Project Introduction

With the help of RESPECT International I have created an educational program to work within three countries using a leadership model that is locally created and welcomed. The project partners also include GPER (Benin), ARTHUM (Democratic Republic of the Congo), and CELA (Tanzania). RESPECT International is an organization that works to provide a means to reach education for all, sometimes in the form of awareness within wealthy nations. As a RESPECT volunteer since 2002, I also believe Education is the foundation for the empowerment of communities as a catalyst and initiator for change. I became more personally involved as I wrote brief teachers' manual for HIV/AIDS that was distributed to some RESPECT affiliate schools. As I was planning to do other works in Ethiopia from January to March 2006 - where I will volunteer for two other non-profit organizations. I contacted RESPECT International to see if their African affiliate partners would be interested in a training program about HIV and AIDS. I said to Sandrine Cortet, RESPECT in French Coordinator, "if you tell me there is a need in Tanzania, then I will go to Tanzania."

Sub-Saharan Africa is currently facing the world's most deadly epidemic in human history. With a world-wide prevalence totaling nearly 40-million, Sub-Saharan Africa represents over 60%, with an estimated 25.4 million people living with HIV/AIDS. As the global pandemic presents a task too large to engage with, RESPECT partners decided to implement locally designed programs to approach the issues in ways that they feel will be most productive and effective. This approach is one which is largely in response to the failures of large international projects designed without consideration of local cultural or social particularities and high bureaucratic costs. Of all those who are involved with this project, none will be paid and nearly all will be financing parts of the project with their own personal funds. Such volunteers will not stay at hotels instead will stay with welcoming families in order to keep project costs down. As a product of our locally designed programs, the projects differ widely in their approach to education and community involvement for each area. In the first stage, I will collaborate with ARTHUM (Artists For Humanity) in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo). Some ARTHUM volunteers will present a drama to the community about issues relating to HIV and AIDS on the first day of our arrival to the refugee area. During the following three days I will lead a community involved teaching program. This will be specifically adapted to the audience, who will be mostly illiterate. The program will be concluded with a musical celebration, again preformed by ARTHUM. Such events will be repeated in five selected refugee areas as Dieudonne Mutambala (ARTHUM Director) wanted to reach as many areas as possible since no NGO's are working on this topic in the area.

The second stage of the program will take place in the Kigoma region of Tanzania with the Center for Youth Development and Adult Education (CELA) and the New English Centre of Hope (NECH). They are both vocational and educational schools created by refugees themselves. Here the program will stay in two locations for a longer duration so that some of the refugees can be trained and certified as HIV/AIDS educators. The camps are Lugufu II and Nyarugusu. Here we will do something different that drama and community based education, instead we will be working with community leaders and offering training programs for volunteer refugees so they can join and lead teachings. The training will be much longer in duration for these areas and will also involve community based outreach work with certified refugee educators.

The final stage of the program takes place in Benin, first in Cotonou, where thirty volunteers will be trained in a month long session. The GPER (Groupement des Parents des Élèves Réfugiés) has arranged much of the practical arrangements and organization. This project will incorporate a classroom type setting where I will teach and certify peer educators. After the month-long training session has been successfully completed, I and the thirty newly trained individuals will hold community education programs within the Kpomassé refugee camp. Our visit will also involve a formal community education program in a two-day session that I will present. The program will provide the 30 individuals with meals for the duration of the program because the program will encompass the entire day. At the conclusion of their training the volunteers will be provided with certification for their involvement in the HIV/AIDS education program.

The projects financial details have been broken down by each stage as the costs differ for each location. The total estimate for the three-country project is currently about $14,000 USD (for specific details please see the financial article). The University of Victoria in Canada has provided a $500 grant for the program, however all other applications for funding have either been turned down or have yet to be responded to. If any readers haveideas and/or possible connections for contributions they can reach me by email or by mail (both addressed provided under the contact section). Further, any personal donations can be made to the following address made out to "RESPECT International."