What
does TKMOAMS mean?
TKMOAMS: Tate Kalungu
Mweneka
Omukithi
wo “AIDS”
Moshilongo Shetu
Translation:
Our Mighty Father Protect Our Nation From The Deadly Disease “AIDS”
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Why
TKMOAMS?
Namibia
has a national HIV infection rate of 20%. The three regions in which
TKMOAMS currently operates has some of the highest HIV infection rates
in Namibia: Oshana
28%, Ohangwena 23%, and Omusati 21%, Ministry of Health and Social
Services, 2001. Such figures indicate that hospital based health
care services are struggling to cope with the number of people being
admitted with HIV related illness. There is a shortage of staff at
hospitals/clinics, whilst existing staff are getting sick and are dying.
Many people in both urban and rural communities are sick and need to be
cared for.
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What
is TKMOAMS?
TKMOAMS is a voluntary,
non-profit, non-governmental Community Based Organisation. The
activities of TKMOANS will eventually cover the whole of Northern
Namibia, and are managed through an executive committee, which is
currently situated in Oshakati, Oshana Region. Diana Shilongo, a HIV
Counsellor at Oshakati State Hospital, coordinates TKMOAMS.
TKMOAMS covers 23 communities
in Oshana, Ohangwena and Omusati regions
It consists of:
-
206
Community AIDS Committee members
-
452
Community AIDS Educators
-
21
of its members are trained as community counsellors
-
138
of its members trained as home care givers
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Mission Statement
TKMOAMS was founded in 1996
to contribute to a process of restoring hope and improving the quality
of life of people and communities affected by HIV infection and disease
and exists to offer:
-
One-to-one
counselling which empowers the infected person to make informed
decisions which improve quality of life and achieve a balance
between rights and responsibilities
-
Sensitive
and compassionate care which provides early diagnosis and treatment
of opportunistic infections, and hence living positively and dying
with dignity
-
Counselling
for family members to dispel their fears of contracting HIV through
casual contact, facilitate care of infected and affected people, and
prepare the family for and support them during bereavement
-
Educating
the community on facts about HIV/AIDS including:
-
Home visiting
- Home Care
- Counselling
- Referral
- Planning and organising community education seminars
- Mobilizing the community for participation in programme
activities
- Mobilizing external support.
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Objectives
-
Restoring
hope and improving the quality of life of people and communities
affected by HIV infection and disease
-
To
offer counselling services to people with HIV/AIDS and their
families
-
Provide
on the ground services i.e. going house to house, i.e. giving the
facts about AIDS
-
Make
referrals to different places where these people can get help
-
To
sensitise the public and promote positive attitudes towards people
with HIV/AIDS and their families
-
To
minimize the social ills caused by HIV/AIDS through materials
support to clients and their families
-
To
build and support community based efforts initiated to respond to
the AIDS epidemic.
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Recruitment
and Selection of TKMOAMS Volunteers
The
recruitment and selection of TKMOAMS volunteers can be described through
a series of seven steps:
-
A
needs assessment is undertaken in most infected/affected areas. Such
areas are identified from statistics collected at the HIV
counselling office at Oshakati State Hospital (communities with most
people testing positive for HIV).
-
The
TKMOAMS Coordinator introduces the programme to the village headman.
The headman provides the names of group leaders (e.g. women’s
groups, soccer clubs, teachers, pastors, traditional healers).
TKMOAMS writes to these group leaders inviting them to attend an
introductory meeting.
-
Group
leaders are mobilised at the introductory meeting. Group leaders are
requested to select their own people for training, and are asked to
form two committees from those selected: a steering committee and an
AIDS Educators Committee.
-
TKMOAMS
trains committee members. The training curriculum is in two parts:
training of community counsellors and training of home based
caregivers.
-
On
completion of the training curriculum a graduation ceremony is held
to which the regional governor, elected councillors, village headman
and group leaders are invited. The volunteers are introduced to the
regional governor.
-
The
village headman introduces the new volunteer (as a community
counsellor or home based care giver) during their first visit to
homesteads in their community. Thereafter, the volunteer can proceed
to carrying out their duties on their own.
-
Supervision
and support. Soon after new volunteers have started working, TKMOAMS
tries to support them by visiting the volunteers in their
communities on a monthly basis or every two months, but this has
proved difficult due to problems of accessing transport.
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Experiences/lessons
learned and implications for the future
-
A
need was identified for a standard training curriculum for community
counsellors and Home Based Care Givers
-
Some
volunteers drop out due to lack of supervision and support, caused
by TKMOAMS not having its own transport to visit communities
-
There
is a need to identify non-financial incentives for volunteers to
maintain their commitment and motivation.
-
Recent
successful funding applications will enable TKMOAMS to equip up to
400 volunteers with Home Based Care kits thus enabling the
volunteers to provide a higher level of care.
-
There
is a need for TKMOAMS to expand its activities in areas/regions not
yet covered by TKMOAMS or other Home Based Care schemes.
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TKMOAMS….
The way forward?
-
VSO
Volunteer funded by RAISA to commence placement as from February
2002 to assist in developing the organisation
-
Identify
funding for vehicle in order to properly support volunteers and to
assist food programme
-
Identify
non-financial incentives for volunteers, e.g. t-shirts, shoes, food
packages, mosquito nets
-
Identify
funding for bicycles to enable volunteers to visit homesteads in
rural areas more easily
-
Establish
a garden project within each Community AIDS Committees to enable
people living with HIV/AIDS to grow their own fruit and vegetables
-
Re-establish
a food programme for AIDS orphans, people living with HIV/AIDS and
TKMOAMS volunteers through liaison with the Oshakati Lyons Club and
the local business community
-
Apply
for funding to enable TKMOAMS to expand its activities in other
areas/regions, e.g. application to Secure the Future
-
Establish
“Business Advisory Group” to establish close links with the
Oshakati Lyons Club, to assist in identifying funding from private
sector, and to assist TKMOAMS in managing its funds
-
Continue
to establish TKMOAMS’ existing office in Oshakati East, and liase
with the University of Namibia with a view to establishing a second
office in Oshakati West as part of a Small Business Development
Centre
-
Continue
with existing income generation project of making red ribbon bead
badges for sale in Namibia and overseas, identify other income
generating projects
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And how can You help? 1.
Financial support If you want
to support TKMOAMS financially there are two bank accounts: One
is situated in Oshakati,Namibia Account
name: TKMOAMS Bank account number:
542597293 First National Bank Oshakati
Branch Namibia And
one in Vienna,Austria Account name: Dr.
Julia Göd Bank account number:
50018549700 Branchcode:12000 Bank Austria Austria I
will transfer the money on the account in Namibia All
charges will be paid by my private purse. You
are invited to state clearly what for the money should be used ( e.g.
for a vehicle, bicycles, garden project..) 2.
Personal support If you have
any ideas or experiences, which can help us making our work more
effective please contact me
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About
myself My name is Dr.Julia Göd.
I worked as a medical doctor in Oshakati hospital for a period of
8 months,where I met Diana,the coordinator of TKMOAMS. Her enthusiasm
encouraged me to support this voluntary NGO.
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