HIV/AIDS Education Project - Tanzania

Working To Empower is currently involved in various HIV/AIDS education projects in Nyragusu Refugee camp in western Tanzania; home to around 50,000 Congolese refugees. The main goal is to increase knowledge concerning the virus and foster a sense of community responsibility concerning the response. We have trained peer educators in the camp, who have been teaching in the camp for over two-years. The consistent and long-running project has had good results. Knowledge levels have increased, VCT services are more utilized, and more interest has been taken in this issue. We have been visiting school, holding video shows for adults, music education and sport education for youth, and seminars for community educators. This project began in 2006 and continues to-date.

Emebet Education Program

The EEP is an education sponsorship program for children who have been orphaned or are in a very vulnerable position. The EEP program allows them to attend school, which is currently not an option. This program runs in three countries and each program is different due to the differing situations. In northern Uganda ten girls from IDP camps are attend boarding school; in Tanzania 55 students are completing high school; in Kampala, Uganda 20 students are attending primary school, and the program continues to expand on a yearly basis with the support of generous sponsors.

Working To Empower has recently begun a new partnership to help assist 10 orphaned children to attend primary school as well as their on-going care costs, in Harar, Ethiopia.

Economic Empowerment: Women's Groups

In northern Uganda a group of 30 widows and single mothers make beaded necklaces, sold in Canada by a team of dedicated volunteers. 100% of the sales goes right back to the woman who made the necklace. This program began in 2007 and continues to-date. A group of mothers living with HIV from South Africa are also making bracelets and accessories for sale in Canada. This gives a source of income and security for women who otherwise have difficulty fulfilling these needs. It allows for the children and orphans they care for to attend school and secure the basics. In Tanzania we are supporting a micro-credit loan program for single-mothers, in Nyragusu refugee camp. This program began in 2008 and continues to-date.

HIV/AIDS Education Project - Benin

Working To Empower supporting peer educators in Benin, West Africa. The project is aimed toward refugees in the camps as well as city-dwelling refugees. There have been various awareness raising events over the years such as video education, music education, drama education and seminars. This project began in 2006 and continues to-date.

Resource Sharing Program

Working To Empower is creating new documents/resources relating to HIV/AIDS continually. These documents are now being translated into twenty-eight languages for the purpose of sharing these resources freely with organizations on a global scale. Currently the program has connected into eighty nations with over five-hundred organizations receiving one or more of the translated series of documents on a weekly basis. We offer over 70 materials, all free and translations are slowly being offered for download on the website.