Designing Hope - Actions

A project co-financed with Designing Hope Africa

Swaziland

Malanda Community Awareness Project
Also read: Piggs Peak Nutrition Programme.

Introduction - Malanda.

The Community Hall is located at the entrance of Piggs Peak in a disadvantaged area.
It has unfortunately not been maintained in the last few years, leading to broken windows and doors, a leaking roof, paint coming off the walls, no electricity or water installed, and an outside area in need of maintenance and gardening. The premises was an open space, accessible to anyone, with no-one looking after the maintenance.
This was due to the fact that the Town Council did not have the financial means to cover the running costs.

The Hall is 300m2 with a large hall and also includes 2 independent rooms on the side. The central hall has a 3m wide and 2m long stage. There is a soccer field located right in front of the building.
There is a section of land the same length of the building and 5m wide in the back, left unattended.

Designing Hope Programme - Malanda Community Hall.

Objective: Create an Educational, Skills Development and Health Awareness Centre.

A meeting was held in January 2005 with members of the board of Designing Hope Africa, and Apollo Mapalala, Town Clerk (Piggs Peak Town Council). It was proposed by Designing Hope Africa to facilitate HIV/AIDS awareness and educational programmes, utilizing a multi-pronged approach : offering cultural and leisure events/activities, skills and job training programmes, as well as community support, counselling, and education, in conjuction with volunteer support group members, who are presently based at the Piggs Peak Hospital.

The Town Council has been very supportive regarding the renovation and rehabilitation of the Community Hall and the possibility of Designing Hope Africa facilitating the funding of such, and further, the educational workshops regarding HIV/AIDS awareness programmes, skills development, as well as cultural development, including training in arts and crafts, music, nutrition and healthy lifestyles.
The Town Council expressed the importance of the community still being able to run community entertainment events such as “movie nights” on an occational basis.

It was agreed that quarterly programmes would be submitted by Designing Hope Africa to the Town Council leaving certain days available for such events.
The Community would have to co-ordinate such events directly with the Town Council. The Town Council would then inform the Support Group Board members of the dates, times and events to take place, to arrange for the Hall to be available at these times. The Community members in charge of the event would be responsible for the organising and co-ordination of such events and a Board Member from the Support Group would also be in attendance.

The Town Council was assured by Designing Hope that HIV/AIDS will not be the main and obvious focus of the Community Hall, but the Hall would be considered a Cultural, Arts and Skills Educational Centre and not an extention of the Hospital.
Designing Hope recognised the importance of the fact that the information provided by the Support Group Members regarding HIV/AIDS was not to be forced upon the Community, but rather given when requested by individuals. This will also be facilitated by the fact that any of the Support Group Volunteers will be able to guide interested persons to the qualified counsellors at the Hospital/testing centre.

A collaboration with the Alliance Francaise has been forseen in a near future, in order to enrich the programme of the cultural centre by organising various artists, including those of music, arts and drama to perform in Piggs Peak. These artists could also run workshops for those interested, with the intent of developing skills in the community which could be further utilised and developed, even after the artists have departed.

Organisation of the Malanda Center.

First step: Renovation.

Renovation of the building started in March 2005, involving as much as possible community members, in a context of high imployment in the area.
Doors and windows have been changed, buiding has been cleaned, and repainted inside and outside.
The outside area at the back of the building has been cleaned, and land prepared for the implantation of a community garden.
Electricity and water will be settled in April and May, and building should be fully opperational in June.

Second step: Maintenance, projects and upkeep.

Schedule
The community hall will be opened on a flexible schedule, given the activities planned over the year and the workshops organized. Ideally, Designing Hope would initially open the center 5 afternoons a week,
from 1 to 6 pm.

Projects cordinators
9 porject coordinators will be selected from the support group, for their expertise and or personal interest would each be in charge of a specific activity, project or event.
Two of these coordinators will be on site to organize activities during the hours of operation.
Considered activities are:

- Sport and games (i.e. , regular soccer matches for young people from the community).

- Movie Nights, Targeted theatre plays and workshops (3 Amigos interactive theater play, for instance).

-Music workshops, concerts & community initiatives.

-Visual Arts (Painting, workshops, exhibitions)

-Skill training for women (bead work and weaving)

-Skill training for men (wood, metal and wire work)

-Nutrition training with a focus on HIV/ AIDS needs (This person would be the one coordinating the food preparation at the canteen and would work on recipes at the community hall every week for an extra day).

-Gardening, with a focus on HIV/ AIDS needs

-Support group meeting cordinator
Support group meetings held once a week in this venue.
One could imagine that one support group would be targeted for people aware of their status, and another one for people from the community interested in knowing more about the subject.
It is to be hoped that the aforementioned projects and workshops will attract community members’ involvement in this center.

Third step - Continuing interest in these activities will create the opportunity to include and integrate HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention in the community.

HIV Coordinator
Designing Hope will finance the training of one volunteer as a licensed AIDS Counsellor
(week-end training over one year) .
This person will be responsible for coordinating the currently planned projects, together with the partners involved (Alliance Francaise, French Board of Dessine l’Espoir, Town Council…) and will oversee the dissemination of HIV/AIDS information pertinent to each field of activity and targeted population group.

As an example, this cordinator would make sure that awareness films would be screened before each Movie Night, that posters would be displayed and updated, condoms would be available.
The coordinator would regularly inform project cordinators of upcoming performances and discussion groups with various experts ((Know your body, Amazing Grace…) and encourage each group’s attendance at these events.

HIV/AIDS programme within the Community Hall

The idea is really to keep the HIV programme as discreet as possible, to make it more efficient
and first obtain the community’s confidence and interest in coming to this venue.

But the message will be given through:
- targeted theatre plays with a message or messages
- exhibitions
- Posters in the room
- Nutrition training, and gardening skills, with a focus on HIV/ AIDS
- Permanent presence and advice from the support group members available.
- Support group meetings held once a week in this venue
- Film showing
- Condom distribution
- Visits by personalities involved in other HIV programmes, such as Amazing Grace or other experienced, well-known counsellors, the Know your Body Programme, a Film showing of the 3 Amigos Awareness campaign...