Strengths and weaknesses of Stop Sida
Stop SIDA has hard working members that make the association successful. All influential people like the work performed by Stop SIDA. The association has modern tools to use when educating the community on HIV/AIDS. During workshops, participants are provided the day lunch and sometimes there are video presentations.
Quantiative impact
Table 2: Stop SIDA improvements since its creation up to 2004
Year
Impacts Location 2001 2002 2003 2004
1. Stop SIDA membership
Kanembwa
Mtendeli
Karago
Nduta 51
0
0
0 145
111
0
0 186
167
60
40 212
307
188
157
Total 51 256 453 864
2. Trained peer educators Kanembwa
Mtendeli
Karago
Nduta 45
0
0
0 30
0
0
0 60
60
45
40 20
20
20
20
Total 45 30 205 80
3. Open Positive People Kanembwa
Mtendeli
Karago
Nduta 1
0
0
0 1
1
0
0 4
11
2
3 8
26
10
5
Total 1 2 20 49
4. Counselled HIV/AIDS orphans and now peer educators Kanembwa
Mtendeli
Karago
Nduta 0
0
0
0 0
0
0
0 0
0
0
0 6
2
3
6
Total 0 0 0 17
5. Cultural groups within Stop SIDA Kanembwa
Mtendeli
Karago
Nduta 3
0
0
0 4
0
0
0 5
2
4
6 13
8
12
14
Total 3 4 17 47
6. Sport teams within Stop SIDA Kanembwa
Mtendeli
Karago
Nduta 0
0
0
0 0
0
0
0 2
1
2
6 7
3
2
8
Total 0 0 11 20
Stop SIDA has skilled leaders who know how to plan activities. Also the methods used to educate and inform the community is proper in areas where there are no media institutions to inform the public. The association reached the public through workshops, video shows, concerts, demonstrations, community theatre, radio campaigns, route march inter camp visits, sports leagues, testimonies, drama, and peer education. All these methods are used to make sure that everyone has got a message about HIV/AIDS prevention. Many people like the methods used by Sop SIDA because in many cases the information an H/V/AIDS is delivered in a fanny way through entertainment.
Nowadays, Stop SIDA has attracted many donors including UNADS who are willing to support the activities of the association. Due to the hard work of Stop SIDA leaders, the association is known nationally as well as internationally. For example, in late December, Stop SIDA leaders, Mr. Herman Tirwosha and Mr. Sebisaba Noé, respectively the Supervisor and Coordinator participated in a national meeting on HIV/AIDS in a bit to create the Movement of Men Against AIDS in Tanzania (MMAAT). Herman Tirwosha was elected the chairman of the then created MMAAT and Sebisaba Noé, a member of the national board. This means that in many affairs dealing with HIV/AIDS matters, Stop SIDA will be represented through the chairman of MMAAT who is at the same time the Supervisor of Stop SIDA association.
Concerning good relationship with external NGOs and donors, the association has succeeded to be in collaboration with Maweni Firm of Tanga that helped in creating the Stop SIDA Website. Also, there are some private donors who contribute for the success of Stop SIDA projects. For example, in 2003 a Sweden sponsor, Mrs. Mia, has granted to the Stop SIDA coordinator a trip to Kampala to enable him to get experience from others on how ours communities from being again and again infected by HIV.
Another factor that makes Stop SIDA to be strong is the fact that the association uses and works with the youth. In this perspective, the results must be positive because if you succeed to mobilise adolescents against HIV, they will grow up knowing the danger of HIV/AIDS pandemic.
Weaknesses
Even though Stop SIDA is performing well, it is still facing problems of funds. As a consequence to this matter, the association fails to implement some projects because it does not have its own donors. This means that Stop SIDA has not its own financial and logistic means on its management. Its action orientation and coordination have been affected by the process of adapting its programs and view to TCRS sponsorship view and management.
Another challenge that Stop SIDA faces is the communication between the Burundian community and workers from NGOs. The language, culture and customs affect the transmission of understandable and acceptable messages about HIV/AIDS. Sometimes these workers need translation (which is not an easy task).
Due to money orientation, some NGOs use Stop SIDA or report the results of its initiatives without any permission from the association authorities and this confuses the community and supporters who think that there are many Stop SIDA associations. This fact also misleads the donors who may sponsor project of other NGOs thinking that they are funding Stop SIDA.
Stop SIDA does not have a professional Public Relations Officer to organise its activities. All who do such a function are skilled in other domains. Maybe, the association is unable to employ a talented PRO because this worker will oblige a great salary while the association has financial problems. But, this person is important because his job may also be to attract donors for the association. Another professional that the association needs is a trained journalist who could produce a newsletter, prepare releases, write reports of meetings, and do research on HIV/AIDS issues.
The Stop SIDA coordinator needs a motorcycle to enable him to circulate easily in various refugee camps. Other committee members in each camp should have bicycles which should help them to reach people in various areas.
One more weakness is that Stop SIDA coordination lack training in computer skills. While writing various reports or correspondences, the typewriting machine is used and there is no possibility to save Stop SIDA’s works in the computers or in floppy disks so that once needed one can print them. Also, even if Stop SIDA has its own Website, the coordinator has to travel to TCRS office where there is Internet connection when he needs to publish something through the Website. So, after having computers in Stop SIDA, connecting them to the Internet would be a necessity.