I am proud to present to you our 2009 Annual Report describing our major accomplishments in the past year. Though this report captures the main quantitative results of our work in Cameroon and Rwanda to promote the successful future of African children and youth infected with and/or affected by HIV and AIDS, the voices of our beneficiaries speak louder than any numbers or figures you’ll find in this report.You’ll find examples of their testimonials as you read through this report.

In 2009 we introduced the peer education program to EFA’s Youth Empowerment Network, which provided ten HIV+ youth from five different communities in northern Cameroon with the knowledge and skills to serve as HIV educators in their communities.

In Rwanda, the Child Support Center in Kigali continued to serve orphans and other vulnerable children in the district of Kicukiro.The center provided school fees for over seventy vulnerable children in the community in addition to other support services such as nutritional assistance, homework assistance, and supplemental English classes.The children in the center also received moral support from communities in the US, including the Congregational Church (UCC) of Weston, Massachusetts, through letter-writing campaigns with the congregation’s young members and CSC beneficiaries.

I’d also like to take this opportunity to express my sincere gratitude and thanks to all of our outstanding volunteers who donated their time and expertise to our operations. Our volunteers were essential to our achievements this year and provided us with substantial assistance in revising our website, applying for new grant opportunities and maintaining contact with our network of donors and supporters. Special thanks in particular go to Dana Allen-Greil,Whitney Eisenhower, and Stephanie Don for their contributions. Our partnership with the Peace Corps in Cameroon continues to provide our regional office with significant technical assistance through Peace Corps Volunteer Caitlyn Bradburn, who serves as our HIV Technical Advisor in Maroua, and several other Peace Corps volunteers who work with our HIV+ Youth Network associations.

Thank you for taking the time to read through this report.We encourage you to share any feedback you may have by sending us a message at info@efainternational.org. Thanks to all for a successful year. Here’s to our continued collaborations in 2010 and beyond!

We are together! On est ensemble!

Respectfully,

Andrew P. Koleros, MPH

EFA Founder and Executive Director

Cameroon’s 50th Anniversary of Independence
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State
Washington, DC
May 19, 2010

http://www.state.gov/secretary/rm/2010/05/142016.htm
________________________________________
On behalf of President Obama and the American people, I congratulate the people of Cameroon as you celebrate your fiftieth anniversary of independence on May 20. This is an opportunity to salute the people of Cameroon’s many accomplishments. Our two nations share a broad partnership that reflects a long history of friendship and engagement.

The United States remains committed to working with the Cameroonian Government as it seeks to strengthen democracy, governance, and rule of law. The ties between our countries are also strengthened by our ongoing military and security cooperation. We commend Cameroon for its support of the UN Mission in Haiti, MINUSTAH, and for its vital role in addressing regional maritime security threats as part of the Economic Community for Central African States. We commend Cameroon’s cooperation with Nigeria and the historic steps to demark the Cameroon-Nigeria border.

As the single largest investor in Cameroon, the United States values our economic partnership that has fostered investment and created new jobs and opportunities for both Cameroonians and Americans.

Cameroon has warmly welcomed our Peace Corps volunteers for nearly forty-nine years. We are proud of the more than 3,000 Americans who have partnered with the people of Cameroon to improve the quality of their lives by building cultural bridges, and strengthening capacity and development.

On this historic occasion, I offer the best wishes of the American people for a safe and joyous Fiftieth Anniversary, and I reaffirm the commitment of the United States to our enduring friendship.

Friends of EFA at the Eighteenth Street Lounge

Nearly 100 Washington, D.C.-area residents gathered in the Eighteenth Street Lounge’s warmly lit Gold Room on the evening of April 29. Attendees were present for a fundraiser supporting Education Fights AIDS (EFA) International, a U.S.-based nonprofit organization that empowers African youth infected with and affected by HIV and AIDS in Cameroon and Rwanda. Alim Ousmanou, EFA International’s Cameroon country representative, spoke at the fundraiser—one stop on a visit marking his first time in the U.S. Invited to participate in the U.S. State Department’s International Visitor Leadership Program from April 3-23, Ousmanou remained in the country for two weeks after the program to visit supporters of EFA International’s work carried out in Cameroon.

Alim Ousmanou

“It was wonderful to see how young Americans are helping the community of youth living with HIV and AIDS in Cameroon,” Ousmanou said of the Washington event. EFA International’s efforts focus on creating associations for individuals infected with and affected by HIV and AIDS in Cameroon and supporting a center for orphans and vulnerable children in Rwanda. The organization began when Ousmanou and Andrew Koleros, then a Peace Corps Volunteer in Maroua, Cameroon, identified dozens of HIV-positive youth in the city who lacked the psychosocial, educational and financial support to live positively with the virus. Along with Koleros, returned Peace Corps Volunteers Rachel Hoy, Michael Nilon, Erin Nilon and Nicole Sheldon-Desjardins officially incorporated the organization in 2006 to continue this work. Koleros, who currently sits on EFA International’s Board of Directors, said Ousmanou’s visit deepened members’ commitment to the organization, which advocates the Peace Corps’ Third Goal. “It’s really motivated the board and volunteers,” Koleros said of Ousmanou’s presence at EFA International events in the U.S. “It reminded us of why we all got involved in this organization in the first place.” For EFA International’s benefactors, Ousmanou’s presence at the fundraiser made the organization’s mission more resonant, clarifying what their involvement means for the youth the nonprofit enables to live positively. “It was nice to hear somebody from the area where it’s being helped speak,” said Michael Causey, a Washington-based lawyer who attended the fundraiser. “It’s easy for Americans to say, ‘Look at the great work I’m doing.’”

AJEPS, member of EFA's Youth Empowerment Network

EFA International currently supports eight independent groups in the Extreme North province of Cameroon. Income-generating activities to advance members in their communities and peer education programs to raise awareness about HIV transmission and prevention have empowered more than 120 young men and women. Doumtigai Guibai, member of an EFA International-sponsored association in Mokolo, Cameroon, said her participation in peer education training motivated her to speak openly about HIV. “People come up to me to congratulate me for my courage to speak about HIV in the community,” Guibai said in EFA International’s 2009 Annual Report. “At school, students call me the ‘mama’ for teaching them about HIV.” During his visit, Ousmanou also attended fundraising events in Massachusetts and spoke at a Harvard Divinity School panel discussion on development and HIV in Africa. He said he was extremely affected by returned volunteers’ commitment to both EFA International and Cameroon. “I saw so many people during my time in the U.S.,” Ousmanou said. “Seeing former Cameroon Peace Corps Volunteers was the most significant to me.” – By Whitney Isenhower Photos courtesy of Live It Out Photography, LLC

See more photos from the event on Facebook.

PEPFAR’s VAST program is a funding resource for small-scale HIV/AIDS projects initiated by communities and organizations partnered with Peace Corps Volunteers. The program is funded by PEPFAR on an annual basis. The VAST program provides PEPFAR funds to support HIV/AIDS outreach and training in communities where Peace Corps Volunteers live and work.

From the field, Caitlyn reports that they will do one elongated session per month throughout July, August and September.  We will be able to reduce transportation because there are fewer (longer) sessions. In addition, the Maroua youth group trainees are contributing to reducing lodging expenses by hosting the out-of-town trainees. We tried that for Men as Partners [training, held in February 2010] and with the more recent Peer Education sessions and found great success.

Congratulations to Caitlyn and the Cameroon Regional Office!

I would be completely remiss if I did not take this opportunity to thank my Peace Corps colleagues: Brian, Josh, Dan, Brad, and Phil.  They, with their counterparts, tirelessly facilitated 61 sessions over the course of the program. And not easy sessions, given the taboos that exist here and the topics being discussed!  In addition, we Peace Corps volunteers are all tremendously lucky to have Cameroonian counterparts, like Alim and Amada, who joined us in the facilitation and who drove the participants to consistently dig deeper into the issues at hand.    

 I thank you, all who have helped to make the Men As Partners program possible! Your generosity has not gone unnoticed! The participants thank you! And — by extension— their communities thank you!!

Given the ambitious nature of EFA’s strategic plans, the Cameroon regional office seeks a Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Advisor to facilitate the establishment of a robust M&E system for all organizational activities. The M&E Advisor will work closely with program staff and beneficiaries in a participatory approach to gain stakeholder buy-in and ultimately implement the M&E system.

This is an excellent opportunity for an RPCV or an individual seeking to enrich their experience in the field.

Read the full job description here.

We hope that governments and organizations can work together with the Haitian people to persevere and rebuild their beautiful country.  We recognize that the road to recovery will be long, and that longer term investments are necessary to ensure sustainability.  EFA International supports Partners in Health and its sister organization – Zanmi Sante — who have had a positive presence in Haiti for decades and are well equipped to work effectively and efficiently to reach those in greatest need.

We are together. On est ensemble, Haiti.

Launch the survey.

Education Fights AIDS, International
Caitlyn Bradburn
Peace Corps Volunteer/EFA Technical Advisor
B.P. 551
Maroua, Cameroon
caitlyn@efainternational.org

EFA, Cameroon Launches New Training Program

July 1, 2009—Maroua, Cameroon

Education Fights AIDS International announces a new and innovative training opportunity for members of the five Cameroonian associations of people affected or infected with HIV.

The Men as Partners curriculum, developed by EngenderHealth, seeks to address inequities between men and women when it comes to health and healthy behaviors. In particular, the program aims to encourage men to take control of their health and their decisions regarding sexual health. By applying a unique gender perspective, one that challenges typical assumptions of masculinity, the training can unpack the socialized behaviors in which men engage to uncover constructive and healthier ways of living that, ultimately, support women and girls in the community. The training will empower men who are living with HIV to know how to best care for themselves and their health. Furthermore, the training supports the goals of the individual associations to prepare themselves to work on education campaigns in their respective communities.

The two-week Men as Partners program will be held in November for the 20 male members of the five associations in the EFA Youth Network. Six Peace Corps volunteers and their respective Cameroonian counterparts will plan and facilitate the training. In addition, the Maroua-based training will serve as a pilot for the other Volunteers and their counterparts. Each will reproduce the program in his or her own community.

The two-week training program is separated into nine subject areas: Gender and Power, Sexuality, Men and Health, Substance Use, Healthy Relationships, STI and HIV Prevention, Living with HIV, Violence, and Making Change/Taking Action.

For additional information, please contact Caitlyn Bradburn via email: caitlyn@efainternational.org