FACT programmes are categorised into five themes. Each thematic category comprises a portfolio of projects managed by programme managers:
1. HIV PREVENTION:

Biomedical research clearly indicates that we are far from finding a medical solution to HIV and AIDS. Despite organisations such as the Gates Foundation investing billions of dollars for the development of a vaccine, these efforts have not yielded anticipated results. There have been countless care and support interventions such as home-based care that focus on mitigating the impact of the epidemic on individual people, but they cannot turn the tide as they focus on management rather than reducing new infections. Therefore, prevention interventions are the bedrock of reducing new incidences.
To this end, FACT implements diverse prevention intervention projects that aim to address the complex dimensions of HIV such as multiple concurrent partnerships (MCP), gender inequality and other generally agreed factors that account for the spread of HIV in Zimbabwe and other African countries. The following projects are ongoing:

  1. Behaviour Change Programme - Is a national programme aimed at reducing the rate of new HIV infections in Zimbabwe. United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and National Aids Council (NAC) of Zimbabwe have partnered with FACT to implement the programme in four districts of Manicaland Province. Its goal is to promote the adoption of safer sexual practices among men and women. Interventions in this programme focus on increasing people’s ability to address risk behaviours, gender inequality, stigma and discrimination, and other unsafe practices that expose them to HIV infection.
  2. Voluntary Counselling and Testing (VCT): New Start Centre – This programme is supported by Population Services International (PSI) and it provides voluntary counselling and testing (VCT) services.
  3. Societies Tackling AIDS Through Rights (STAR) - This programme is aimed at encouraging the most vulnerable people in communities such as poor women, widows and OVC to openly discuss their problems and raise their voices. The programme involves advocating, empowering and assisting these people to link with relevant service providers to address their needs.
  4. Peer Education – The programme is targeted at commercial sex workers and other people who are involved in risk activities. The people are educated in prevention of new HIV infections and re-infections. It promotes safe sexual practices and encourages positive behaviour change through life-skills training and sustainable livelihoods projects.
  5. Youth – The programme involves conducting activities suited to young people such as education on HIV and AIDS, life skills building and peer education.
  6. Community Empowerment – This programme entails conducting community dialogues and discussions to raise awareness on issues that contribute to the spread of HIV in the communities. The issues include gender inequality, subjugation of women in society and polygamy. It also involves raising awareness of people’s rights. These discussions reveal weaknesses that can be included in the programme and developed into points for advocacy on behalf of the community.
2. CARE AND SUPPORT:

Health care facilities had collapsed in Zimbabwe. However, there has been some improvement recently, but it is presently insufficient to be effective. Therefore community people have taken it upon themselves to care for the sick. This situation resulted in the development of primary health care services which are provided by home-based care givers.Under care and support, the following programmes are supported:

  1. Community Home-Based Care - This programme supports people who are infected with and affected by HIV and AIDS. The services, among others, include facilitating access to treatment; strengthening the capacity of local volunteer caregivers to provide primary health care, encouraging adherence to medication and encouraging people who default to take medication regularly.
  2. New Life - Support for People Living With HIV and AIDS (PLWHA) - New Life activities are aimed at providing PLWHA with psychosocial and nutritional counseling. This entails the establishment of support groups to promote communication, planning and also to disclosure of PLWHA in order to strengthen family involvement. 
3. ORPHANS AND VULNERABLE CHILDREN (0VC) PROGRAMME:

The scourge of HIV and AIDS has dramatically increased the number of orphans and vulnerability children. In response to this challenge, the government of Zimbabwe has developed a National Action Plan for Orphans and Vulnerable Children. In collaboration with the government Ministry of Public Service Labour and Social Welfare, FACT is in the process of implementing various child support programmes

  1. The activities include providing technical and financial assistance to some smaller NGOs who implement OVC programmes. They provide educational support in the form of paying school and examination fees and purchasing uniforms for children. The psychosocial support is through taking the children to holiday camps, playing games with them and counseling them. They provide assistance with food security and medication. Children are transported to clinics and health care centres when necessary.
4. TRAINING AND CAPACITY BUILDING:
One of the greatest challenges for NGOs has been identified as capacity constraints particularly at community-based organisation (CBO) levels. Therefore, capacity development interventions need to be introduced for effective and meaningful development in communities. Cognisant of this reality, FACT programmes are complimented with strong capacity building interventions. FACT conducts training for its partner CBOs and for the beneficiary communities in Zimbabwe. FACT also provides training for other NGOs in the East and Southern African regions. The areas of training include:
  1. Sustainable community livelihoods;
  2. Gender mainstreaming;
  3. Monitoring and evaluation;
  4. Community care and support;
  5. Child counseling; and
  6. Resource mobilization.
    7.
6. SUSTAINABLE LIVELIHOODS:

HIV and AIDS and poverty are intricately linked. Hence, interventions should not only focus on HIV and AIDS, but should include poverty reduction in order to be fully comprehensive. Nutritious food is invaluable to PLWHA and on those who are on antiretroviral therapy (ART). Therefore, in order to improve nutrition and food security in vulnerable households, FACT is involved with facilitating breeding of community livestock, goats and chickens as well as gardening projects. These activities are aimed at alleviating the poverty of households and strengthening grassroots institutions.

 

7. MOZAMBIQUE SUPPORT:

An area of breakthrough on livelihoods would be a look at CHF FACT Livelihoods mentorship and capacity building programmes for Kubatsirana.

FACT has participated in the project in a capacity development role, supporting the implementation of project activities through targeted technical assistance to Kubatsirana in key areas, including Sustainable Livelihoods Approach (SLA) and results-based management (RBM). Since August 2009, FACT with request from CHF and Kubatsirana of Chimoio Mozambique was appointed to provide mentoring in the first phase of CHF livelihoods support to Mozambique. FACT collaborated with Kubatsirana and CHF in a bid to ensure that the Mozambique beneficiaries draw lessons from FACT’s successful experience with livelihoods.

Tsetsere_Mozambique_Beneficiaries_beneficiaries BeanSeadsRutanda
One of the beneficiaries with her family working in their potato field in Tsetsera Bean seeds three weeks after germination at Rotanda

Within two years of support from FACT, Kubatsirana beneficiaries from the district of Sussundenga covering Rotanda, Mussapa and Tsetsera adopted livelihoods strategies as coping mechanism for households surviving HIV. A total of 330 households directly benefited while 1650 individuals indirectly accessed benefits of livelihoods training and mentorship jointly provided by FACT and Kubatsirana.

|Back to Top| Back to Main Page |Back to About FACT
 

 

 


donorlogobanner