SCAT: HIV/ AIDS Activator Programme

SCAT’s funding partners include the Norwegian Church Aid, CORDAID, National Department of Health, Engen, and the Eastern Cape Department of Social Services as the Eastern Cape contain the bulk of LDAs that are supported by the project. Through these partnerships, SCAT’s HIV/AIDS Activator Programme started in 2003. It was created to address the lack of financial and capacity-building support for HIV/AIDS-focused LDAs in rural areas, which hamper the effective HIV/AIDS service delivery of these organizations. SCAT does not just provide services for the LDA, instead they seek avenues to make LDAs self-sustainable by strengthening its HIV/AIDS service delivery capacity. As a result SCAT avoids running the risk of creating a relationship of dependency. The 'Activator' programme provides support to LDAs chiefly in the following ways:

• Raising awareness of the various HIV/AIDS programmes;
• A key community member is trained, called an ‘Activator’ and delegated to an LDA to facilitate SCAT’s capacity strengthening strategy;
• Baseline assessments - building capacity within the LDA to enable the community to conduct their own analysis and response to their assessment.

SCAT also trains home-based carers to support families living with HIV/AIDS, provides material support for orphans in the form of school uniforms and food parcels and supports LDAs to assist people with accessing governmental grants. Local Economic Development is another avenue of support and the Activator programme initiates income-generation activities that include the development of food gardens as part of a food security programme. Here people living with HIV/ AIDS are trained in various income-generating skills, including how to market their products and business management.

Innovation

SCAT’s HIV/AIDS Activator Programme is not a blanket support system but works within the organizational frameworks of the specific LDA, seeing to their specialized needs. The advantages of this modelare that they build local capacity and ensure ownership and accountability within communities.

Effectiveness

There are currently 30 HIV/AIDS-focused initiatives that are being serviced by SCAT’s HIV/AIDS Activator programme. There are 19 LDAs in the Eastern Cape, five in the Northern Cape, two in the North West Province and four in the Western Cape. Besides the multitude of support services the programme provides, each LDA is awarded with R46 000 a year that is funded by a R3000 grant every month. Annual evaluations of the progress of all LDAs are assessed at Activator sites. Fieldworkers regulary undertake site vists. SCAT-funded LDAs establish their own relationships with local and provincial government.

Poverty Impact

The project employs 32 ‘Activators’ that were previously unemployed from the specific communities of the particular LDA. These Activators help LDAs improve services.

Sustainability

The project has an income of R2 678 305 for 2007. R582 550 is sourced from Norwegian Church Aid and CORDAID donated R689 384. Engen who contributed R100 000 sponsors two Activator sites and the Eastern Cape Department of Social Services gave R163 400. The National Department of Health is their biggest funder, contributing R1 142 971.

Replication

SCAT intends to expand the programme to reach at least 60 rural LDAs in the immediate future, infiltrating more provinces than it presently has.

Partnerships

• National Department of Health
• Norwegian Church Aid
• CORDAID
• Eastern Cape Department of Social Services
• Engen