Tag: Children

Center for Global Initiatives’ Grant Announcement

Empower Children Now!

Kaoma Rural Hope Building Projects (Zambia)

October 20, 2017

BROOKLYN, NY – The Daniel Society is pleased to announce its Empower Children Now! grant program under the Rural Children’s Initiative. This grant program will promote the health and well-being of children living with, or at risk of developing, HIV/AIDS in rural villages. The FY2017-2018 grants will be directed to rural hope building projects in Kaoma, Zambia. Sadly, less than 50% of children with HIV/AIDS in Zambia are on lifesaving treatment. For children in rural villages, the problem is even more severe. The Daniel Society is partnering with local NGOs and governments to fight the injustice of global poverty.

ELIGIBILITY 

The Empower Children Now! grants shall be disbursed to qualified non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in Kaoma that are actively engaged in interventions to improve the health and well-being of children living with, or at risk of developing, HIV/AIDS in rural villages. Organizations must meet all of the below requirements:

  1. Registered as a Local or International NGO with the Ministry of Community Development and Social Services (Department of Registrar for NGOs);
  2. Operating for at least three years;
  3. Actively engaged in community-based projects designed to intervene in the lives of children living with, or at risk of developing, HIV/AIDS in rural villages;
  4. Have a dedicated executive director or manager who works full time for the organization; and
  5. Participate on local government and/or NGO coordination committees.

APPLICATION PROCESS

The deadline to apply for the Empower Children Now! grant is December 1, 2017.  Application materials should be submitted via email to grants@danielsociety.org. The following materials are required:

1. Letter of Intent (no longer than 3 pages) – the letter should include the following information:

  • Background of organization including its mission, leadership structure, types of staff positions (paid and unpaid), and location;
  • Current projects;
  • How funds will be used including details about the target population, number of people that will be served, communities/villages targeted, and how the organization will coordinate with local government and the NGO community;
  • Other sources of funding and whether those funds will be leveraged; and
  • How success will be measured

2. Proposed Project Budget (no longer than 1 page)

Approval Timeline

An Award Announcement will be issued by January 31, 2018 to organizations that have been selected by our Center for Global Initiatives’ Grant Committee. However, final approval of these grants shall be made by the Board of Directors at their March 2018 meeting. Funds shall subsequently be disbursed to the organizations for project planning and project implementation. More documentation and information may be requested from the organizations prior to the disbursement.

For more information about our work, visit us at www.danielsociety.org. If you have any questions regarding this grant announcement, contact Ms. Jennell Pascall at jpascall@danielsociety.org.

ABOUT US

The Daniel Society is a 501(c)(3) Brooklyn-based organization that has designed smart and compassionate initiatives to reduce global poverty, fight injustice and empower people to hope again.

Center for Global Initiatives

81 Prospect Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201

718.989.2161 – info@danielsociety.org

Sub-Saharan Adolescents Are Left Behind in the Fight Against HIV/AIDS

The reality is alarming—as global HIV-related deaths have declined among children and adults, adolescent deaths have increased. Approximately 1.8 million adolescents (between the ages of 10 and 19) are living with HIV/AIDS, 80% (1.4 million) of them live in Sub-Saharan Africa. This is a 28% increase since 2005. The stark reality is that adolescent HIV rates are projected to continue increasing because of population growth and stalled efforts to combat the spread of the disease.

In Zambia, adolescents face unique challenges when it comes to HIV/AIDS.  Many young people are not accessing the services they need because youth-friendly HIV services are not widely available. Testing is also not widely practiced by adolescents; fewer than 30% of them have been tested for HIV. Additional barriers are related to their access to education and health services. For example, adolescent HIV/AIDS services are combined with adult ones.  Adolescents are often too shy to show up at health clinics on days when adults are also on site to receive services.  For those who do show up at the health clinics, they end up missing a school day.  As a result, the number of adolescents receiving treatment has decreased.  There is also a lack of youth counselors and spaces in health facilities.   

Additional barriers to accessing HIV services and other services include relational and individual factors. Relational factors, such as the attitude of family and peers, serves as a determining factor in getting tested for HIV. Adolescents with high levels of social support from friends, including the ability to discuss whether or not to get tested, were more likely to obtain HIV services. The same is true of adolescents who discussed services with family and their sexual partners.

Even when adolescents are receiving antiretroviral treatment, they face barriers for treatment retention and adherence. One of the most significant barrier is fear of disclosure. Both adolescents and their families believe that one’s HIV status should be kept and treated within the home. This corresponds with reports of adolescents taking and keeping their medication in their homes to avoid being exposed as HIV positive. Social events in school and extracurricular activities tend to interfere with dosing time and results in missed medications. Adolescents also delay taking their medication for hours until they returned home or even missing their dose for the day because they slept over at a friend’s house and did not bring it because of their fear of exposure. 

(Photo: UNICEF/SUDA2014-XX166/Noorani) 

 Zambia has undertaken initiatives to address this gap in services, stigma, and other barriers. To reduce the fear of discrimination for having or being suspected of having HIV, Zambia has started a program that provides free, confidential information to adolescents about HIV. Locate services and nearby clinics were also established. Additionally, a mentorship and support program led by other HIV-positive peers was also implemented. While there is still much work that needs to be done, Zambia has taken good steps to provide youth-friendly HIV services.