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Save the Children Swaziland KaZondle News

Newsletter. Volume 5 – No. 2 APRIL – JUNE 2001

 

How HIV/AIDS impacts on the Organisation

We took time off to consider HIV/AIDS as it impacts to our organisation as a well on to the individuals that form part of the organisation and to explore some of the options and strategies that we could employ to fight HIV/AIDS in our workplace. This was done in a three-day regional workshop with participants form other Save the Children organisations in the Southern African region. We also continued with the educational workshops for people with disabilities.

Regional HIV/AIDS Mainstreaming Workshop

 

On the 5th of June to the 6th of June 2001 we had the opportunity to meet in a regional workshop with our colleagues from Save the Children (UK) South Africa, Lesothos, Mozambique, SFRO and Save the Children Swaziland. This forum was intended to provide the particpants with an opportunity to discuss in-house HIV/AIDS issues as they impact to our work perfoirmance, service provision, the organisation, individually/personally and our families.

Aims of the Workshop

• Raise awareness of HIV/AIDS issues
• Examine the impact of HIV/AIDS on the development sector served by Save the Children and its affiliates
• Develop strategies and responses to mitigate impact at an indiviudal, organisational and constituency level

Participants of the Workshop

 

The participants of this workshop were carefully selected to represent all the programmes in our respective organisation, including people from the human resources department. The following was targeted for consideration

• Knowledge on HIV/AIDS, access to information, health services and condoms,
• Gather views, suggestions, challenges, coping mechanisms that will reflect needs and response to HIV/AIDS of people who hold different positions within the organisations and the different work environment (work stations) from which they work
• Instigate a way forward that will consider all diverse ideas presented by the participants

Issues of Concern raised during the Workshop

• There is still a lot of misconceptions surrounding HIV/AIDS particularly regarding transmission factors, risk groups as opposed to risk behaviour and possible cures
• HIV/AIDS is still considered as a disease of "others" and there is no real perception of personal risk
• In our organisation HIV/AIDS is only dealt with at programme level and never as an internal issue that affects the organisations itself and the people it employs
• There is a need to have in place mechanisms to ensure the support of staff members who could be infected or affected by HIV/AIDS

The Way Forward

• Commitment by each country programme to further developing their responses to HIV/AIDS
• A meeting of the representatives of all the countries present plus others in the region will be set so that they are afforded a forum to discuss with the consultant contracted by SCF(UK) to review their HIV/AIDS Staff Policy

HIV/AIDS Workshop for People with Hearing Impairment

This is a second workshop that we have engaged in in collaboration with the Disability and Development Programme towards extending HIV/AIDS education to people with disabilities.

Workshop Aim

 

The aim and expected outcomes of this exercise was the same as the one done before, that is to provide HIV/AIDS education and life skills to a group of adult people with hearing impairment. The participants are expected to use their knowledge to prevent the spread of HIV/Aids and as well to be able to address issues of HIV/AIDS with their children and families and among their peers. And as before we seek to spread awareness of HIV/AIDS as it negatively impacts on the development of disabled people in Swaziland.

Target Group

 

The target group this time was on adult people with hearing impairment who have not been prioritised for HIV/AIDS awareness and education because of their disability. Nineteen people attended the workshop, 15 females and 4 males. The participants were chosen to represent the four regions in Swaziland.

Common Issues raised at the two Workshops

• People with disabilities are not prioritised for HIV/AIDS information
• Material developed on HIV/AIDS awareness and education is not adapted to suit the needs of people with different disabilities, therefore they do not have enough information and the necessary skills to protect themselves against HIV and AIDS
• There are no disabled-friendly centres where they can access information and health services to treat infections that make them prone to HIV infections i.e. Sexually transmitted infections
• Their disability makes them prone to exploitation that could lead to HIV infection as it poses a barrier to communication

The Way Forward

• This exercise will continue until the major groups of people with disabilities have all undergone HIV/AIDS education
• There is a plan to continue with regional workshops if funding permits

 

Marketing & Fundraising Consultancy

For this quarter we have been successful in finally taking to scale an assessment of the market in Swaziland with regard to fundraising. This was made possible through support from the Alliance. The membership co-ordinator and Jan Oldfield from the fundraising unit were the key people in this process. They were able to appoint Ruth Miller to Swaziland for a month to carry out this piece of work. This was one major piece of work undertaken in the first year of our admission as associate member of the Alliance.

Indeed it’s pleasing to note that Ruth did a brilliant job in carrying out the situational analysis of the market in Swaziland. The terms of reference for the consultancy were as follows

• Understand the funding need of Swaziland over an agreed period of time
• Assess the potential for voluntary fundraising in the country
• Identify a realistic voluntary funding requirement for the period
• Develop a marketing/fundraising strategy for the organisation
• Identify the key tasks and skills/experience that a marketing/fundraising member of staff would need to have to deliver against this strategy
• To what extent someone can be recruited within Swaziland for the task
• Suggest practical hands on in the interim for the organisation to start the process

Ruth had a hectic schedule while in the country for the four weeks. Nonetheless it is pleasing to note that she managed to achieve a lot in terms of consultation with stakeholders. Essential these consultations were aimed at understanding and learning form all those who have already been involved in the area of fundraising and marketing. Hence the appointments targeted NGOs and the corporate sector including the business community.

The exercise was a learning experience for us as well in terms of knowing how people perceive us as an organisation and what they would like to see in a fundraising appeal. The approach of engaging people so that they can articulate what they view as an appropriate approach to fundraising particularly the business sector was critical.

In the final analysis interesting lessons came out of the exercise. These have a bearing on how we should take forward the issue of marketing and fundraising. Highlights of the findings and recommendations from the consultancy are outlined below:

• Make all stakeholders aware of the current SC strategy:

• Short Term

Define USP (unique selling proposition) for SC Swaziland to differentiate it from other NGOs’ appeals, eg Building on 40 years proven success in the field, co-signer of CRC, leader in the field of children’s issues in Swaziland, advisor on government policy relating to children, leading of consortia relating to children’s issues, or decide to choose specific narrow field of activity, eg. Children’s rights education. This must tie in with mission statement. Identify most motivation message for potential donors (this may vary across market segments).

• Long Term

Decide what SC Swaziland’s best future lies in acting collaboration with other NGOs, i.e. Spearhead a consortia approach to external parties for local funding, based on programme issues rather than individual NGO agendas, thereby minimising donor fatigue.

• Consider patronage to encourage potential donors to contribute or corporate patrons to encourage corporate investment.
• Maximise advantages of goodwill and expertise
• • Utilise past beneficiaries where possible to support current activities
  • Focus on areas of expertise
  • Take active role as leader of consortia, proactively support government policy and publicise the fact
  • Network with relevant government agencies (health, education, finance) and other official bodies to provide assistance where relevant and increase credibility/share of mind
  • Use case studies to showcase effectiveness of SC Swaziland
  • Seek opportunities to demonstrate the professionalism of SC Swaziland

• Offer a "partnership" to potential donors in exchange for their support

• Support marketing activities

"Children are our Future. Let’s Protect them"

For this quarter we continued with normal activities, which entail mainly advocacy, responding to needs of individual children, networking and collaboration with all the relevant stakeholders. As preparation for the United Nations General Assembly Special Session (UNGASS) for Children we have been engaged in a variety of activities contributing towards this process. We have been having regular meetings and discussion with UNICEF as a key partner in this process.

At international level, there was a feeling and observation from NGOs participation that the representation of the regions in the preparotory meetings was not very good hence a regional consultative forum was agreed to be set set up in preparation for the third prepcom meeting. This forum was presented in the form of a workshop held in Nairobi, Kenya. Through partnership with UNICEF, we managed to send one of the children we have been working with since last year to the Nairobi workshop.

The workshop was a culmination of a consultative process as mentioned above. It was hosted by UNICEF, PLAN International and Save the Children UK. Save the Children had to identify the child using the set criterion and the chaperone. The UNICEF local office provided the financial support for the whole trip. One other NGO (SWAGAA) was also part if the Swazi delegation to this meeting. The delegation therefore consisted of the following; Nomvula Kipsy Ndwandwe, a student at St. Paul’s High, Gugulethu Mgabhi, Save the Children Swaziland Officer and Mandla Luphondvo, from SWAGAA.

The objectives of the workshop were:

• To review performance of the Eastern and Southern African region NGOs/CSOs Children and Young People (C&YP) at the second preparatory meeting of the Special Session on Childdren held on Jan 29 to Feb 2 2001
• To prepare C&YP and NGOs/CSOs for the third Preparatory Committeee to be held in New York
• To review the revised Outcome Document, "A World Fit for Children." The ultimate pobjestive was to find a common Africa position on the issues that affect children in our region

The output/action points for the Swazi delegation were as follows:

• Reporting back on the proceedings of the whole workshop
• To conduct in-country meetings to brief other children on the Global Movement for Children
• Establishing a sound worming relationship with all stakeholders dealing with issues of children

Mainstreaming of the Global Movement for Children in local activities

Protecting Children against abuse:

 

Save the Children has been engaged with other NGOs, governement ministries and UNICEF in the planning for accelerating work in this area as part of the GMC initiative. This will primarily target and involve communities at grassroots level by establishing community-based committes in coming up with plans to combat child abuse at community level.

Two overarching themes have been chosen for this initiative. These are:

• Stop harming and exploiting children
• Fight HIV/AIDS

For this quarter we have decided to included two case studies in which we tried to demonstrate some of the complex issues arising from our work. It’s our belief that through these case studies you will be able to pick and appreciate some ot the behind the scene challenges we encounter when dealing with such issues.

Case Study 1

 

"A 12-year-old boy amongst 4 other siblings has lost both parents and is currently living with a maternal grandmother. A certain organisation has helped the family by building a shelter for the kids since granny’s only beehive hut is already falling, made a vegetable garden with a few fruit trees and paid fees for the children.

The child has developed a bad habit of stealing from neighbors things, ranging from food to items that are not of immediate use to him.

The community has already labeled the child a theif. Everyone he has offended beats the child heartlessly to an extent of tying the child to a tree and stuffing papers in his mouth so that he could not be heard when crying. The grandmother is helpless and agrees to this so-called ‘discipline’ so as to be seen as agreeing with the community."

Save the Children’s Comments on the issue

 

This is total torture at its worse form to the voiceless. It needs to be condemned. Such behaviours need to be addressed in a very positive manner and if possible before they happen. As an organisation we strongly believe and advocate for dialogue among parents, communities and children in addressing issues affectig children.

Bullying amongst children themselves is another form of abuse that adults take time to notice especially when children are not vocal and culturally you are termed as a coward if you do not respond too. This has an impact on the life of the child.

Case Study 2

 

"Sifiso has been attending grade 3 and staying about 7km from school. He used to travel by bus. His parents give him both bus fare and just enough money to buy some snack at the school canteen since they have no feeding programme foir the midday meal.

Mandla (the bully) always took the money from Sifiso and his lunch box, if there is any, to dine with his friends. This happened for some time and unnoticed by parents and teachers as he was afraid of the bullies manipulation, until such time as he decided to abandon school and decided to go away from home too."

The above are scenarios that Child Protection Programme is trying to address awareness creation to community and community leaders, and children on such unbecoming behaviour. Also making community members take a positive responsibility and attend to such issues urgently and protect children.

This brings a serious challenge to have a structure in place that will address such issues from the grassroots to national level.

Networking:

 

Through an initiative call Community Action on Children’s Rights, which is a joint effort among UNICEF, Government and NGOs, selected communities in the four regions of the country have been identified as pilot areas. This will target one chiefdom per Inkhundla in the four regions of the country. The objectives of the initiative are:

• To create awareness and work with communities in taking care of vulnerable and orphaned children at community level
• To empower communities to start projects with what they have in order to care for the orphaned and vulnerable children
• To educate them on Children’s Rights

Our field officers in the four regions are participating fully in this initiative. It is envisaged that this will be extended to other chiefdoms once the pilot areas are fully functional and lessons learnt documented.

On another note we are participating in an NGOs and government initiative to develop National Standardised procedures on sexual abuse, which is still ongoing.

Save the Children Supports Ministry of Health and Social Welfare in Transport Management Project

Save the Children Swaziland is supporting a transport management review project within the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare. The purpose of the initiative is to develop and implement an effective Health Transport management system, which supports the delivery of primary and secondary health services in Swaziland. The whole project is implemented through TransAid Worldwide, a UK based NGO whose main thrust is the development of effective transport solutions to the Public and Non-Profit sector in the developing world. TransAid Transport management system is designed in simple and user friendly language and tools. It consists of four key areas; Transport Policy, Operational Management, Fleet Management and Management Information.

Progress in this initiative can now be shown in many aspects of transport management

• Within the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare in Swaziland, transport officers at all levels have now been trained in all these aspects if transport management, so that they can manage health vehicles.
• A transport management team consisting of three CTA officers (Mr. Justice Dlamini, Me. Reginald Sibande and Mr. Michael Motsa), and a Transport Officer from Head Office (Ms. Lindeni Makhanya) has been established.
• An improved vehicle inventory with more detailed vehicle data has now been established for each institution. This inventory is updated regularly and analysed by transport officers. This inventory is also compared to the inventory kept at CTA.
• A detailed transport needs analysis for each institution was carried out by Mr. David Christmas, a TransAid Worldwide volunteer who worked on this project in 2000, in which an ideal fleet size and specifications was determined for each institution.
• Though the Ministry of Health and social welfare does not yet have its own transport policy, the 2000 exercise also led to the development of Operational Procedures to guide transport operations. These procedures still need to be ratified by the Ministry.
• Management information system is now established in most of the institutions, where monthly information regarding kilometres traveled fuel used, fuel utilisation, running costs per km, availability and utilisation of vehicles, and needs satisfaction is collected. The data will be consolidated on a quarterly basis and displayed graphically. There is now greater awareness of the use of data to identify fraudulent activities and misuse of vehicles, eg. through cross-checking fuel used with kilometres traveled. CTA will be using the data to plan replacement and to negotiate reallocation of vehicles where minimal utilisation is experienced.
• The key performance monthly data is going to be computerised via TransAid Transport Management Computer system. This, however, will not change the focus on transport key performance data reporting. CTA will also analyse their system in relation to this TransAid system and see how they could be merged.

This initiative will be supported by SCF until the end of September, by which time it is hoped the Ministry of Health and CTA will be in a position to take it forward.

Acknowledgement to our Donors

British High Commissioner in Swaziland donated E1,000 to Save the Children. The donation was from proceeds form the British Week held in Swaziland, where the British High Commission, the British Council and other members of the British community around the country made it possible for the people of Swaziland to enjoy some of the things for which Britain is now well known – music, poetry, dance, drama and food from England. The generous contributions and support form those organising events and those taking part have enabled the High Commissioner to make donations to charities in Swaziland and Save the Children was among five charities that benefited.

Ruth Miller donated to Save the Children the sum of £30.00, including a new starter-pack kit. Ruth said she would like to be the first donor under our new fundraising campaign.

Staff News

Dumisani Mnisi and Mr. Rudolf Maziya SC Swaziland Chairman Executive Board attended the International Save the Children Alliance Members’ Meeting, in Reykjavik, Iceland, 2-3 May 2001.

This is an annual event that takes place once a year for all Associates and Members of the Alliance. The Director and Mr. Rudolf Maziya Chairman of the Board represented Swaziland. The main focus of the meeting entailed looking at the Alliance five year plan of action and the presentation of the Global Internet Study by the Boston Consulting Group of findings, conclusions and recommendations.

The key areas of focus for the Five Year Plan are:

• Coherent quality programmes worldwide
• Coordinated emergency interventions owned by all Members
• Joint advocacy and campaigns for children’s rights
• Children as actors in all sectors and at all levels of our work
• A global Alliance of strong Members
• A strong global brand for Save the Children
• Additional income of $100 million by 2005

Dumisani Mnisi and Mrs Thandiwe Dlamini attended a Southern Africa Alliance meeting, 28-30 May 2001, at Aloe Ridge Hotel.

It is worth noting that again this year we managed to attend the Regional Alliance Meeting. The Director and Mrs Thandiwe Dlamini, SC Board Member represented Swaziland.

The challenge of the meeting was to engage its members in an honest debate about strengths and weaknesses in joint work, to learn lessons from experience with a view to coming up with the following:

• Mechanisms for joint implementation to ensure that our work is sustainable
• Plans that are concrete and achievable
• Possible regional structures/secretariat
• Mechanisms to exchange expertise between Alliance Members

We also want to share information on:

• Progress with the implementation of Alliance regional plans
• The Global Alliance Five Year Plan and potential monitoring mechanisms for the plan
• Plans from the South Africa Region for the UN Special Session for Children.