MEMORY WORK AND RESILIENCE BUILDING AMONG CHILDREN ORPHANED BY AIDS

1. INTERNATIONAL MEMORY PROJECT IN KIWAKKUKI PRESENTED BY ;- FUDASIA T KISHE IMP PROGRAMM COORDINATOR PRESENTED IN BERGEN NORWAY JANUARY 2007 MEMORY WORK ANDRESILIENCE BUILDING AMONG CHILDREN ORPHANED BY AIDS

2. Objectives of IMP • Empower families to communicate about HIV /AIDS within the family and plan for the future through improved communication skills, involving children in planning and family decision making, and increasing interaction and support from community for families affected by HIV/ AIDS. • Strengthen the capacity of partners and communities to respond effectively to the needs of orphans and vulnerable children affected by HIV/AIDS in partner organizations

3. Objectives cont.. • Develop a regional learning network of trainers and organizations on memory project approaches, supporting the use of child-centered and child rights focused methodologies. • Develop a learning strategy to empower communities and partners to measure the impact of the project and facilitate the documentation and dissemination of learning

4. IMP long term goalImproved child family, community coping strategies in response to HIV/AIDS in Africa .

5. NEED FOR I M P IN TANZANIA • The Impact of AIDS Tanzania is reflected in the increasing number of orphans and vulnerable children in the society. Some of these children live with their guardians after losing the parents. Out of these children those who are left very young have no record or written document and therefore they have no history. In Tanzania and in many African countries when both parents die, children are taken by relatives or left alone for this reason they loose their originality. Therefore there is need for memory work.

6. Background to KIWAKKUKI Memory Project • Memory work was initiated by KIWAKKUKI since January 2005. Since then some impact has already been felt in Moshi Municipality. The technology of facilitating the community about the importance of family to build the habit of having a behavior of writing their own memory books is increasing day to day in Moshi.

7. Achievements Up to now 350 parents and care givers had already trained about how to build family relationship through communication , disclosurememory book writing include future plan for the children.180 OVC were trained about how they can communicate , care and support sick parents or relative and how they can write their Memory books.

8. CONT. The transparency of PLHAS caused changes in the communityAlso some orphans/vulnerable children’s are already supported by our organization and for that they influenced many people to ask for our services. Home based care done by our community members encourage people to be open.

9. Memory youth club meeting

10. Children in group work

11. POSITIVE FACTORS THAT INFULUENCED PROJECT PROGRESS. • Sensitization workshop for ward and institution leaders emphasizing the community to be open and for that it encouraged people to join the organization and to seek VCT services at KIWAKKUKI. The supportive visits which are made by the project volunteers. • PLHAs post test club where they meet and share their views were good venue for sensitization.

12. POSITIVE FACTORS CONTD… 8 PLHA/AIDS Clubs established in the community. Children / Youth clubs Sensitization to community leaders to support OVC

13. Trainings/ Sensitizations, • Master trainers 2 staffs • 30 In country trainers • 20 Volunteers • 350. Parents/ care givers. • 180 Children’s / Youth. • 32 KIWAKKUKI staffs + 8 volunteers. • 11 board members • Mass Media sensitization to National and local Radio and Television

14. The new technology of teaching the community the meaning of memory work raised the awareness and inspiration of parents and care givers to look for important histories from the families and put it in writing for the benefits of the children, and reduce the fear of disclosing their status to them and the families CAPACITY BUILDING AND IMPACT OF MEMORY WORK

15. CAPACITY BUILDING AND IMPACT OF MEMORY WORK

16. Sharing experience of writing memory books.

17. Empowered mother who had disclosed her status to her children

18. Baseline survey • We used questionnaire as a method of pre evaluation before the training workshop to allow us to measure the impact later. It was administered to 70 people in 15 wards of Moshi Municipal to see what they understood before training workshop in relation to communication, parenting, child growth and development, human rights and were they can get help, loss and separation planning with children, how to disclose their status, family records and how they are keeping them.

19. Baseline Continued, • The initial survey showed that 47 subjects didn’t know anything about talking with children even anything about keeping family history and putting it in writing. They said that they assumed that incase death occurred the relatives would take responsibility of taking care of their children. The follow up survey showed that 20 out of 23 had already sat together with their children and talked about their health and put it in writing after the volunteers visits during memory book writing.

20. MEMORY PROJECT LESSONS LEARNT KIWAKKUKI has two years experience of implementing memory work activities in Moshi Municipal. The following are Baseline Survey Results: 1.The results indicated that 24% of parents had disclosed their sero status to elder children ( >18 years) and after joining Memory Work 68% disclosed to children of 8 years and above.

21. Results continued • Memory Work is a good avenue for dialogue with children, illustrates connection with the deceased/sick parents and facilitates future planning • .Children support groups build their resilience. • Children and parents improve their ability to cope and to protect family possessions. • Parents who had disclosed their status are the one who access free medical support in Governments Hospitals, and also free ARV in Regional / Consultant Hospital include food support from WFP.

22. Way forward • To scale up memory activities to other District in Kilimanjaro Region. • Further research is needed to compare disclosure to children in the project and outside the project. • More parents / care givers need to prepare legal documents to protect family possessions.

23. Let us build children resilience in a supportive environment Thank you for your time