Namibia
Community Action Forums' HIV/AIDS Outreach Sessions
Activity Dates
2003 and ongoing
Activity Summary
In response to the findings of the participatory learning assessment, each CAF sets about prioritizing the issues they want to address and developing an action plan. Due to the fact that HCP received funds exclusively for HIV/AIDS interventions, it could only support HIV-related activities, and not some of the broader problems identified, such as poverty, gender violence and unemployment.
With the support of HCP staff and under the brand, Nawa Life, CAFs typically planned 4 outreach sessions per month. Each outreach session is targeted for a particular audience and one HIV topic selected. The outreach sessions are frequently done in collaboration with other partners like the Social Marketing Association’s New Start Centers (HIV testing centers) or the nurse from the ART or PMTCT service. HCP developed an HIV/AIDS Action Pack for each CAF member, which consist of a Nawa Life bag with the following tools therein: a booklet on how to set up a CAF, ten HIV/AIDS fact sheets, a set of HIV/AIDS materials to hand out to the audience, and M&E forms. Each CAF member receives a set of promotional materials including a Nawa Life T-shirt, an identity badge and a Nawa Life umbrella. HCP also supplies each CAF with a banner which is put up during their outreach sessions to make their work visible and attract people to their sessions.
Capacity building for CAF members is done by HCP staff. Four key trainings take place when a new CAF is established and annual refresher trainings for existing CAFs: HIV/AIDS, facilitation skills, planning, organization and M&E and media training.
Through a quarterly newsletter, Nawa Info, CAFs are kept abreast of current HIV/AIDS trends and share lessons learned and success stories.
CAFs take national HIV/AIDS messages to communities
In addition to the monthly outreach sessions, HCP utilizes CAFs to dissemination messages from the national Take Control HIV/AIDS campaign during campaign periods. HCP provides an orientation on the campaign to CAF members and supplies them with campaign materials to be distributed throughout the community and during their outreach sessions. This provides a unique interpersonal communication component to an otherwise exclusively mass-media intervention and ensures harmonization of HIV/AIDS messages from radio, to TV, to community forums.
Rehoboth Community Action Forum tackles alcohol abuse and high risk behavior
One of the most successful CAFs is RECAF, based in a small semi-urban community south of Windhoek, called Rehoboth. This CAF decided to address the high level of alcohol abuse in their community and the high-risk behaviors this leads to.
Materials & Tools
Audience
Young men and women 16-25yrs, men and women 26-45yrs, older men and women 46+, PLWHAs
Partners
Community Action Forums, Regional AIDS Coordinating Committees, Social Marketing Association, treatment hospitals, the National Shebeen Association, Catholic AIDS Action.
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Note about materials: Some of the materials and resources listed on each page are available in their full form, others are represented by image or citation only. For more information and resources, go to www.jhuccp.org
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