It’s like a dream! I am trying to get used to the fact that Close the Gap Nigeria project is coming to an end. I have been through a lot of learning and my experiences are countless. I have worked with countless people, some of them I have never met. I must confess it has been an interesting experience being part of a team of young people change the world locally. Beneficiaries of this project are grateful-it shows allover their happy faces when its time for the weekly club meetings. State coordinators have discovered hidden potentials within them, they have found passion and pleasure in impacting knowledge on a generation very close to their’s.

The doors of opportunities have been wide for us; different state sites are gaining the recognition of big actors in the area of youth reproductive health and HIV&AIDS. Many more organizations have seen that it is possible to work in rural areas and make impact; Close the Gap Nigeria Project model is being adopted by many of them.
I must tell you, young people in this project have proved themselves worthy of trust, commitment, leadership, innovation and creativity.

I want to state very emphatically that this is the first of its kind in Nigeria, there has not been any Close the Gap Nigeria project ever. For the respect of GYCA Nigeria team that met on the 22nd of May 2008 to draft this idea and the zealous state coordinators who have worked relentlessly, I want to appeal that every organization or individual wanting to adopt this model acknowledges the work of this group. It will be unfair if this team is not appreciated.

Close the Gap Nigeria is being implemented in 12 states in Nigeria (a community each) and has touched the life of 210young people as at the last count in February. We have enjoyed adult partnerships in this project and the different clubs will be handed over to partner organization at the end of the project for sustainability. Young people are working!

Greetings to the readers

Youth Leadership Project had its challenges and achievements in the implementation of its programmes.

Project Challenges:

Youth Leaders had to be announced January 2009 due to the South African schools and universities examination period. The application due dates were extended three times.

The implementation of the project started late January and the group activities are to be done simultaneously in April.

Mini conference group sharing with invited communities: groups will share their own group’s challenges and achievements in the duration of the projects. They will share their group discussions and their community educational campaigns or events. This will have to be done a week before the end of the project.

Youth Leadership Project Tool Kit is still in progress. Due to the nature of the implementation of the project, unfortunately it will not be available before the project ends. We want to include the mini conference to the kit.

Achievements:
Four groups are established and a total number of 47 youth joined the project

Groups are preparing their group activities or campaigns in educating their communities on HIV/AIDS

The Project Manager attended financial management training and he is willing to workshop the leaders and some of the group members on the 11 of April.

Ludwe Mali has been identified as a facilitator of the coming international workshop. Ikhwezi Lokusa Wellness Centre, the organization supporting the youth leadership project have been identified in a working relationship with the PDoH in working towards the HIV/AIDS Housing Policy for infected and affected people living in the Eastern Cape. More information on this in the coming blog

I am so excited in reporting in the next blog on how we are finalizing our project. Thank you for reading.

Hi all,

Currently, In Nepal 16-18 hours a day load shedding problem is going on... and it's a very challangeful situation for us to work in "New Nepal" of maiost government.

I am going to represnt from young civil socity delegation from Nepal as a speaker in "Undoing a decade of neglect. International drug policy and access to essential medical and harm reduction services" session on the occassion of the fifty-second Comission on Narcotic Drugs and its high-level segment, in vienna, March 2009. so, i am out of office.

Its time for us to advocate on "Children and Youth are the Casualties in the War Against Drugs".


c ya soon....

sujan

Greetings to the reader.

As we have mentioned in the last report, the Sexual and Heath workshop has been done. Some of the groups have been created and some have already been involve in some outreach activities. Summary report is as follows:

Ikhwezi group called Driven Force (DF) met in the 31 of January to discuss and was involved in the following activities:
1. Project Management conducted a group needs assessment that indicated the following
o Total Number attended the first meeting were 9 in total
o Gender: males = 4 and females = 5
o Ages are from 15 – 24
o Draft Plan for community activity
- Theme: Educating the community on HIV/AIDS
- Area: Mdantsane N.U 13
- Target age is from 13 and upwards
- Will visit Clinics and hospices in their community to educate and participate in cleaning their patients waiting area
- Activity Goal: To empower youth and community members on HIV and AIDS education. To take time to care for infected and affected by HIV/AIDS by cleaning their hospices and the waiting areas in the clinic.
- Vision: to contribute to Love life message of “HIV free Generation.
- Objectives: to motivate youth to think about testing. Four of our members volunteer to assist in admin and cleaning duties in the hospice home. Sending 100 invitations to household near the clinic to attend the event hosted to the clinic
2. Driven Force was invited and performed a Forum Theatre of Oppressed at Walter Sisulu University (WSU) in the 02 of February 2009. The university had a First Year Student’s Orientation Event. They were asked to perform a drama piece on challenges faced by the first year students. The performance was well received and they are now invited to perform another drama piece on the 16 of February in the same university. They are invited by the HIV and AIDS unit. Their theme is titled “Just two of us” under the STI and Condom week.

The second meeting was yesterday dated 14 February 2009. The outcome of the meeting is as follows:
1. They were busy preparing for their performance of the 16 of February. They created their drama piece on the meaning of condom use in preventing STI’s, HIV and unplanned pregnancy in youth life style. The event will be at WSU
2. The project management assisted the group members and their leader in their preparation for today’s presentation (16 February 2009) on Condom use and demonstration. This presentation will be done at Mdantsane. They are invited by one of South African political party.
3. Their March Community event current results:
o The clinic has accepted their call to host their event in the premises of the clinic.

Duncan Village Sophakama group met yesterday for the second time but it was the first meeting with the management of the project. The program went as follows:
1. The group members were given an opportunity to ask question to the project management about the project and their group.
2. The group changed they name from being Sophakama to Reflection of Perfection (ROP)
3. Project Management conducted a group needs assessment that indicated the following
o Total Number attended the first meeting were 12 in total
o Gender: males = 7 and females = 5
o Ages are from 15 – 24
o Draft Plan for community activity
- Theme: Youth and way forward
- Area: Duncan Village Ford Area
- Target age is from 13 and upwards (female and males)
- Activity Goal: To change youth behaviors and attitudes towards HIV and AIDS, Alcohol, abuse and sexual experience
- Vision: To provide awareness to selected participants.
- Objectives: To use edutainment to education. Volunteered participants to participate about how the community can participate in the goal of the group.

Project management and group members are meeting on the 21 of February to share about their challenges and achievements, leaders report to the project about the future plans.

Khulani and WSU group are to meet in the coming week due to space and time.

The HIV/AIDS and entrepreneurship workshop is moved to the first week of March due to the Ikhwezi Team Building Session on the 27 Feb – 1 March and the project workshop was supposed to be on the 28 of February and the first weekend of March.

Thank you for taking the time to read the the blog!!!!

Thank you and cheers.

We had great outcome from the previous period however the main problems :
- Our country has a lot of limitation around those people and doesn't want to show up those people as a result of the society stigma towards those people.
- We are not a registered NGO, you are a network and actually not have great support from UNFPA or other agencies that should help us as initiative.

But we did the first workshop of GYCA of PLHIV at Alexandria, we called 15 PLHIV and 13 persons had attended, plus five organizers and 4 speakers.

It was Thursday, Friday and Saturday (1-3 January 2009). The experience was the
first for a young group of people to gather and interact with PLHIV, with the
help of some ex. UNDP researchers as speakers and consultants for us as a group of young activists.

Before that period we cooperate with the National AIDS program at Egypt and developed a brochure specific for this sessions and also in Arabic, we made 500 copies of that materials.

Now
1- The first workshop had been done, our target was 10 PLHIV and we got 13 persons,
2- Our aim was is to promote their actions in their community, We tried to do that and will involve them into a particular activities later on, But we got a lot of their problems they are facing every day ( Rights to “Work, educated, have appropriate health care services….).
3-We developed the 500 brochure and distributed some of them and we have a lot for the next workshop, also we share some of them with NAP.
4-Friends of life association is still under construction but we have members of it and will be involved more at the next workshop.

So this project
-Will give great motivation for both PLHIV and young activists.
-Will be a sort of support for PLHIV that will be great step for involving them more at the society.

This was a one day outreach forum held on 30th January 2009, which was organized as a dialogue among community members.
This included members of the community who are key stake holders and are part of decision making organs in the community.

These range from the community chiefs, assistant chief representative elders, a representative from the police administration, youth leaders, women representative.

The outreach highlighted on the role of members of the community in fighting stigma related to HIV/AIDS. Some of the key topics that we concentrated on were:
• Basic facts HIV/AIDS
• Stigma related to HIV/AIDS
• Role of community in addressing issues above
• Kenya Youth Shadow report 2008

The TASC team partnered with members of the APHIA II programme that focuses on HIV/AIDS community training through their volunteers. Through this the members did 3 sets of drama that brought out the key issues in a community context.

The community elders, from both male and female organs of the community recommended the TASC team of their efforts and request that such forum should be held month to be able to reach all members of the community. This was especially in Kibera Community where there is a high rate of new infections among young people and married couples this is due to the challenges that especially young people go through because of unemployment an lack of basic needs.

The members of the community seem to be aware of facts on HIV/AIDS but there seem to be a lot of confusion with myths that go around the community especially since there are different cultures found in the areas and they all value their culture.

The rise of vernacular radio station in Kenya has also contributed a lot to this as some station do not seek to clarify their information before they send it out to the community members listening to the radio station.

Youth participants asking questions during the Youth outreach session at the community
(Sorry for late postings)

The TASC members organized a community outreach forum on 15 December 2009 where they involved youth leaders who went through mapping how far they have reached with their youth activities that focus on HIV/AIDS. This included mapping on the government’s activities focusing on the youth that is geared through the fights against HIV/AIDS

The outreach highlighted on their role in fighting stigma related to HIV/AIDS. Some of the key topics that we concentrated on were:
• Basic facts HIV/AIDS
• Stigma related to HIV/AIDS
• Kenya Youth Shadow report 2008

The youth members are well aware of facts on HIV/AIDS but they need to tap into the resources that NGO’s and the government have put into place for the young people.
The finally come up with action plan that will lead them in 2009 to focus on meeting leaders and governments officers who work in youth related programme that focus on HIV/AIDS. This will ensure that hey effectively participate in the activities.