The International Aids Vaccine Initiative, Community Mobilisation via the Peer Leader Initiative - Case Study Example

Community Mobilisation via the Peer Leader Initiative   Fund: INTERNATIONAL AIDS VACCINE INITIATIVE   Project number: Project title: Community Mobilisation via the Peer Leader Initiative Executing agent: Project Location: Implementing agent(s): Proposed starting date: Duration: 3 years   Government inputs: Fund inputs: In kind (local currency) (US$) In cash: 1 MILLION (currency) $   Other / third party cost-sharing: (source; currency)   Part I: Background and Justification The International Aids Vaccine Initiative is a non-profit global organization aimed at prevention of HIV infection and onset of AIDS through development of a vaccine. It began in 1996 and operates in 23 countries. The mandate of IAVI and its group of partners is research and development of vaccine candidates, advocacy of the vaccine to be a global priority and future accessibility of the vaccine to all. The scientific program at IAVI does R & D for vaccine candidates via the direction and financing of partnerships with over 30 private firms, academia and governmental bodies all over the world. So far five vaccine candidates have been developed by IAVI partnerships which have progressed from the concept stage to clinical trials on humans. There are partnerships in 12 countries to conduct trials with common laboratory services which can be used to compare different vaccines from the different sites. Research carried out by IAVI is about working on new ideas for vaccine design. They are fiscally the second largest AIDS vaccine research organization program in operation. IAVI cooperates with African and Asian scientists to evaluate the effectiveness of a vaccine in high incidence areas of HIV infections as well as the locations of various subtypes. Other issues on the agenda include ensuring that the vaccine is manufactured in a fiscally accessible way that is also simple to administer. Small scale vaccine trials are being carried out in Africa and Asia through facilitation of clinics and laboratories in these countries and training of staff. The understanding between IAVI scientific partners and the parent organization is that any vaccine developed through its auspices will be made affordable to those who need it. Advocacy work involves creating awareness among the leadership, both political and scientific as well as community groups and other about the urgency of getting a vaccine. IAVI pushes for changes in public policy to increase the speed of vaccine research and development as well as approvals of for manufacture and utilization of future vaccines. Part II: Project Proposal Community Mobilisation via the Peer Leader Initiative When planning a project, it is important to create a sound foundation for objectives and goals, with proper definition. There are different styles of project proposals which detail particular activities. In order to carry out advocacy work for IAVI, it is important to get a tight framework with a detailed plan. Significant factors that are to be considered when carrying out developmental project proposals include gender-based activities, environmental impact and sustainability (Touwen, 2001). Involvement of the community in any development project is designed to create a situation of economic and social progress through emphasis on participation of individuals, orientation of needs, consciousness-raising, self-reliance and empowerment. This approach involves; a. Definition of the Problem In order to engage with the local community and recruit volunteers for the vaccine trials, it is necessary to train certain members of that community to pass the message on to the rest. A Peer Leader is a member of the community whose opinion is valued and who has influence among their peers. Community mobilisation involves the promotion of support and action from a selected community in order to provide information; education and technical support around the given topic – in this case the HIV vaccine trials. This enables the community to understand the problem and encourages their involvement in articulation and response to it. Community mobilisation encourages participation and empowerment. The Peer Leader is tasked with: Dissemination of accurate HIV vaccine information among the target community as pointed out by researchers. Organisation of community seminars in conjunction with the research team. Involvement in HIV vaccine support activities. Attendance of monthly Peer Leader meetings. b. Strategic development plan to meet the needs of the community. Figure 1 illustrates how to build an effective preventive HIV Vaccine community awareness programme. Figure 1: Preventive HIV vaccine programme. Source: Wakasiaka et al, 2004. Step 1: assessment of whether the community is ready for HIV Vaccine Trials. This involves evaluating the readiness and needs assessment in the community. An assessment of knowledge, attitude and practises towards HIV/AIDS and finally formation of a community coalition where appropriate. The peer leader has an important role to play because they are liaisons with the community. They also assist in carrying out actual appraisals and constructing support toward a community coalition. Step 2: Assessment of the community’s greatest needs through evaluation and prioritisation. There is an assessment of resources available in the community in terms of manpower, finance, and material. This helps to hone in on information gaps such as HIV/AIDS transmission, prevention messages; HIV vaccine information or care of PLWHAs. Peer leaders are useful in assisting researchers in prioritising community needs. Step 3: Dissemination of information to targeted groups such as community leaders, health professionals, and potential volunteers. It is important to match the message to the audience. Peer leaders are very important here because they are able to advice the researchers on the best way to connect with the target audience. Step 4: Monitoring and evaluation of program effectiveness through re-evaluation of knowledge levels and documentation of best practises. c. Implementation of Plans with Greatest Community Involvement to Garner the Benefits. The participation of men as well as women increases the effectiveness of resource mobilisation, access to knowledge and energy and lends an air of legitimacy to the project. It also encourages commitment and ownership of the project by the community and therefore fosters sustainability. Empowerment on the other hand goes beyond participation and denotes sharing of power. It therefore assists in the liberation of the people from mental or physical dependence. Implementing the project entails several activities. These activities include ensuring community participation to launch the project, activity coordination, monitoring and other miscellaneous concerns. This falls under the purview of the project manager, coordinator or project management committee. a. Coordination This is process whereby two or more individuals or organizations cooperate to achieve a collective task. In this case the community Peer Leaders and the Researchers are working together to mobilize the community in support of the HIV vaccine trials. A person or team is given the responsibility of coordination in order to; Attain the goals laid out in the project with a minimum of bottlenecks. Carry out instant correction of issues that come up upon implementation of the project. Encourage improved relationships between organisations, departments, or individuals linked to the project as well as synchronize resources and activities in order to attain the goals of the project. Create a rapport between target population of the project and other sectors including the political leadership. b. Team Building A team is comprised of an energetic gathering of two or more individuals who are dedicated to carrying out a common objective, have a good synergy and produce high quality work. The two major results produced by a team are; Producing above average results and succeeding in spite of any challenges they may encounter. The members are accountable to the team and exert themselves in crisis resolution and eliminating problems from their path. c. Monitoring This involves routine information collection on all characteristics of the project. Monitoring is important in order to; Evaluate the immediate situation Recognise issues and resolve them Map out trends and patterns. Maintain the schedule on project activities. Gauge the progress of project aims with a view to adjustment or tweaking of future objectives. Manage human, financial and material resources. Monitoring is an ongoing activity that accompanies any project. The monitoring system must be set up prior to commencement and features on the project work plan. d. Evaluation This entails measurement, assessment and impact of the project vis a vis the objectives. The evaluation will verify a project’s relevance, how effective it is and what advantages it affords the host community. Evaluation differs from monitoring in that the latter checks whether the project is on track and the former queries whether the project is on the right track. Thus evaluation is about the longer lasting impact of the project aims. Evaluation is of two types; process, and impact evaluation. Conclusion The IAVI community mobilization project aims to assist in empowerment of the community through conveyance of basic messages. These messages are designed to lead to behaviour change on the part of the community, empower them with knowledge and enable them to have a positive attitude toward vaccine trials. References Touwen, A. (2001). Handbook for Projects: Development Management and Fundraising. Convener IFUW Special Committee on Project Development. International Federation of University Women 8, rue de l’Ancien-Port, 1201 Geneva, Switzerland Wakasiaka, S, Bwayo, J.J., Achola, N., Omosa, G., Jaoko, W., Waruingi, W, Ogutu, H. (2004). HIV Vaccine Peer Leader Training Manual Read More