FAMLI News #4:

Report on 2005

Message from the Chairperson

2005

was the fourth year of FAMLI's Aids Cultural Change Programme. It was marked by the receipt of a first grant from the National Aids Commission, a recognition that the Programme contributes to the national aim of an AIDS-free society.

Further confirmation that we are on the right track has come from Malawi’s President’s advocacy of abstinence and fidelity as the best means of confronting the AIDS pandemic.

We began to offer technical assistance to Mzuzu Catholic Diocese in setting up their Aids Cultural Change Programme. The Head of Training spent one month in the diocese and held two workshops for this purpose.

Towards the end of the year the Catholic Secretariat invited us to assist in establishing natural family planning programmes in each of their seven dioceses. This important development has opened the prospect of countrywide activity.

Mrs. Felister Chinthunzi, Head of Training and Services, was chosen as one of the five women to represent Malawi in the Thousand Women being nominated for the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize on behalf of the Women of the World.

Fr. Cremins declared his wish to retire as Executive Director, which was accepted by the Board who also requested him to remain at work until his successor had been identified.

In order to practise what we preach the whole staff went to the Lighthouse for VCT.

We record our thanks to our Donors and others who have made our work possible.

(Mrs.) Florence Kayambo
CHAIRPERSON

FAMLI's Aids Cultural Change Programme
has several components:

1. Information,Education and Communication:

Objective:to provide information about FAMLI, its apprpoach to the HIV/AIDS Crisis and its programmes.

HIV/Fertility Awareness Education is delivered by trained Cultural Change Educators and covers topics such as

The anatomy and physiology of human reproduction.

A scientific understanding of sexuality.

Development of life before birth.

Reflection on the meaning of sex in our total lives.

How HIV is transmitted, prevented and avoided.

Confining sex to marriage as the only sure way of avoiding HIV.

How to make intercourse exciting, as an aid to fidelity in marriage.

Need for Voluntary Counselling and Testing (VCT).

Mother-to-child transmission of HIV.

Breastfeeding by an HIV-positive mother

Destigmatisation of PLWAs.

2. Circles of Life:

Objective: to complete the family planning menu by offering a real choice of an effective and healthy natural method

NFP Education and service were provided in Lilongwe Urban and Rural Districts (pop.1.3 million in 2002). These are based on the Bead System of Maternal Life International for tracking fertility and infertility and are provided by the trained Cultural Change Educators. This natural family planning method has been received with great enthusiasm by women who, because of their low nutritional status, have often suffered severe side-effects from hormonal contraceptives. After an introduction to the method lasting about four months, autonomous couples were presented with certificates at village “graduation” ceremonies. These were marked by song and dance and a new relationship between the couples was evident. It is new to find rural Malawian couples holding hands or with their arms around each other waists in public. This year we had seven such ceremonies for 2047 couples. This number could have been much higher had not cash flow problems caused delay in paying incentives to CCEs, leading many of them to drop out.

	2002	2003	2004	2005
CCEs Trained	32	+48 = 80	+32 = 112	+12 = 124
CCEs Active	32	56	62	40
Couples Educated	250	1249	5199	7246
CCE Training Sessions	2	3	2	1
Supervisors Training Workshops		1
Zonal Supervisors		8	7	5
Client Workshops	1	2	Training by CCEs in the Community

3. Tikhale Moyo (Change for Life) Groups:

Objective: To provide a forum for reflection on the need for cultural change

TKM Groups discuss the traditional practices which Malawi’s National AIDS Policy identifies as liable to spread HIV. They go on to collaborate in care of the sick and income generating activities. They became COMSIP groups, under the new Community Savings & Investment Promotion Programme, while as farming groups they qualified with the Grain and Legume National Association to access seed and fertilisers, followed by better markets and prices for their products. Unfortunately this hope was disappointed because of the sudden death of the Association’s Chief Executive and serious mismanagement of its funds, which led Government to suspend dealings with it.

	2002	2003	2004	2005
TKM/CfL Groups			21	49
TKM/CfL Members			840	2087

4. Youth Alive:

Objective: To promote behaviour change and abstinence among youth.

FAMLI's Youth Alive is affiliated to the National Youth Alive. Through Peer Educators it aims to attain the national objective of “bringing about change in the behaviour that predisposes youth to HIV infection.” They invite boys and girls to reflect on the meaning of sex in their total lives and to decide to postpone sexual activity until they are married, which is the only sure way of avoiding HIV. Their workshops included the annual one with the candidates for the priesthood at Kasina Formation Centre.

Failure to find funds meant that they did not hold their Schools Essay, Poster, Netball and Football competitions this year. Towards the end of the year we engaged a full time youth organiser.

	2003	2004	2005
Peer Educators Trained	25	+ 25 = 50	50
Peer Educators Active			33
Behaviour change Workshops	6	+5 =11	+5 = 16
Youths Workshopped	296	+177 = 473	+242 = 715
Outreach Sessions	11	+16 = 27	+13 = 40
Nos. at Outreach Sessions	860	759	788 (=2407)
Trainers of Peer Educators	12

5. Parentaid

Objective: To help Parents with the sexual education of their children.

A child’s first education about sexuality should come from its parents. However, many parents do not know how to go about it. Parentaid will be a new programme which will help them in this task.

6. Advocacy

Objective: To commend FAMLI's philosophy to the public and policy makers.

We presented our AIDS Cultural Change Programme at the 3-day Conference of the National Aids Commission on Research and Best Practices and to a quarterly meeting of MANASO (Malawi Network of Aids Service Organisations).

We are negotiating with the Ministry of Health and Population about including Fertility Awareness Education and natural family planning in their services and funding.

7. Research

Objective: To evaluate the demand for natural family planning.

On the advice of the Ministry of Health and Population we began to prepare a research on the unmet need for natural family planning in Lilongwe Urban and Rural Districts.

We need to evaluate our programmes. Have they increased married fidelity and abstinence or postponement of sexual debut among the unmarried? Have child spacing and relationships among our clients improved? Have they achieved food security or a better standard of living?

Administration

The Board of Directors set up a Financial and Administrative Subcommittee in July. The Home Based Care Programme of the Catholic Secretariat allowed us to adopt their Financial Management Handbook. Mr. Hubert Kapakasa reviewed our accounts and prepared them for Audit, which has been delayed by waiting for certain information from our Bank and from Jesuit Missions, Dublin, who were the channel for Development Cooperation Ireland funds. We expect it to be done early in 2006.

At the suggestion of NAC, which has proved very beneficial, Messrs. Peter Holdsworth began in December to make a twice monthly visit to supervise our financial management. Although they had several recommendations to make about records that needed to be kept, they seemed generally satisfied that all the basic information about income and expenditure had been properly recorded. We will publish our financial report after the audit to be done early in 2006.

Seeing the delays in incorporating FAMLI’s Trustees, the Board decided to register as a Company Limited by Guarantee.

The Board also decided to restructure our staff’s employment. Everyone’s current contract is to be terminated so that they can be reappointed under contracts corresponding to the foreseen funding.

For sustainability and self-reliance FAMLI will try to buy or build an office block to meet its own needs and to provide income from space rented.

The objective of making a 5-Year Plan had not been achieved by the end of 2005. It remains to be done as soon as possible.

Constraints

Delays by our supporting Agencies led to Cash flow problems that made it impossible to achieve our programme targets in the last quarter of the year. A long delay in paying incentives affected the performance of CCEs and Supervisors, leading to a fall in the rate of expansion. Moreover, widespread hunger and the need to search for food distracted CCEs from their work and also prevented people from seeking out our services and attending Change for Life Club meetings.

Our office is cramped and is not conveniently located, so that client consultations there have declined. We need to move to bigger premises in a more central location.

Transport. The one second-hand saloon car on which we rely is not sufficient for our needs. The present Executive Director is able to provide his own transport thanks to support as a Volunteer by Development Cooperation Ireland. His successor will have to have an official vehicle. We need cars also for Circles of Life field work, Youth Alive and Parentaid.

It has been difficult to obtain a supply of beads locally, so that at times we have found ourselves teaching the Bead Method without beads!

Grants and Donations

Medical Services Corporation International: 2,485,037.80

Development Cooperation Ireland 138,772.00

:National Aids Commission 1,078,625.00

Maternal Life International 162,020.34

AID to the Church in Need 859,037.14

S. Weiner & J Arganbright 46,352.75

Jesuit Missions, Dublin 289,810.95

Total 5,059,655.98

Malawi Social Action Fund gave K636,830 to Mulewa & Aiswa TKM Clubs.

Income and Expenditure Account for 2005

*Income* (Malawi Kwacha) Expenditure
Grants 4,723,492.28	Salaries & Incentives -2,142,268.50
Donations 336,163.70	Administration/Office -1,597,059.91
Other Income 24,912.36	Local Travel/Transport -441,770.22
Unexplained 528,254.73	Foreign Travel - 5,000.00
Total 5,612,823.07	Capital equipment 7,050.00
	Training -289,125.00
	Youth Alive 11,725.00
	IEC/Outreach -14,872.00
	Total -4,508,870.63
	Surplus 1,103,952.44

Networking:

FAMLI seeks to collaborate with others working in the same field and to offer them technical assistance in carrying out some or all of the elements of the Aids Cultural Change Programme. It is a member of MANASO (Malawi Association of Aids Service Organisations) and the Lilongwe District Aids Committees. Besides contact with smaller groups like several independent Churches, the Malawian Child, Nkwazi Village Aids Committee, The African Child; and Mgona CBO, we are negotiating with:

· The Adult Literacy Council about introducing Aids/Fertility Awareness Education into literacy programmes, which we hope to do also by joining MAREFO;

· The Ministry of Health and Population about helping to expand the family planning menu to include a well informed and real choice of a natural method;

· The Catholic Church about technical assistance in providing countrywide Aids/Fertility Awareness education and natural family planning to Church leaders and members (without excluding non-members) in every diocese. We already have a Memo of Understanding with Mzuzu Diocese and have set out the steps they need to take to establish an Aids Cultural Change Programme.

· ASUM (the Association of Sunni Madrassahs) about assisting them to provide Aids Avoidance and Fertility Awareness Education to their youth.

Meetings Attended

In June Mrs. Chinthunzi, Head of Training and Services, brought her five Supervisors to attend a 3day Grain and Legume Workshop at Tembwe in Mchinji, where they learnt how to assist Tikhale Moyo clubs to into commercial farming and find markets and better prices for their produce.

In December Fr. Cremins was invited to Abuja, Nigeria, to present the Aids Cultural Change Programme at the Conference of PACANet, the Pan-African Christian Aids Network. Immediately afterwards he was also able to take part in ICASA, the International Conference on Aids and Sexually Transmitted Diseases in Africa, for which Catholic Relief Services paid his registration fee.

Members of the Board