HIV and AIDS awareness on the increase
Mon, 22 February 2010
The support that we as families receive all the time in health, education, community development and health education from the Hantam Trust helps us become a strong and supportive community” Manzana Maliti, project beneficiary (translated from Xhosa)
Progress Report 2: Hantam Community Trust: HIV/AIDS awareness and testing (http://www.sasix.co.za/projects/view/OVC-GP-MAY-0054/)
The Hantam Community Education Trust HIV and AIDS programme forms part of a more holistic intervention in the community, which includes education on hygiene and healthy living, effective parenting, growing vegetable gardens, preventing and addressing alcohol abuse, enabling family planning and encouraging HIV testing. The programme will include an intensive programme of HIV and AIDS awareness-raising and voluntary counselling and testing (VCT) in the rural communities surrounding Hantam in the Northern Cape.
The project runs from May 2009 to April 2010. This report refers to the second phase of the project, from October 2009 to February 2010.
Outputs and Impact
- 16 more visits have been made to local farms. During these visits an additional 58 individuals were given HIV/AIDS education.
- The two HIV positive individuals continued to receive support services. This included 11 visits during which their health was monitored and they received grief and adherence counselling and were offered support in disclosing their statuses to their families. Support groups are currently being set up to offer continued assistance to these individuals.
Expenditure
The total project cost is R63,992, of which R43,469 has been paid, and R20,453 will be paid in the final tranche.
| Description | Budget | Expenditure |
| General workers and Administration | 710 | 710 |
| Clinic Staff - Part Time | 990 | 990 |
| Health workers | 18 750 | 13 677 |
| Insurance | 100 | 100 |
| Printing | 40 | 40 |
| Auditing | 68 | 68 |
| Fundraising | 100 | 100 |
| Telephone and Postage | 160 | 160 |
| General expenses | 100 | 100 |
| Rations | 40 | 40 |
| Workman’s compensation and Bank charges | 117 | 117 |
| Vehicle Maintenance | 19 023 | 13 859 |
| Vehicle Fuel | 20 400 | 14 779 |
| Vehicle Replacement | 100 | 100 |
| Building | 60 | 60 |
| Furniture | 150 | 150 |
| Stationary | 50 | 50 |
| Medicines (HIV/AIDS) | 2 964 | 1 969 |
| TOTAL | 63 922 | 47 069 |
Challenges
- Stigma continues to be a major obstacle for initiatives trying to combat HIV/AIDS in the region. Hantam have, at times, struggled to convince people of the importance of testing. However, over the duration of this project there has been a steady increase in the number of people willing to submit to an HIV test.
Monitoring and evaluation
Hantam follows well-structured monitoring, reporting and evaluation systems in order to maintain the quality of their programmes and identify arising issues in need of special intervention.
Health workers compile weekly reports including a detailed description of home visits, family situations, challenges faced and required follow-up steps. Counselling and testing sessions are recorded in individual’s file, together with home and farm visit reports.
Health workers and clinic staff meet weekly to monitor the progress of the project and to outline the next steps for individual cases. The meeting also provides staff with an opportunity to highlight and worrying health developments or need for referrals. The project manager responsible for coordinating outreach activities prepares and monitors projected weekly planning. She is also responsible for compiling quarterly reports, which serve to assess programme progress over time.
Clinical staff record and track their activities, including statistics on medicines provided, number of patients visited, cash-flow status, and so on. The clinical manager compiles these weekly reports into a monthly report which is then submitted to Hantam Director.
Conclusions
Hantam provides a holistic health service to a very isolated farming community, which is tailored to the needs of the families living on farms. They are meticulous in the monitoring of their various programmes.
More and more men and women are overcoming the stigma attached to HIV and are going for regular testing. Hantam has far exceeded its initial target of 26 VCT sessions. Even though there are only a handful of known cases of HIV infection, it is essential to continue raising awareness around the need for responsible sexual practices as well as the inclusion of those living with HIV and AIDS in the lives of the communities.
