB) messages for young people in four provinces, namely

Western Cape (WC), Eastern Cape (EC), Gauteng (GP), and KwaZulu-Natal (KZN). This activity targets

primary and secondary school children and youth (both in- and out-of-school), adults, teachers and religious

and community leaders, community-based, faith-based and non-governmental organizations. The emphasis

areas for the project are gender and human capacity development, which includes training. The target

population is adolescents, teachers, religious leaders and adults as well as orphans and vulnerable

children.

BACKGROUND:

The activities described below are part of an ongoing HIV prevention program of HWSA, funded by

PEPFAR since FY 2006. Using FY 2008 funding, HWSA will promote and strengthen its AB prevention

program, implement a gender-sensitizing component carried out by HWSA's Men as Partners (MAP)

program, and work with parents, caregivers and guardians to promote consistent, positive and proactive

parenting and a constructive family environment.

ACTIVITIES AND EXPECTED RESULTS

ACTIVITY 1: Promote AB Behaviors

HWSA will continue its programs in GP, KZN, WC, and EC provinces to promote and strengthen AB

prevention messages within its community outreach efforts that include faith-based communities. HWSA will

expand to new areas within the current sites, and in particular to peri-urban and rural areas in KZN in

response to the geographic development of the HIV pandemic in South Africa. HWSA will establish an

abstinence-based program in four provinces, for youth 10 - 14 years who have not initiated sexual activity.

HWSA will use PEPFAR funding to support a program that prioritizes abstinence activities, HIV prevention

information, workshops and learning materials required for the HIV prevention intervention. HWSA will also

target the 15-24 year old age group and will establish an AB approach for this target population. This will

focus on reducing the number of sexual partners, mutual faithfulness with an uninfected partner and the

importance of correct and consistent condom use. HWSA's AB program, for all age groups, follows a

standard peer educator model of training small groups of change agents to influence their immediate and

broader communities. HWSA's AB program for youth aged 10-14 provides age-appropriate messages that

promote the importance of abstinence in reducing HIV transmission and encourages delay in sexual debut.

This program educates children/youth on the basic facts about HIV prevention and AIDS, the skills for

practicing abstinence, stigma and discrimination and avoiding and reporting violence and abuse. The

HWSA program involves five contact sessions spread over 10-12 hours. HWSA's AB program for older

youth aged 15 -24 consists of sessions that are age and culturally appropriate with sessions on the benefits

of abstinence in reducing HIV transmission. Where appropriate focus is on secondary abstinence, personal

self-esteem, healthy relationships, the delay of sexual activity until marriage, the importance of reducing the

number of casual sex partners, mutual faithfulness to an uninfected partner, the importance of HIV

counseling and testing and full information on the correct and consistent use of condoms is encouraged as

a way to reduce the risk of HIV for those youth who are already sexually active. The program involves ten

contact sessions spread over 14-20 hours. The program is interactive and fun, and sessions mix limited

teaching by HWSA facilitators with youth-led group discussions, role plays and debates. Relevant games

are used. The program includes a component that targets out-of-school youth through youth clubs,

community-based organizations and sports groups. HWSA will continue to work closely with the national

and provincial health departments. The activity will build on FY 2006's success of reaching 57,000

individuals with A and AB messages through 100 FBOs and 50 schools.

ACTIVITY 2: Men as Partners (MAP)

A follow-up activity to Activity 1 will be a gender-sensitizing component carried out by HWSA's MAP

program. This activity will address both the prevention needs of girls and young women and the promotion

of positive gender-sensitive attitudes, practices and behavior for young boys and youth. Alcohol and

substance abuse information will be integrated into the curriculum to reduce the risk behavior. The MAP

program will be modified to be age-appropriate and will attempt to change social norms related to male

socialization, coercive sex, cross-generational sex, and/or transactional sex. This activity will create

community commitment and involvement in reduction of violence against women and children, support HIV

counseling and testing, peer education and community interventions with messages to challenge norms

about masculinity, early sexual activity and multiple sexual partners for boys and men, cross generational

and transactional sex. This program will promote the benefits of abstinence in reducing HIV transmission,

encourage the delay of sexual debut until marriage for the 10 -14 age groups and for the older youth MAP

will also encourage the reduction in number of casual sexual partnerships, mutual faithfulness to an

uninfected partner and will stress the importance of HIV counseling and testing and provide full information

on the correct and consistent use of condoms to reduce the risk of HIV for those who engage in risky sexual

behavior.

ACTIVITY 3: Parent Empowerment

This activity will work with parents, caregivers and guardians to promote consistent, positive and proactive

parenting and a constructive family environment. This activity will build on research that shows that strong

family bonds have a major influence on children's achievements in school and through life and also that

youth report a preference of having parents/guardians educate them about sexuality and related issues.

The program will empower and capacitate parents with skills to interact with children and youth about

abstinence, sexuality, HIV prevention messages and create an enabling environment for AB messages.

There is research evidence that good relationships between parents and teens and adequate supervision of

teens reduce risky behavior among youth. HWSA will partner with the Parenting Centre and faith-based

networks (e.g. South African Council of Churches, African Federation of Churches and the International

Churches of Christ) to develop and implement this program. The program will include sessions on personal

growth; enhance self-awareness, personal values, parenting skills, building children's self-esteem, discipline

Activity Narrative: and problem-solving. The activity will be linked to the HWSA OVC program which will focus on empowering

parents and guardians in vulnerable households and working with granny-headed households.

These HWSA activities will contribute to the PEPFAR goal of averting seven million infections, and support

the USG Five-Year Strategy for South Africa by improving AB preventive behaviors among youth and

adults.

SUMMARY:

The Africa Network for Children Orphaned and at Risk (ANCHOR) partnership will continue to strengthen

and develop community support groups for orphans and vulnerable children (OVC), facilitate kids clubs,

strengthen Child Care Forums (CCF), train partner organizations and provide one sub-grant to a

Community-Based Organization (CBO). ANCHOR partners will continue to build relationships with local

Rotary Clubs, local and provincial government departments, health facilities and local NGOs and CBOs.

The primary target populations include orphans and vulnerable children and their families, youth, people

living with HIV and AIDS. The program has reached over 3,600 OVC in 2006. The major emphasis areas

are training and local organization capacity building.

BACKGROUND:

ANCHOR is a regional OVC partnership initiative operating in six African countries (South Africa, Cote

d'Ivoire, Kenya, Nigeria, Botswana and Zambia). ANCHOR comprises four organizations: HOPE worldwide,

Rotarians For Fighting AIDS (RFFA), Coca-Cola/Africa (CC), and the Schools of Public Health and Nursing

at Emory University. ANCHOR will contribute to the PEPFAR vision in South Africa as outlined in the Five

Year Strategy by providing care for OVC through the expansion of local community capacity to deliver

quality care for orphans and vulnerable children and their families. ANCHOR will strengthen community

capacity to scale-up OVC efforts at the community level. Through ANCHOR participation in the National

Action Committee for Children Affected by AIDS (NACCA) at the national Department of Social

Development (DOSD) level, ANCHOR SA is making a contribution to achieving these goals.

ACTIVITIES AND EXPECTED RESULTS:

ACTIVITY 1: Care and support

ANCHOR will continue to provide comprehensive integrated care and support to OVC, their caregivers and

families. ANCHOR activities will include providing services such as assisting OVC to access education

(waivers for school fees, school supplies and uniforms), assistance in securing government social security

grants for OVC, access to health care, and legal aid on issues of inheritance, nutritional and psychosocial

support. In addition, as part of its wrap around activities, ANCHOR will continue to work with Tiger Brands, a

major food producer, which provides OVC with food support. Nestle will provide training to OVC and their

families on how to prepare meals with high content nutritional meals. ANCHOR will continue to build

linkages and support with local schools and clinics as key partners in providing educational and health

services to OVC.

ACTIVITY 2: Training and capacity building

In 2006, 200 participants from Gauteng and Port Elizabeth were trained in psychosocial support (PSS) for

OVC. In FY 2008 ANCHOR will continue to train community members in PSS skills to support OVC.

ANCHOR will develop user-friendly and outcome-based psychosocial support and basic counseling training

manuals to be used by community workers. ANCHOR will continue to be supported by Hope worldwide

(HWSA) Regional OVC Organization Support Initiative (ROSI) to provide training to partner organizations,

SA-based volunteers, caregivers, and Hope staff use a 'Training of Trainers' (TOT) approach to scale up

efforts and increase the number of OVC service providers that have been trained in PSS skills. HWSA's

Abstinence focused (AB) team in partnership with ANCHOR will continue to train the caregivers/families on

parenting and leadership skills. The involvement of caregivers and community groups will ensure that

ANCHOR strategies remain relevant to the community and that they meet the best interests of the children

and families. ANCHOR will provide training for caregivers and family members to address strategies on

child protection, psychosocial support of OVC and strategies to reduce the abuse of women and children

especially girls. Workshops and family interventions will be facilitated on topics such as succession

planning, stigma and discrimination, children's rights, gender equality and HIV prevention for OVC,

community members and caregivers.

ACTIVITY 3: Support Groups and Kids Clubs

ANCHOR will establish new OVC support groups and strengthen community OVC support groups and Kids

Clubs which will be school and community-based, to address the psychosocial needs of all vulnerable

children. Psychosocial support (to build resilience and empowerment), educational support (including

homework supervision), nutritional support and comprehensive referrals to other care and support services

are key components of the support groups and Kids Clubs. The Kids Clubs have a strong emphasis on

youth involvement and leadership, as well as child participation at all levels. Children with strong leadership

potential have been identified in different Kids clubs. These children will be trained as facilitators, will be

consulted in needs assessment, planning and implementation of activities and finally in the monitoring of

activities. Local Rotary Clubs will strengthen the kids clubs by providing educational and age appropriate life

skill materials, school supplies and refurbished containers in areas where there are no centers to house

Kids Clubs.

ACTIVITY 4: Child Care Forums

Child Care Forums (CCF) will be established in ANCHOR sites in the two provinces. One CCF was

established in 2006 and ANCHOR plans to establish four more in Gauteng and Port Elizabeth. These

forums will consist of key stakeholders in local communities, including health workers, the police,

government departments, and CBOs, FBO, caregivers and child/youth representatives. In addition,

educators will be represented on each CCF to ensure children's educational issues are addressed. The

functions of the CCF are to ensure that the needs of OVC are met in a sustainable local structure and to be

advocates for children within their community. The Journey of Life (JOL) manual will be used to train CCF

members and caregivers.

ACTIVITY 5: Sub-grantees

Boitshoko, an OVC-focused organization, has been identified as a sub-grantee for the ANCHOR Track 1

program. Boitshoko, located in Soweto, Gauteng, will provide OVC support in education, nutrition,

Activity Narrative: developing and supporting Kids Clubs, support groups and providing psychosocial support. ANCHOR will

provide technical assistance to Boitshoko which has a focus on organizational capacity development, to

improve implementation of Boathook's OVC program. Regular mentoring and feedback sessions will be

held to review progress. Funds will be used to support staff, training, community mobilization and other

program support needs. Coca Cola Africa Foundation and other donors have been approached to fund

organizational capacity development and staff development for all ANCHOR community partners. If this

request for funding is successful it will strengthen sub-grantees and OVC serving NGOs.

The ANCHOR South Africa activities contribute substantially to the PEPFAR goal of providing care and

services to 10 million HIV-affected people, including OVC. These activities specifically support the

USG/South Africa Five Year Strategy by expanding the capacity of communities to respond to the needs of

OVC, focusing on community participation.