ACTION PROGRAMS

The current Action Programs we are directing within the community are our Community Education and Development program (CED), Counselling and Development Program (CDP) and Research and Documentation Program (RDP).  Our main office is located directly within the rural-urban community (Ilala district, Dar es Salaam) in order to be as accessible as possible to those who need the most help.  Our efforts target the most vulnerable and impoverished, with a strong focus on children, youth and women.  We provide support through community outreach projects, counselling, education, advocating health, campaigning for human rights and fostering economic wellbeing through capacity skills education for self-reliability resulting in improved quality of life and sustainable community changes.   

1.0  Community Education and Development (CED)

Our Community Education Development program is dedicated to making sustainable changes in the community through addressing problems at their source – lack of knowledge.  If we can sensitize and educate people in our communities about health and preventing the spread of disease, life skills for self-sustainability, advocating for each other’s rights as humans, and training our youth to take control of their future, we can create foundational changes to better people’s quality of life permanently.  We work to promote the following knowledge within Tanzania’s communities through public education events, formal seminars and workshops, peer focus groups and door to door outreach efforts:

1.1  Afya Njema (Good Health)

CAFLO works to ensure Tanzanians are educated about how to maintain good health, prevent the spread of diseases, and learn the status of their own health to protect their loved ones. 

1.1.1  HIV/AIDS Education and Empowerment

We provide individuals with information and education regarding HIV prevention, HIV status, and available resources to those who are HIV positive.

In an effort to create a communal environment where those affected with HIV/AIDS can obtain the support and resources needed to improve their quality of life, we organize and conduct meetings where they can exchange ideas, feelings, experiences and skills on how to overcome many of the problems they face such as stigma/discrimination, health concerns and income generation.  These activities are paired with our counselling services (see section 5.2.3), alongside education regarding HIV/AIDS mechanisms and prevention, nutrition and the immune system, medications (such as ARV drugs) and medication adherence support.

CAFLO Peer Educators performing community education about HIV/AIDS during

HIV Prevention and Awareness Week and World AIDS Day

1.1.2  Stop TB Education and Awareness

Tanzania is among the many countries that have been affected by Tuberculosis (TB).  Many people, especially those in remote and/or densely populated areas have been infected with the disease.  Through education and sensitization, we equip people with the knowledge of how to prevent the spread of TB infection in their communities.  CAFLO also works to identify those living with, or suspected to be infected with TB and refers them to hospitals and health centers.

Promoting awareness and prevention knowledge for TB 

1.1.3  Capacity Building

Our capacity building focus of CED is dedicated to advancing socio-economic development by providing opportunities for those in need (especially the most severely impoverished populations such as single women) to gain education and skills they can apply to income-generating activities.  Through these efforts, we hope to lower the rate of unemployment/poverty by teaching people skills for self-reliability to create sustainable income.

We host several formal seminars, workshops and trainings providing community education for generating behavior changes, learning skills for entrepreneurship, budgeting, communication, organization, problem solving and management.  We have also provided some micro-finance loans when we have the resources for which we have had a 99% payback rate.  We have future plans to further develop this program to be able to provide more loans upon gaining financial stability.

Seminars teaching capacity building and life skills for self-reliance

1.2  Youth Action

CAFLO empowers youth overcome various problems they face on a daily basis such as HIV/AIDS, STDs, poverty/unemployment, truancy, drug/alcohol abuse and promiscuous/unsafe sex.  Our target groups include youth both in and out of school, and those with the highest risk factors due to their behavior (sex workers, drug users, men who have sex with men (MSM), bar/guest house workers, those in local camps etc.).

We host many activities including seminars, workshops, sports competitions, focused group discussions, conferences, festivals and peer focus discussions.  CAFLO also established a safe and educational club for youth to participate in more educational activities that meets every Saturday at our main office.  These activities provide them the opportunities to learn about reproductive health education, disease prevention, and to acquire and develop concrete skills for communication, behavior changes, problem solving and life in general.

Sports competition to provide youth with healthy entertainment alternatives

and Youth Action Focus group discussion

1.2.1  Peer Education

CAFLO’s peer educators manage a youth outreach program where they travel into surrounding communities to bring together peers and create a communal environment of support to learn and discuss together about how to overcome problems in their daily lives such as disease, drug abuse, prostitution and unsafe sex.  Our peer educators also host focus group discussions, community sensitization meetings, organize festivals and do door to door education.

Door to door outreach initiatives and community education through role playing

1.2.2  Formal Education

We are dedicated to empowering OVC and youths to pursue higher levels of formal education by providing them with personal assistance and encouragement as well as school requirements (fees via scholarships, material supplies etc.) when possible.

Encouraging youth to further their education through personal and material support

1.2.3  Youth Ambassadors

CAFLO strives to bring as many opportunities to youth in the community as possible, including the chance to travel.  We work with national and international partners to find education and leadership building programs for youth to attend across the globe.  Through these scholarships CAFLO opportunities for youths showing the highest motivation in their applications to travel, learn through intercultural experiences, share new knowledge with their community and overcome boundaries, both physically and socially.

1.3  Human Rights Advocacy

CAFLO also hosts community education events focused on raising awareness of the need for egalitarianism.  We advocate for marginalized populations such as women, OVC, those infected with HIV/AIDS, the disabled etc.  We address discriminatory attitudes, actions, policies and laws by hosting public events to raise awareness of certain issues and discussing the community’s needs with the media and people in power.

Thanks to the efforts advocating for women’s rights, organizations like CAFLO have influenced a recent and impressive change in Tanzania’s constitution.  Women are now allowed to own land after their husband’s death, a large step in permanently overcoming gender inequalities.

1.3.1  Stopping Gender Based Violence

The problem of gender based violence (GBV) is growing rapidly in various rural-urban areas of Tanzania.  It results from gender-based “norms” promoting social and economic inequalities and giving privilege to men over women.  GBV takes many forms including physical, sexual, psychological and economic violence.  It is also linked to other broader societal issues such as early marriage, female genital mutilation, forced marriage and widow inheritance. 

CAFLO empowers people to confront gender “norms” and GBV through awareness education to engage men and boys to advocate against GBV, linking GBV to HIV infection in our HIV awareness efforts and discussing GBV in our current health and sex education programs.

Women and girls are challenged by many unequal rights in Tanzania

1.3.2  Disabled Empowerment

Tanzania is still a developing country and lacks many resources to aid and accommodate those living with disabilities such as the blind, deaf, physically handicapped and mentally handicapped etc. leaving them behind in education and socio-economic development.

We work to raise awareness in the community about the challenges the disabled population faces through our Community Education Development efforts.  We also empower those with disabilities to overcome these problems through researching and advocating for the most critical issues and providing counselling and support for dealing with their specific disabilities.

2.0  Counselling and Development Program (CDP)

Our counselling programs are focused on providing community members with a safe place to discuss and resolve problems, obtain help with decision making, cope with crises, work through feelings/inner conflicts, and improve relationships with others through communication and understanding.  Our counselling is available to anyone who wishes to participate, but we focus strongly on providing services for those in vulnerable or risky positions such as those who have been abused, truant youth, drug abusers, those affected by disease and sex workers.

2.1  Counselling Skills Training  Courses

Equipping people with counselling and communication techniques to address problems, they will become self-sufficient and pass on these skills to those around them creating sustainable changes.  Some of the specific counselling techniques we teach are:

• Skills specific to counselling children such as helping them to identify and confront their problems through drawing, singing, playing and communicating.
• Teaching how to communicate with youth in identifying the specific roots of their problems, how to develop their own with solutions problem solving skills, and teaching relationships and communication skills
• How to work specifically with those infected with HIV to make sure they adhere to their medication and health needs

Courses training CAFLO's peer educators in counselling skills

 2.2  Domestic Violence and Crisis Counselling

This branch of CDP focuses specifically on those in crisis situations, i.e. those who have been sexually abused/trafficked, domestically abused, most vulnerable children, truant children/youth, drug/alcohol users, widows/widowers or those affected with grief/bereavement, stress etc. 

Some of the specific crises counselling techniques we employ are teaching people how to look for the root cause of their issues, as well as specific problem-solving skills like effective communication, how to defend themselves ethically, and solution identification.

 2.3  HIV/AIDS Counselling

CAFLO offers counselling services to those whose lives have been affected by HIV/AIDS.  This includes people who are HIV positive as well as those who are HIV negative but whose loved ones are HIV positive.  We support people in the difficult process of accepting their disease status and learning how to protect their loved ones from transmission.  In addition, we inform them what is happening to their body when infected with HIV to increase understanding and acceptance, as well as ways they can boost their immune system through nutrition and lifestyle.

2.4  Orphans and Vulnerable Children Advancement

The number of orphans is constantly increasing due to prominent health problems such as HIV/AIDS, TB, Cancer, Fistulas and Malaria.  Most of them lack essentials for life such as parental care, food, shelter, clothing and education.  These orphaned children often end up on the street, truant, victims to molestation and abuse, and/or using drugs. 

Our counselling program provides psycho-social support to orphans and vulnerable children in various communities in order to break these patterns and set them on a better path.  We use the same techniques that we teach in our Counselling Skills Training courses such as communicating with children and identifying their problems through games, drawing, singing and playing.  After identifying the problem, we provide emotional support and help children learn ethical communication and problem solving skills, as well as step in for care-givers’ education and confrontation when needed.

3.0  Research and Documentation Program (RDP)

CAFLO performs surveys to evaluate community needs in comparison to our program efforts in order to provide the most effective services.  Through CED events and CDP clients we evaluate current community knowledge, needs and opinions directly from the populace, and collect information that can be used to develop more effective future projects.  This data helps us to determine the most critical problems facing the community and what approaches we can take to overcome them.  Collecting this data over time allows us to evaluate the impact of our efforts and see patterns in the community, as well as record and share knowledge of the most effective practices for certain issues.

 Conducting community surveys to collect data about current knowledge, needs and opinions directly from the populace

4.0  Moving Forward

Our focus at this time lies on obtaining more funding to support the organization as a whole and the specific efforts of our Action Programs to develop regularly held events for CED and improve the quality of services offered through CDP.  We are constantly recruiting new partners, building our network, improving our marketing, and applying for donations from private and public partners, as well as government grants.  We are always seeking the experience of new partners and volunteers to gain fresh and innovative perspectives on how to develop CAFLO, as well as searching for new potential donors using internet searches, database searches and through word of mouth.  We have many specific plans and hopes for CAFLO and know we can make substantial and sustainable changes if we gain access to the right resources.

4.1  Future Plans for Community Education and Development

Our first step will be to increase our number of educational events and seminars to improve public awareness and knowledge.  We would like to be able to increase our efforts to host regular events and seminars every week, but each event requires funds.  After obtaining enough funding so we are hosting education events regularly and stably, we hope to grow the education focuses of CED into their own unique programs to provide more substantial resources for the communities.

4.1.1  Future Plans for Afya Njema efforts

• As our HIV/AIDS education and prevention program is one of our largest and most valued efforts, we would eventually like to install an HIV testing facility so we can provide test results on site.  From our prior research, we believe many people in the community and beyond would desire to be tested and participate in HIV counselling. 

• Upon gaining enough funding, we would also like to implement a home based care program to provide in-home care to chronically ill patients including physical, social, psychological and spiritual activities.  Through this support, this program could provide hope and assistance to patients and their families such as in home counselling, nutritional support, providing medications, supporting them in outings and bringing religious leaders into their home.  Initiating this program would require enough funding to support transportation of our staff and materials for care.

 4.1.2  Future Plans for Capacity Building

• Teaching capacity building requires a large budget due to the need to organize trainings and purchase materials.  With future donations we would like to create a specific community structure where we can regularly host workshops, seminars, and education activities for these populations.  We would also like to invite guest instructors to coach the seminars to create unique and expanded learning opportunities.

• Upon gaining stable funding for this program, we also have plans to implement a program specifically for Women’s Economic Empowerment to help women pursue entrepreneurship and develop income generating activities.  Women in Tanzania are the most impoverished of any of the specific populations.  Many are widows with children to feed and several are living with HIV/AIDS and lack the education and skills to generate income.  This program would focus specifically on aiding women in these circumstances to learn specific skills and obtain materials to overcome poverty through developing income generating activities that can provide consistent wages, and providing micro-finance loans to aid entrepreneurship.

4.1.3  Future Plans for Youth Action

These efforts require one of our largest budgets in order to organize events and buy/provide school supplies and fees for children who do not have the resources to pay.  With further funding we would like to:

• Develop a specific program for Teen Mother Education regarding pre-natal and nutrition education, and parenting skills education before birth
• Host more festivals, sporting events and develop community educational camps the children can attend. 
• Organize more workshops and teach specific skills such as capacity building, budgeting and general life skills for youth specifically.
• Find more scholarships, partners and opportunities to support Youth Ambassadors to foster intercultural education and leadership.

4.1.4  Future Plans for Human Rights Advocacy

We would like to further our efforts of egalitarianism through:

• Organizing more meetings and conferences to further human rights awareness.
• Producing more advocacy materials such as banners, pamphlets, posters and other marketing and education materials.
• Establishing more human rights activists groups directly within the communities.
• Conducting educational, advocacy and skills training seminars for marginalized populations.
• Meeting with more individuals in power to directly affect legal status of marginalized populations.

4.2  Future Plans for Counselling and Development Program

Upon gaining more funding, we would like to progress CDP through:

• Improving our counselling programs by expanding our resources for learning counselling skills.  We could do this by hiring a professional counselor to work within our facility, either directly with our patients, or to teach our staff more specific counselling skills.
• Hosting more regular classes for the Counselling Skills Training program to enable more people to counsel outside of CAFLO and therefore provide more resources to those in need of counselling.

4.3  Future Plans for Research and Documentation Program

We would use funding to progress our research program into conducting in home evaluations and evaluating districts outside our current reach.  We plan to conduct further studies to:

• Evaluate the main causes and effects of GBV and how to intervene.  We would like to perform in home evaluations to determine the conditions that contribute to GBV.
• Evaluate child-parent relationships to determine the best way to educate parents about preventing risky child behaviors, and advocate for children’s rights at the family level through counselling.
• We require more funds to purchase supplies to create surveys, trainings for staff conducting the surveys, and transportation to support these efforts.