Operation Day's Work -- USA

1999-2000 Funding Application

# [A. PROJECT INFORMATION]{.underline}

**Name of project:** **Because you've got a life to LIVE!!** HIV
Prevention Program for Youth

**Name of US NGO:** HOPE *worldwide*

**Contact Person:** Bob Gempel, CEO and Executive Vice President

148 East Lancaster, Wayne, PA 19087, USA

> \(610\) 254-8800 <HOPEww@aol.com>

Javier Amaya, Vice President for Central and South America

Miguel de Mendoza 43, Mexico City, Mexico 01600

011 (525) 593-0446 jamaya@mail.internet.com.mx

**Project site:** San Salvador

**Collaborating Organizations:** HOPE *worldwide*, the Education
Department of El Salvador and the International Churches of Christ

**Project Director:** Luz Alcocer

**Project Start and End Dates:** September 2000-open

**Amount Requested:** \$30,000 - \$36,000 per year

# [B. ORGANIZATION BACKGROUND]{.underline}

# 1. Brief Background

HOPE *worldwide* is a 501©(3) charitable organization founded by the
International Churches of Christ with the mission of bringing hope to a
hurting world. Beginning in 1991 with a few grassroots programs
--medical care for trash sorters in Mexico City, an adoption agency in
Atlanta, Georgia, a free AIDS clinic in Abidjan, Ivory Coast and a
tuberculosis control program in Chennia (formerly Madras), India- we now
serve the poor and needy in more than 70 nations. In 1995, we were
registered with the U.S. Agency for International Development and were
granted special consultative status with the Economic and Social Council
of the United Nations in 1996.

Where other organizations owe their success to many years of experience,
much of HOPE *worldwide*'s success is due to the steadfast dedication of
a growing number of volunteers.

# 2. Collaborative history between El Salvador NGO and your NGO

HOPE *worldwide*'s success is mainly a result of the hearts and work of
its volunteers from the International Churches of Christ. The need of
the city, combined with the volunteers' skills and resources, guide us
as we decide the implementation of specific programs.

For El Salvador, given the experience we already have on the project,
the support of our present volunteers in San Salvador, and the
acknowledgement of the HTCG (Latin American and Caribbean Horizontal
Technical Cooperation Group for HIV/AIDS), we find ourselves in a good
position to start out our HIV prevention program in this country.

# 3. Experience in the project area

In late 1998, this program was approved by the Department of Education
in Mexico City. In 1999, 30,000+ students, their teachers and parents in
30+ schools were educated on HIV/AIDS in Mexico City alone. This maze is
scheduled to educate over 100,000 students in the coming years.

Once its impact was verified, and after a rigid review process, the
English version was approved for implementation in the United States.
Starting in December 1999, the program already educated over 3,000
students of middle and high schools in Florida.

The program has been strategically designed to serve as a model for easy
duplication. The present Spanish version can be implemented in El
Salvador since the need, culture and language are similar.

Thanks to our collaborative relationship with the HTCG and the
Departments of Education, we find ourselves very optimistic about the
possibilities of establishing our program in El Salvador.

## [C. PROJECT DESCRIPTION]{.underline}

1.  **Our goal**

To effectively prevent new HIV infections among teenagers and their
immediate community through a cool, positive, and fun approach; dealing
with HIV by focusing on the elements that lead adolescents to engaging
into risky behavior: social oppression, lack of self esteem, values,
responsibility, vision for their future, and opportunities; cultural
silence on sexual issues, denial/ignorance of existing risky behavior,
and irresponsible sex marketing in the media.

2.  **Objectives that support our goal**

-   Teenagers finding out what is their own, personal risk status for
    HIV infection (low, medium, high)

-   Teenagers making themselves a personally tailored plan for an HIV
    safe lifestyle

-   Teenagers collectively getting the concept of/redefining/reassuring
    healthy values, self worth, the opportunity for having high
    expectations for their future, high standards on
    boyfirend-girlfriend/couple relationships, and being a cool yet
    responsible teen.

-   Teenagers individually discovering their needs and finding ways to
    meet them (from deciding to get tested for HIV, to considering
    rearranging present relationships or even denouncing
    sexual/emotional abuse).

-   Teenagers experiencing a positive change/reinforcement on HIV/AIDS
    knowledge, level of confidence when talking to other
    youth/parents/teachers about HIV/AIDS, consciousness of the effects
    of their choices in their future.

-   Teachers and parents getting educated on the same issues and getting
    involved in supporting the teenagers as they make decisions about
    their lives.

-   Teachers and parents making personal decisions on how to avoid
    HIV/AIDS themselves

-   Exposing potential peer educators at every level (teenagers,
    teachers and parents)

3.  **Project Background**

While the United States celebrates the greatest growth in their economy,
on the other side of the world an entire continent faces the worst of
epidemics in world´s history. Today 10 million children are orphans due
to AIDS. And that´s only Africa. There's nothing anybody can do to
reverse that situation.

In Latin America, however, there's the hope of beating this sickness
before the sickness beats us.

Prevention remains the only effective way to stop HIV from spreading. A
significant percentage of those individuals infected with HIV, got it
during their teenage years. Adolescence represents the time with most
possibilities of success for an intervention aiming at changing the
lifestyle set by older generations.

When you compare the \$1 investment in HIV prevention per individual
through our program to the estimated \$154,000 in lifetime treatment
costs per individual, plus the tremendous human suffering caused by HIV
infection to both the person and those around him, there is no question
that this investment is worth making.

## [D. PROJECT BENEFICIARIES]{.underline}

**1. Beneficiaries**

Students, teachers an parents from middle and high schools.

30,000+ per year

**2. How will they benefit**

Avoiding HIV represents the difference between life an death for most in
Latin America, the difference from having a parent or being an orphan,
the difference from having a healthy child or to infect your own baby
with HIV, the difference between having a job or being fired, the
difference between living a life with dignity or being socially rejected
because of HIV.

**3. How will the beneficiaries be involved in the planning and
implementation**

The maze(program) is set up in one school per week. All students of the
school go through the program directed by HOPE *worldwide*´s
facilitator. On a given day of the week, the facilitator gives a
conference to teachers and parents especially designed to meet the needs
of adults. Also, a volunteer living with HIV gives his/her testimony.
Teachers and parents are then invited to go through the maze and see for
themselves what and how will the teenagers be learning about HIV, while
finding practical examples on how to deal with the issues involved when
talking to their own children.

Every person that goes through the maze gets to find out what his HIV
risk status is and gets to make his own prevention plan.

Peer educators will be entitled to carry out activities leading into the
replication of the program when the maze is gone.

**4. How will the project promote the desired youth outcomes**

**of Confidence, Character, Connection, and Competence**

The maze is constituted by 27 life size boards with graffiti style
graphics. As the teen walks through it, he is asked to answer a
questionnaire.

The first six questions are part of a self knowledge and social
standards awareness dynamic, which is structurally fun to answer,
especially with their peers. Though brief, it goes straight to point
leading them to evaluate who they are and who they want to be, what is
the environment around them like and its influence in their lives and
characters.

The next boards provide education on HIV, STD´s and the effects of drugs
and alcohol. Three questions cover the most important points of this
section.

The following boards refer to relationships, marriage, protection and
testimonies. Three questions refer to this section for a total of 12.

They then get to the last part, in which they will combine what they
learned about themselves and their environment, with the risk for HIV.

Through this process they are able to make decisions on their character,
get reassured on their self worth, acquire/understand the sense of
responsibility for themselves and those around them, and find themselves
in an environment of respect, support and options that opens a whole new
horizon in their lives, even if facing adverse conditions.

Further interventions may then be programmed by each school to meet the
greatest needs that arose in each group.

The whole process develops an enhanced sense of school, family and
community connectedness.

## [E. PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION]{.underline}

**1. What specific activities will you carry out to accomplish the
objectives of your project**

In conjunction with the Department of Education of El Salvador, a
schedule would be established for the maze to be set up in the different
middle and high schools during the academic year.

Each scheduled school would then be visited and an overview would be
given to the school's headmaster and staff prior setting up the maze in
each school. The school would also schedule the dates for HOPE
*worldwide'*s staff to make prior and post surveys. Logistics would also
be established at that time.

During the progress of the program in each school, HOPE *worldwide*'s
facilitator will collect questionnaires and report specific needs of
individuals/groups to the school staff (preferably the Counseling
Department).

The information collected from the questionnaires is translated into
stats providing us with the guideline on what interventions would best
support youth development in each school.

Suggestions on further interventions to support HIV awareness and
prevention would also be made (i.e. a poster contest, making rap songs,
or radio commercials; round tables, visits to shelters for HIV+ babies,
a letter to the youth of your country if you were HIV+ , letters of
support for HIV+ persons (both actual and fictional), etc.

**2. How will each side of the partnership be involved in the
implementation**

The Department of Education approves the program to be implemented in
all public middle and high schools. The International Churches of Christ
provides us with the staff for the program. HOPE *worldwide* trains,
develops and closely supervises every detail of the program.

3\. What other local individuals, organizations and/or agencies will be
involved

The local AIDS agency, HIV+ individuals willing to give their testimony
or contribute in other ways, local transportation companies that would
provide the means for moving the maze from one school to the other,
local artists/sports people desiring to support the program (i.e. by
being present at the opening ceremony in any of the schools).

**4. Our plans for continuing the project after the funds are spent**

Option A. Finding a sponsor that would benefit from having the image of
their product being included in the program or interested in a market
study that we would do by including one or two questions in the
questionnaire.

Option B. Passing out the program unto the hands of the Department of
Education and training a group of teachers for them to carry it out as
we continue establishing the program in other capital cities in Central
America.

## [F. PROJECT EVALUATION]{.underline}

**1. Results we anticipate from this project**

-   Teenagers learning about HIV/AIDS

-   Teenagers finding out what is their own, personal risk status for
    HIV infection (low, medium, high)

-   Teenagers making themselves a personally tailored plan for an HIV
    safe lifestyle

-   Teenagers collectively getting the concept of/redefining/reassuring
    healthy values, self worth, the opportunity for having high
    expectations for their future, high standards on
    boyfirend-girlfriend/couple relationships, and being a cool yet
    responsible teen.

-   Teenagers individually discovering their needs and finding ways to
    meet them (from deciding to get tested for HIV, to considering
    rearranging present relationships or even denouncing
    sexual/emotional abuse).

-   Teenagers experiencing a positive change/reinforcement on HIV/AIDS
    knowledge, level of confidence when talking to other
    youth/parents/teachers about HIV/AIDS, consciousness of the effects
    of their choices in their future.

-   Teachers and parents getting educated on the same issues and getting
    involved in supporting the teenagers as they make decisions about
    their lives.

-   Teachers and parents making personal decisions on how to avoid
    HIV/AIDS themselves

-   Exposing potential peer educators at every level (teenagers,
    teachers and parents)

## 2. Information we will collect

-   Number of participating students, parents and teachers

-   Stats on teenage population obtained through the surveys by gender,
    age and school on the following:

### Prior program

If presently having a boyfriend-girlfriend/couple relationship

If sexually active

Their opinion on what's the best time to start being sexually active

Knowledge about HIV/AIDS

Awareness of HIV infection

[After program]{.underline}

Knowledge on HIV/AIDS:

Issues they most thought about

Change in their confidence level to talk about the subjects included in
the program

Who they talked with about these subjects

Awareness of individual and collective responsibility

What's the most important decision they have made for their lives
derived from the program

-   Ethnographic data --generally unavailable in developing countries-
    obtained through the questionnaires will be available for the
    Department of Education, and the local AIDS agency.

## [G. PROPOSED PROJECT BUDGET]{.underline}

(U.S. Dollars. Yearly figures)

Maze 15,000

Coordinator 4,000

Facilitator 1,500

Transportation 3,000

Set up 1,500

Questionnaire copies 500

Maintenance 3,000

Administrative [1,500]{.underline}

TOTAL 30,000