INTERFAITH VISION FOUNDATION CAMEROON

Gender:: Female

Country/Countries I have worked in:: CAMEROON

More Details:

A) INTRODUCTION:
1. ADRESS:
IVFCam: InterFaith Vision Foundation Cameroon (IVFCam).
Motto: Faith in Action.

2. LOCATION:
Opposite New Apostolic Church,
Che Street, Ntarinkon.
Mankon-Bamenda,
Cameroon.

3. CONTACT:
Fomumbod Anne Stella (Mrs.)
Founder-Executive Director,
Email: anstefo@yahoo.com
Tel: (237) 77 66 50 22

4. SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS:
– Considering the heightened prevalence rate of HIV&AIDS in the North West Province at 8.7% above the national prevalence rate of 5.5%; with some subdivisions of the North West Province like Mesaje and Ako recording more than 18% (VCT 2006).
– Considering that the prevalence rate among women is higher at 11.9% than that of men at 5.2%; in the North West Province.
– Considering the negative impact of HIV&AIDS within the communities of the North West Province with more than 50,000 Orphans and other Vulnerable children identified in 2006 for example; (PTG 2006).
– Considering the heightened poverty situation in the North West at 52.5% (second highest in the country: MGDs progress Report 2003);
– Considering that this Provinces has the most enclave and difficult-to-reach communities with a majority of the population abandoned to their fates in ignorance;
– Considering the heightened cultural practices against women and girl-children within the North West and Western Provinces especially, which promote the persistent high prevalence rate of HIV&AIDS in these regions and abuse their rights and freedoms;
– Considering the problems and needs of the destitute HIV&AIDS infected and affected persons;
– Considering that every actions of charity are determined by the level of one’s faith in the act and in serving the Almighty God;

Our organisation is bound: to be a Social Welfare Institution; to build up a vision and mission that reflects the need to improve on the socio-economic statusquo; to adopt an expanded service delivery with multiple programs for interventions; to adopt realistic operational strategies, methods and activities for interventions; and above all, to target the specific groups of children, women and health victims who are most vulnerable. This is elaborated below.

In this wise, our Strategic and Operational Plans are designed to address situation/considerations stated above; hence the need for our Organisation to be fully capacitated to meet the field challenges.

B) BACKGROUND:

1. CHANGE OF DENOMINATION AND NAME:
IVFCam is a Female headed organization, founded in 2000 to care for Widows, People Living with HIV&AIDS, Orphans and other Vulnerable Children of mainly the Christian domain under the name Aid International Christian Women of Vision (AI-ChrisWOV).
However after seven years of operation there was a growing need to go beyond Christians due to the expanding target group with diversified backgrounds and Faiths. It underwent an Organisational development process, sponsored by Volunteer Service Oversee (VSO), which entailed assessment and strengthening of the weak areas. Hence the change of name in January 2008 from AI-ChrisWOV to IVFCam (InterFaith Vision Foundation Cameroon).

IVFCam is committed to be the voice of the enclave grassroots disadvantaged people and children through facilitating and supporting their empowerment to be in position to have secure and sustainable livelihoods with a voice and platform to ably achieve their entitlements and respect in society. Special consideration is given to children and People Living with HIV&AIDS because their level of vulnerability is very high. The stigma and discrimination attached to HIV&AIDS at the grassroots and enclave areas of Cameroon make the People Living with HIV/AIDS to be shunned, neglected and abandoned. This might lead to total withdraw, self stigmatisation and clandestine spread of HIV in the communities, yet if empowered, they would be productive with have a positive approach towards life which could enable them to be productive and ably integrate in integrate in their communities.

2.VISION:
IVFCam dreams of “A World in which all Faiths work collaboratively for the Disadvantaged without religious boundaries and inclinations.”

3. MISSION STATEMENT:
“To Facilitate and Promote the Translation of Faiths into Feasible and Realistic Actions of Charity and Human Development.”

4. STRATEGY:
IVFCam focuses on Mobilizing, Networking, Empowering and Coordinating mainly grassroots Faith Based Organizations (FBOs); and Community Based Organizations (CBOs) as Grassroots Implementing Partners (GIPs), to address the challenges of their communities.

5. TARGET GROUPS:
 Grass roots PLWHAs.
 Grass roots Orphans and other Vulnerable Children (OVC),including teenage mothers.
 Destitute Grassroots young widows and Single mothers with dependent children.
 Grass roots Illiterate Persons.
N.B: Irrespective of their faith and localities.

6. IVFCam CENTRE STAFF:
IVFCam has a core of 12 staff members who manage her day to day activities. They are headed by the Executive Director. The Center’s main role is to facilitate effective and efficient development, coordination, implementation, monitoring and Evaluation of programs at the Center and in the coalitions of grassroots organizations and support groups on the filed. This entails management, networking and supervision of the entire organizational, policy and programme activities. IVFCam Staff are more of volunteers who sacrifice their time and earn salaries equivalent to stipends (40-100$) yet they are full time employees, working not less than 12 hours a day.
No. Description of Position Existing Planned Total
1 Executive Director 01 01 01
2 Program Officer 01 01 01
3 Finance and Administrative Officer 00 01 01
4. Accountant 01 01 01
5. Social Workers (seconded from the Ministry of Social Affairs). 02 02 02
6. Community Development 01 01 01
7. Program Coordinators 02 04 04
8. Cashier 01 01 01
9. Nurse 01 01 01
10. Documentation Secretary 01 02 02
11. Trainers of Vocational skills for Youths 02 04 04
12. Volunteers (International Volunteers HIV&AIDS Program Advisor (VSO)
01 23 04
Total staff 14 12

7. IMPLEMENTING PARTNERS:
 Grass roots Faith Based Organizations (Christians, Moslems Traditionalists), and Community grass root organizations.

8. STRATEGIC OPERATIONAL OBJECTIVES:

 To Mobilize, and facilitate the formation of a well coordinated Network of grassroots Faith Based (and Community Based) Organizations as a channel of making interventions in the lives of the disadvantaged people.

 To build and strengthen the capacity of Faith Based (and Community Based) Organizations with Skills, knowledge and resources with which they could improve on their livelihood (Faith in action).

 To Strengthen, Promote and Coordinate activities of grassroots partners in the area of HIV&AIDS, Human Rights, Safe Environment and Sustainable Socio-Economic Development.

 To strengthen and expand Organizational Programming, Monitoring and Evaluation in areas where there is increasing vulnerability like HIV &AIDS, Sustainable Environmental management, Human rights and Governance.

 To improve the quality, availability and accessibility of care and support services offered by Support groups of People Living with HIV&AIDS.

 Strengthening the capacity of Faith Based Organizations to manage and expand HIV&AIDS Community interventions and sustainable livelihoods for people infected and affected by HIV& AIDS.

 To build and strengthen the Structural and Institutional capacity of IVFCam, Support Groups of People Living with HIV/AIDS, other target groups, and community based implementing partners for effective service delivery. This will involve developing and or improving vital areas among which are: Governance and Management, strategic planning, Policy development, information management, networking, advocacy, resource mobilization and management, Monitoring and Evaluation.

C) IVCAM PROGRAMS.

IVFCam operate four basic programs. At the level of field implementation, these programs are integrated to address the needs of the vulnerable in a holistic manner.

1st Program area: HIV&AIDS:

 Direct Target Groups:
– Children infected and affected with HIV&AIDS
– People Living with HIV&AIDS especially the women.

 Intervention Services:
– Promoting the Empowerment and involvement of People Living with
HIV&AIDS (GIEPA)
– Care and support (community and home based).
– Positive living and positive prevention.
– Anti Stigma and Discrimination awareness.
– Socio-economic impact mitigation and coping mechanisms.
– Nutrition and psychosocial support.
– Human Rights, Advocacy, and Networking.
– Education, Information development and dissemination.

 Method and Approach:
– Mainstreaming the Greater Involvement & Empowerment of People Living
with HIV&AIDS (GIEPA).
– Experience sharing and story telling,
– Workshop and seminars.
– Entertainment.
– Community and faith integration.
– Community Volunteering and direct Support.

2nd Program area- Youth Empowerment &
Adult Functional Literacy:

 Direct Target Groups:
– Orphans and other Vulnerable children.
– School drop outs,
– Teenage Mothers
– Vulnerable Youths,

 Intervention Service areas:
– Survival Skills (Vocational education and entrepreneurship skills).
– Life Skills.
– Moral and Civic Education.
– Information & Communication Technology.
– Functional Adult Literacy.
– HIV&AIDS sensitization.
– Culture, Entertainment & Recreation.
– Human Rights awareness.

 Intervention Method:
– Training.
– Apprenticeship.
– Workshops.
– Organized remedial classes.
– Experience sharing and story telling.
– Basic Entertainment and recreation gymnastics.
– Community and faith integration.

3rd Program Area: Human Rights and Governance:

 Direct Target Groups :
FBOs, CBOs & Support Groups of People Living with HIV&AIDS, widows, OVC, Foster Parents, Youths & Kids Clubs of infected and affected children.
 Intervention Services:
– Information and communication,
– Lobbying and Advocacy,
– Legal Aid,
– Education and Sensitization.
– Clustering and Networking.

 Intervention Methods:
-Training Workshops
-Counseling and guidance
– Information Development & Dissemination,
– Legal Education, advice and support
-Lobbying and Advocacy.

4th . Program area-Socio economic empowerment and Sustainable Environmental Management:
 Direct Target Groups:
PLWH&AIDs, Youths, Widows, Teenage Orphans and other Vulnerable Children, Destitute Foster Parents and Grassroots Implementing Partners (to reinforce their care and support to our support groups).

 Intervention services:
Resource Mobilization, Food Security, Waste and Plastic material Management, Hygiene and Sanitation, water management.

 Intervention Methods:
Offering seed grants and revolving funds; Pass on the Gift, Training; Skills building in IGAs, Counseling and guidance/ Information Development & Dissemination.

***CROSS CUTTING ISSUES TO BE MAINSTREAMED IN ALL PROGRAMS (Integrated Programming):
 Organizational Systems and Structure Development,
 Capacity Building (training),
 HIV/AIDS Awareness Programs ,
 Human Rights and Democratic Governance.
 Socio-economic empowerment.
 Monitoring and Evaluation.
 Information dissemination.
 Gender Awareness Programs (Widows and other Vulnerable Women).
 Vulnerable Children and Youth Empowerment and awareness programs.

MAIN ACHIEVEMENTS OF IVFCam – 2008:
• Changed the name from a single focused (Aid Christian Women of Vision) to an all encompassing name (Inter-Faith Vision Foundation Cameroon) to suit our new program strategy interventions.

• Expanded our programs to Community Integrated, grassroots programs to serve more vulnerable people in the nooks and cronies of Cameroon.

• Adopted the GIEPA Strategy(Greater Involvement and Empowering of People Living with HIV&AIDS) as a way of empowering and fully involving people living with HIV/AIDS to understand and address their plight in a sustainable manner.

Donors and Partners-
(past and present)
 Government of Cameroon: Technical, moral, and financial support (2001 to date).
 UNDP: Technical and financial support (2007/2008)
 MISSION – 21: Technical and financial support (2006 – 2007).
 DED: Technical and financial support (2003 – 2007).
 VSO: Human, Technical and financial support (2007 to date)
 German Embassy: Equipment/material and financial support (2006).
 Book Aid International: Material support (2005 – 2006).
 CRS Cameroon: Equipment, Technical and financial support (2006 to date).
 CARE: Technical and financial support (2006).
 OSIWA: Technical and financial support (2005- 2006).
 Global Fund for Women USA: Financial support (2006 to date).
 Global fund through the Government of Cameroon (Ministries of Health, Social Affairs): Human, Technical and financial support (2006 to date).
 Global Fund for Women USA: Financial support (2006 to date
 Computer Aid International: Equipment support (2004 – 2005).
 Women World Day of Prayer Germany: Financial support (2005 to date).
 Computer Aid International: Equipment support (2004 – 2005).
 Women World Day of Prayer Germany: Financial support (2005 to date)
 UNICEF: Technical, material and financial support (2004 to date).

ABBREVIATIONS.
 CRS/CM: Catholic Relief services Cameroon
 VSO: Volunteer Service Overseas
 DED: German Development Organization
 UNICEF: United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund
 OSIWA: Open Society Initiative for West Africa

CHALLENGES OF IVFCAM-2008:
S/N Challenges Current situation Planned Intervention Resources needed Expected results
1 Inability to Carry out HIV&AIDS Prevention sensitization Campaigns in the enclave areas to
Reduce and reverse HIV infections in the worst infected areas of Cameroon HIV&AIDS Prevalence rate in enclave areas of minority people is 34% (Momo and Donga/Mantung) yet nationally it is 4% Community mobilization and HIV&AIDS education and awareness campaigns.
 Technical support
 Financial support
 IEC materials
 Transport Reduce and reverse HIV&AIDS infections in enclave areas.
2 Incapability to Give support and Care to our identified beneficiaries. IVFCam
Identified 21,604 OVC, and only 860 assisted.
Identified widows-6500 Widows, only 425 assisted. Give Care and support services to at least 10,000 Orphans and 4000 widows by 2012.  Funds
 Material support
 Human resource Improve the lives of many more orphans and widows
3 Inadequate capacity to facilitate the GIEPA-Greater involvement and empowerment of People and children living with HIV & AIDS at the grassroots and enclave where HIV&AIDS services are scanty – Isolated and uncorrelated efforts which don’t create any impact and can’t promote GIEPA.

– Interventions concentrated in Urban areas only  Formation of Support groups.
 Empowerment of groups
 Life and survival Skills building.
 Give care and support.
 Technical support.
 Financial support
 IEC material
 Transport Secure lively hoods for People and children living with HIV&AIDS and their dependants.
4 Inability to empower community leaders with Gender, HIV&AIDS, Right based approach and governance Skills.
. Traditional Practices that Marginalisation women in general and young widows in particular, thus promoting the prevalence of HIV&AIDS. . Community mobilisation and Massive Awareness Building.
. Training of Traditional Opinion Leaders on good governance and democracy.
. Needs Assessment on the Problems and Needs of Widows and Women.
– Socio-economic Empowerment of Women and Young Widows particularly. > Funds.

> Material support.

> Human resource.

> Transport. – Women have more rights and are less vulnerable to male dominance, HIV&AIDS, and economic slavery.
5. Lack of Capacity to support and empower vulnerable groups with legal and human rights education, lobbying and advocacy skills – Some Target vulnerable persons have already been mobilised into 10 coalitions at the grassroots within 10 Subdivisions.
– 40 Grassroots Implementing Partnerships have been established to facilitate the process of supporting the vulnerable. – Employ technical staff.

– Mobilise more Vulnerable into more Coalitions, and into a Network.

– Organise Trainings and /or Seminars for the Network or various coalitions.

– Provide other forms of support to the coalitions and direct support groups. – Capacitated Staff.

– Financial and material Resources.

– Provide Home Based Care and support. – Services are closer to the beneficiaries.

– More persons are assisted.

-Care and support is sustained.

– Greater involvement of the vulnerable.
6. – Lack of Capacities to coordinate, monitor, evaluate and administer our programs in the enclave areas. – Lack of adequate Administrative and operational support (salaries and for staff/ stipend for local volunteers/computers, transport to the field).
– Project Implementation Staff also do minimal monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) during implementation.

– The Organisation is internally funded with difficulties due to scarce financial resources. – Employ an Expert in M & E.

– Acquire an enhance means of transport.

– Seek for affiliates.

– Mobilise adequate internal and external funds. – A Staff incharge of M&E.

– An Enhanced Four-wheel drive vehicle.

– Advocate for Long-term Partners or funders.

– A Staff for Resource Mobilisation.

– Projects are better managed.

– Enclave communities are reached and developed.

– The Organisation grows and is sustained.

Inadequate resources(financial, human, material), systems(communication, M.E, networking, etc) and structures for meaningful and sustainable grassroots interventions -Capacity building
-Training
-Resource mobilization

-Community mobilization -Technical support
-Equipments
-Transport
-Financial support
-Skills building -Adequate Resources acquired,
-Meaningful and sustainable program interventions in operation.
-Sufficient institutional and grassroots systems and structures in place.

DEVELOPED AND PROPOSED BY:
The VSO Volunteer,
Rebecca Nanfuka (Mrs).

EDITED BY: The Founder Executive Director,
FOMUMBOD Anne Stella (Mrs.).

APPROVED BY: The Board of Directors of IVFCam.

END.