Supporting Community and Faith-Based Solutions to the HIV/AIDS Epidemic: Comprehensive Report of Leader Activities 2003-2006
(August 2007)

HIV, AIDS, & Islam: A Workshop Manual Based on Compassion, Responsibility and Justice

Developing Strategic Plans: A Tool for Community- and Faith-Based Organizations
This tool, from the International HIV/AIDS Alliance and Davies & Lee: AIDS and Development Consulting, was designed to enable community- and faith-based organizations to develop sound, effective strategic plans. Developing Strategic Plans: A Tool for Community- and Faith-Based Organizations helps organizations understand how developing strategic plans can improve the way they work.  The publication begins with an overview of strategic planning.  Then, through a series of twelve separate activities, organizations are guided through a step-by-step process, resulting in the development of a strategic plan.  The tool covers topics from conducting a situational analysis to developing a mission statement, goals, strategies, and activities.

Partnerships and Networking in Africa: Strengthening Community Solutions to HIV and AIDS
Recognizing the crucial role local organizations play in providing HIV/AIDS care to communities, the CORE Initiative developed this booklet to highlight the work of select organizations in Kenya, Malawi, and Uganda. An introductory section provides an overview of the CORE Initiative’s approach to working with community and faith-based organizations. The booklet contains four sections: using local skills and indigenous resources to address HIV; enhancing the participation of children in HIV issues; promoting VCT through community advocacy efforts; and expanding the faith-based response through networks. Each section includes examples of grantees’ work in these areas.

Mapping HIV/AIDS Service Provision for Most At-Risk and Vulnerable Populations in the Greater Mekong Sub-Region
The result of a data collection and mapping exercise in the greater Mekong sub-region in Asia, this publication helps HIV/AIDS programmers and policy makers identify gaps in service provision for most at-risk and vulnerable groups. The publication helps identify existing programs for sex workers, men who have sex with men, intravenous drug users, and people living with HIV and AIDS in Burma, Yunnan Province in China, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam. Since understanding the scope and nature of existing programs is essential to developing comprehensive programming for these groups, this publication is a valuable resource for planning HIV and AIDS activities in the greater Mekong sub-region. An overview of results from the five countries is included, as is a breakdown by country and by population group within each country. In addition to summarizing the results, the publication includes recommendations for working with the different population groups within each of the five countries.

Participatory Monitoring and Evaluation of Community- and Faith-Based Programs - Second Edition: A step-by-step guide for people who want to make HIV and AIDS services and activities more effective in their community Designed for use by local implementing agencies, this manual demonstrates how use of monitoring and evaluation can improve the impact of community interventions on HIV and AIDS. It is a step-by-step guide to make community-level HIV and AIDS services and activities more effective through community involvement in monitoring and evaluation (M&E). This is a revised version of the PM&E manual which was originally posted on the CORE Initiative website in July 2005. This version incorporates feedback from field-testing which took place in Malawi and Uganda.

Supporting Community Solutions to HIV/AIDS: Lessons Learned from Implementing Small Grants Programs
This publication is based on the CORE Initiative’s experience implementing 141 small grants in nine countries. The CORE Initiative small grants program provided much needed resources to local groups best positioned to have a direct, community-level impact on HIV and AIDS. Developed with input from technical and operational staff, and based on feedback from grantees, this guide was designed to assist policy makers, programmers, and project managers as they develop and implement similar programs. The publication includes an overview of the CORE Initiative small grants program and the challenges and rewards of the small grants mechanism. It focuses on presenting lessons learned in four areas: design and implementation, project management, the operational environment, and HIV/AIDS-specific lessons.

Project Cycle Management: CBO Training Toolkit
Written by Davies & Lee: AIDS and Development Consulting for the International HIV/AIDS Alliance, Project Cycle Management: CBO Training Toolkit was adapted in collaboration with staff from CARE Malawi. The toolkit supports CBOs in developing countries to design, manage, and learn from their projects in a systematic way by improving understanding of the project cycle. The overall aim of the toolkit is to build the confidence and skills required by CBOs to develop and manage their HIV/AIDS projects more systematically. This toolkit is for people and organizations (primarily CBOs) that respond to HIV and AIDS at the community level in developing countries. The toolkit can also be used by NGOs and CBOs to implement training within their organizations. The toolkit is divided into chapters which include the different stages of the project cycle (assessing needs, planning, implementation and monitoring, evaluation, and learning and evolving).

CBO/FBO Capacity Analysis: A Tool for Assessing and Building Capacities for High Quality Responses to HIV/AIDS
Based on an existing toolkit for nongovernmental organizations developed by the International HIV/AIDS Alliance, the tool enables community- and faith-based organizations to analyze levels of capacity in different organizational and technical areas. The tool may be used by external facilitators providing capacity building support or be self-administered by community organizations.

The tool is designed to facilitate group discussions between members of community organizations, allowing participants to assess their own strengths, weaknesses, and capacity-building needs. The tool includes helpful tips for conducting capacity assessments and is useful for planning, monitoring, and evaluating capacity-building support.

The toolkit contains seven sections which address specific capacity areas such as leadership, governance, and strategy; finances; administration and human resources; project design and management; technical capacity; networking and advocacy; and community ownership and accountability.

A Positive Woman's Survival Kit (Portuguese version)
This guide from the International Community of Women Living with HIV/AIDS (ICW) contains personal perspectives and photos aimed at encouraging HIV positive women to address issues such as a recent diagnosis, decisions to have children, planning for their children's future, nutrition, stress reduction and dealing with grief and loss. Also available in English and Spanish

LIVE SAFE PLAY SAFE: A life-skills course to protect children from HIV-infection
Facilitator's Guide
Chapter 5

The Live Safe Play Safe curriculum developed by Right to Play is designed to build children’s skills in the areas of negotiation, assertiveness, coping with peer pressure, and feeling compassion for those with HIV/AIDS. The curriculum uses interactive teaching methods to engage children in active learning experiences. It is based on the idea that young people need more than just information about HIV/AIDS, but also the skills necessary to put that information into practice. Activities presented in the curriculum encourage participants to personalize the effect of HIV/AIDS as a means of helping children take prevention seriously.

This facilitators’ guide presents basic information about HIV and AIDS before introducing discussions about prevention, values and vulnerability, assertive communication, and compassion. An introductory chapter includes topics such as planning and facilitating the sessions, involving the community, and adapting the course to meet specific needs. The curriculum includes seven program modules, each of which builds a different life skill related to preventing HIV infection. The modules include session objectives, supporting information, and activities. The curriculum focuses on a comprehensive approach to prevention and uses role playing and group work to place a special emphasis on the skills needed to address peer pressure. Though designed for RTP program coordinators, the manual can also be used by individuals and organizations that work to prevent the spread of HIV and AIDS among youth.

Implementing Live Safe, Play Safe: A Teacher’s Guide
This guide presents tips for planners, administrators, and teachers and serves to focus the Live Safe Play Safe curriculum specifically for the education sector. It is designed to help educators present HIV/AIDS programs to young people in a way that links prevention to everyday skills such as negotiation and assertiveness.

HIV, AIDS & Islam
The first in a series of three publications developed by Positive Muslims, HIV, AIDS & Islam stems from the organization’s HIV and AIDS work in South Africa. Positive Muslims’ goals include cultivating a compassionate attitude towards those with HIV or AIDS and encouraging people to live responsibly.

HIV, AIDS & Islam is designed to challenge traditional thinking on HIV and AIDS and demonstrate that Islamic approaches to HIV and AIDS go beyond bigotry and prejudice. This publication begins by asking readers to open their hearts and minds. It continues with an examination of dominant Muslim responses to HIV and AIDS, such as denial, silence, confusion, rejection, and pity. The final three chapters discuss compassion, responsibility, and justice. HIV, AIDS & Islam touches on topics such as condom promotion, needle exchanges, and the relationship between poverty and HIV/AIDS.

The publication is intended for those interested in the issues of HIV, AIDS, and Islam, especially those looking at how Muslims should comprehend and respond to the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Specifically, it is aimed at teachers in Islamic educational institutions, leaders of local community organizations, imams and other spiritual leaders, and organizations working with Muslims, women, or young people.

Examining the Qur’an, citing hadith, and using individual stories, the publication encourages readers to relate discussions to their own realities. Each chapter of the publication and many of the individual stories contain reflection questions to spur discussions. Though accessible to all and appropriate for individual use, Positive Muslims recommends using HIV, AIDS & Islam as a group study reader.