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APA is supporting 5 major HIV/AIDS projects in Ethiopia in Partnership with CVM. Two of these are co funded by Irish Aid.

For more details on these projects please read on...

1. Promotion of a Coordinated Response to HIV/AIDS - Amhara Regional State (Ethiopia)
           
Scope
The project aims to contribute to “Reduce people’s vulnerability and the spread of the epidemic by achieving AIDS Competent Communities”

To foster HIV/AIDS Coordinating Committees from regional to grassroots levels to play a leading role in addressing the problem of HIV/AIDS and to promote a strategic, equitable, economically sustainable, and just response to the problem paying particular attention to the needs of vulnerable groups (women, girls, PLWAS and orphan children). Key sectors/actors from the targeted zones particularly vulnerable groups, religious leaders and health personnel will develop strategies to respond to the epidemic according to their needs which will be endorsed by the Regional Coordinating Committee and rolled out over the Region. Research data will be available to backup committees and key sectors in analysing the problem - while information, research, decisions, update information will be diffused over the radio, TV and a Regional Coordinating Newsletter. The capacity of the zones to produce their own IEC materials will be enhanced. Civil Society Associations and communities in general will be backed up with updated written information, radio and TV programmes and primary school students will be reached over the educational media.    
Coordinating Committees – ( HAPCC - comprise of political leaders, representatives of all government offices, vulnerable groups, religious leaders, CBO’s etc).

2. HIV/AIDS Prevention and Care Programme in North and South Gondar Zones -                            Ethiopia

Scope
This project will promote positive and sustainable actions towards the marginalised/vulnerable groups within communities of 28 Woredas; through capacity building of key people at community level and grass root level, and support the empowerment of coordinating committees. The overall scope of the intervention is that communities, especially rural, will have the competence and know-how to respond to the problem of HIV/AIDS and to assess funding to undertake the crucial interventions which urgently require their response. Vulnerable groups (PLWAs, women, youth and orphan children) will be the main actors in addressing their own vulnerability and will play a leading role in ensuring that their rights are upheld.  This will be achieved by various training courses, workshops, human development.
   
A multi-sectoral/multi multidimensional approach will promote the empowerment of communities to actively address HIV/AIDS.
The multi-sectoral approach is a methodology to deal effectively with the AIDS pandemic and containing its impact. The multi-sectoral approach is the bringing together /on board of every government office (education, agriculture, health, social, women, youth, culture and sport, health, administration, etc) with religious institutions CBO’s, Associations, key leaders to address the problem of HIV/AIDS with streamlined and coordinated interventions.
HIV/AIDS is now no longer a Health Sector problem only but an issue that requires a concerted effort to address it. The multi-sectoral approach ensures that a huge local resource can be forthcoming to address the problem, from the Heads of Regional Bureaus to teachers, agriculture workers, social workers, office staff, health personnel, religious leaders, PLWAS, women, students, girls, orphan children etc.
 
The multidimensional approach ensures that care and prevention go hand in hand and are confronted through: capacity building, community mobilization, integration with health programmes, leadership and mainstreaming, coordination and networking, and tackling the full package of vulnerable groups: youth, orphan children, women, PLWAS and girls needs/rights and vulnerability.  

3. Metekel

Aim of the Scheme
The aim of the Scheme is to work in partnership with Irish Non Governmental Organisations and their partners in support of projects that address the root causes of poverty in a way that is strategic, cost effective and relevant to the local context and enhances local capacity and ownership. 

Focus of the Scheme
The focus of the scheme is on small scale development projects in the following sectors:
- Basic Education (formal and non-formal education/training)
- Primary Health Care
- Water/Sanitation
- Community/Rural Development
            
Within these sectors priority will be given to meeting basic needs and capacity building at local level.

Priority Sectors
For the purposes of the scheme, the sectors above are defined as follows:

Basic Education: The priorities will include primary education and early childhood education, including alternative/complementary programmes that provide the basic education content of primary school. Non-formal primary education programmes need to allow participants to progress to formal education/training if they wish. Support will be considered for the provision of learning materials and construction of buildings (i.e. classrooms) where this can be explicitly justified and sustained by local resources.  Projects should address quality, equity and access in education. Projects should have a clear poverty focus and be consistent with government policy and national education plans where applicable. Non-formal education/training priorities will include community leadership training, capacity building training for key sectors such as health, education, agriculture, HIV/AIDS, water and sanitation. Non-formal skills training should be clearly linked to local employment opportunities and should target women, youth, street children and those with special needs. Educational projects need to be supported by a clear community governance structure eg. parent committees, boards of management, community management committees.

Primary Health Care: The focus here is on providing accessible, equitable and affordable basic primary health care targeting disadvantaged communities, at a point closest to the community and as part of an overall integrated health service provision from primary through to tertiary level.  Examples include support for community based health care, outreach programmes, health education and training of health workers. 

Water and Sanitation: priorities will include the protection of water sources, the provision of communal water points, water collection and storage systems, latrines and communal waste disposal systems and hygiene education.  Project Applications will need to include a hygiene education component and demonstrate a high level of community involvement in identifying appropriate, affordable technologies backed up by strong maintenance arrangements which ensure long term sustainability.

Community/Rural Development: including small scale projects which promote sustainable livelihoods, through skills training, access to credit and markets and community management of natural resources.  Project applications will need to demonstrate support for processes which promote self reliance, equitable development (equal opportunities for women) and protection for the environment.  Support for capital items and construction will be appraised in the context of its financial viability and evidence of organizational capacity to manage the capital item or building.