The role of Volunteers in NAPHAM

1
The role of Volunteers in NAPHAM

• Presented by Maureen Mwakanema
• Southern African Conference on Volunteer
  Action for Development
• 18th October,2011

2
Background of NAPHAM National Association for
People Living with HIV and AIDS in Malawi

• A registered Malawian Non Governmental
  Organisation
• Started in 1993 by four people who were living
  with HIV and felt that their needs as PLHIV were
  not met.
• A membership organisation open to all PLHIV in
  Malawi through support groups in Malawi
• As of today NAPHAM has approximately 56,000
  registered members.
• NAPHAM works directly with PLHIV as such it
  provides a human face to the pandemic

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NAPHAMs vision

•  
• NAPHAM envisions quality life for people infected
  and directly affected by HIV and AIDS who are
  well informed about HIV and AIDS issues and are
  able to live to their full potential in a free
  and conducive environment
•  

4
NAPHAMs mission statement

• NAPHAM exists to promote quality care, support
  and prevention services in order to enhance
  positive living and to reduce HIV and AIDS
  transmission for all people infected and affected
  by HIV and AIDS in Malawi.

5
Core Programmes and activities

• Prevention, care and support
• HIV AIDS education outreach
• Pretest and follow up counselling
• Community Home Based care
• Adult and children group therapy
• Livelihood
• Income Generating activities
• Farming
• Hope Kit
• Advocacy
• Human Rights and
• Patient Charter
• Sensitising communities on Stigma and
  discrimination
• Dialogue meetings with community leaders
• Interface meetings with health service providers
• Lobby meetings with government

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Core programmes continuation

• Membership anchor
• Data base of all members and this assists in
  developing programmes which takes composition of
  membership into consideration.
• Capacity building
• Support groups and staff are trained in all core
  activities and project management.

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The value of community based volunteers

• NAPHAM as an organisation has no community based
  employees. There are only district employees who
  provides technical support and mentoring to the
  support groups.
• All community work is done by the volunteers from
  the support groups. Without these community
  volunteers NAPHAM would not have achieved much.
• The work done by the volunteers is invaluable.
  Issues of behavior change can not be tackled by
  outsiders alone it has to come from the
  community.
• Using PLHIV volunteers in the communities has
  assisted in reducing stigma and discrimination as
  the community values the services they provide.

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The benefits for the volunteers

• Well informed on various HIV and AIDS issues
  because they are trained in the area of
  volunteering
• They gain respect and some become influential in
  the communities as they are regarded as a source
  of HIV and AIDS information
• The small allowances they get during the
  trainings go a long way. Others have managed to
  start small businesses within their locality
  while others have managed to buy iron sheets to
  roof their houses.

9
Volunteering and sustainable development

• The role of community based volunteers in
  sustainable development need not be emphasised
  because volunteer from organisations have time
  line they come for a specified period and leave
  but, the community volunteers will remain in
  their communities and continue using and
  instilling in others the knowledge and skills for
  development.
• These volunteers are catalysts of change.

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Volunteer Motivation

• NAPHAM Community Volunteers are unique because
  they are in the fight against HIV not as
  external experts but as people experiencing the
  problem .
• They have face the everyday poverty experiences
  like everyone else and being PLHIV is an added
  burden. They are driven with passion from within.
• Providing them with information on HIV and AIDS
  which assist them live a positive life is vital
  to them.
• Providing them with tools that enable them
  deliver the services efficiently gains them
  respect in the community
• Branding makes them stand out in the communities.

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• The strength of NAPHAM lies in the
  community based volunteer
• NAPHAM , A FRIEND AT ALL TIMES
• Thank for your attention