Education, in particular HIV/AIDS education, is the cornerstone of EFA’s strategy to improve the condition of life for the associations and members of our Youth Empowerment Network. Peace Corps Volunteer Caitlyn Bradburn paved the way when she created the Peer Education program. The Peer Education program was designed to give association members, regardless of previous education, monetary situation, or ability to read or write, the opportunity to not only educate themselves on HIV and AIDS, but to serve as educators for their peers also infected or affected by HIV and AIDS in their community. It sought to empower our members to not only live positively themselves,but to promote positive living and reduce stigma and discrimination in their communities. Caitlyn, Alim, and Amada served as the new program trainers.

When I arrived as the next Peace Corps Volunteer to serve with EFA International, it was clear this program was a huge success. Members felt empowered and attitudes and behaviors of both HIV-positive and HIV-negative people in the community were changing. I thought to myself: this is great, but how can it be better? I realized, the previous Volunteer had created this empowering and effective program, but now my role was to make it sustainable, to make it EFA’s program and not the Volunteer’s.

I approached Alim and Amada, the trusty and dedicated staff of the regional office in Cameroon with an idea… what if we trained existing motivated and talented Peer Educators as volunteer program trainers? Though they thought the task would be difficult, they were immediately on board. What better way to further empower EFA Youth Empowerment Network members? What better way to ensure that the program can and will exist without a Peace Corps Volunteer?
With the help of star Peer Educator/Trainer Pehlem Therese, whose excellence and passion for peer education had actually already secured her as a Peer Education trainer, I set off to design my project and with the support from a VAST/PEPFAR grant and contributions from EFA International, including those from Global Giving. My project began in late November 2011.

Candidates for the new trainer position underwent a preliminary application and testing process, from which we selected four Peer Educators to continue on to the training round. These four candidates then participated in an 8-day intensive Training of Trainers, which included identifying training needs, facilitation, and leadership techniques. Finally,all the candidates gained practical experience by serving as the lead trainers in an actual EFA Peer Education cycle for members of AJUBS Kousseri under my supervision and the supervision of Pehlem and Amada. Even though the project was long and difficult, watching the improvement of these four candidates from the initial interview process to the final trainings they delivered has beeninspiring. In addition, seeing Pehlem continue her personal and professional growth and rise to the challenge of being a leader has been one of the greatest highlights of my service. Not only have they all succeeded themselves, but they successfully trained 8 new peer educators in Kousseri, a training success rateof 80 percent with the highest average post-training test score of any PeerEducation cycle and EFA’s first post-test score of 100%!

I am so proud to announce EFA International Cameroon’s five volunteer Peer Education Trainers, who successfully completed their training and practical in March 2012:

Pehlem Therese, AJEPS Maroua
Asta Madeline, AJEPS Maroua
Salihou, ASSYSGOD Godola
Aissatou Moussa, AJUBS Kousseri
Henriette Maidouwe, AJUBS Kousseri

Please join me in congratulating their hard work and welcoming them to the EFA team! This success is due not only to their hard work, but also to the generous support of our donors. Please help EFA to continue this positive momentum!

As part of the EFA family, I invite you to join me as I share a few of the highlights of my past year with EFA and our Youth Empowerment Network members in Cameroon. After all, it is your continued support that makes all that we do possible.

Preventing Violence and Promoting Equality

“The education on sexual and gender-based violence started with me first; I really had no idea about these issues before and how they could really change our lives.”—YEN member

My first project with EFA in Cameroon was in collaboration with TrustAfrica and it was divided into three main parts:

1. Design and implement in 10 communities a survey on knowledge/attitudes/practices related to sexual and gender-based violence (SGB-V).
2. Design and lead training on the prevention of SGB-V for our network of 50 Peer Educators.
3. Educate communities on SGB-V prevention.

Gender, violence, and equality are not the easiest topics to discuss in Cameroon, and being new EFA and to the country, it was even more challenging. However, the rewards of this project far outweigh any personal challenges. I know that for most of our Peer Educators this was the first time they had ever talked openly about SGB-V and equality. Many women didn’t consider themselves equal; many thought that men were in fact born more intelligent and therefore had more rights and should be given more opportunities. We discussed ideas about gender roles and decision-making in the household, about communication between partners, and about how violence fuels the HIV epidemic. Each Peer Educator talked about strategies that they could implement in their own household to promote equality and about strategies that they could employ as peer educators in promoting SGB-V prevention and equality in their communities.

Our Peer Educators were so moved by the knowledge they gained in the training that they educated more than 8,000 community members in just one month—which was 3,000 more than projected!

Fighting HIV/AIDS in Local Communities

One of EFA’s founding values is to promote positive prevention and the engagement of HIV-positive individuals in the fights against HIV/AIDS. We do this through many avenues, but primarily through small employment and volunteer opportunities. We train members as peer educators and encourage their work as volunteer educators both in their communities and in others. Our Peer Educators are amazing resources for the communities we serve and for new communities who would like to improve or establish their own HIV prevention, care, or support activities. This past year I facilitated two important collaboration projects.

The first was in Hina, a conservative and rural village in the Far North region. The Peace Corps volunteer in Hina organized a summer long football (soccer!) tournament, which interweaved HIV education before each game. For the closing ceremonies, an HIV-positive, female EFA peer educator delivered the closing speech. The volunteer later told me:

“It was amazing! In a village where no one would even utter the letters HIV, everyone was talking about how an HIV-positive WOMAN was openly talking about HIV, how strong and healthy she was, and that maybe you CAN live a healthy and full life with HIV.”

The second was in Adoumri, a rural village in the North region. There a Peace Corps volunteer led a PEPFAR funded project to train the nurses and healthcare workers at her health center in Pre and Post-test HIV Counseling, to educate members of the community on HIV prevention, and to offer free, voluntary HIV testing for 2 days at their health center. I worked with three of our EFA Peer Educators that work at the Maroua Center for Voluntary HIV Testing to design and implement a half day training for the project. We recruited 20 EFA Peer Educators to volunteer their time to spend day of educating the community on prevention and the importance of knowing your status. Thanks to our activities over 2,000 people were reached by education messages and 800 people were tested for HIV! In 2012, we hope to continue our work in Adoumri and help the volunteer start an association of people living with HIV to provide much needed care and support services.

Empowering and Skill-Building for a Successful Future

One day EFA staffers Alim, Amada, and I were discussing how great it would be if we had a computer that our members could use; unfortunately we didn’t have money in the budget for such a purpose. My birthday was quickly approaching and on a whim I sent out a request to friends and family, asking them to donate on my behalf, to a computer fund. Two weeks later, my friends and family had more than tripled my request. What would be the best use of these funds?

We discussed the possibility of providing access to computer-based training and education in language, literacy, math, business, and communication and information technologies. How this training and education for HIV+ youth would build confidence, increase employable skills, and create new opportunities for communication, outreach and advocacy. Education and training for the orphans and vulnerable children of HIV+ youth in our network would help them to succeed in school and encourage them to continue with their education. The Youth Empowerment Center was born.

Currently, the center is in its infancy. We used the money to build a small room, which houses our two computers. Members and their families can use these computers, which have internet access, at their convenience. In 2012, we plan on holding computer-skills training workshops in areas such as Computer Basics, Word, Excel, and Internet, Communication and Social Media. In the long-term we hope that will help HIV+ youth and their families to improve the condition of their lives and use their skills to become educated leaders dedicated to preventing HIV and AIDS, reducing HIV and AIDS related stigma and discrimination, and advocating for rights and access to care for HIV+ individuals in their communities and around the world.

Creating a Safety Net of Care and Support

In the midst of all these projects, what has been the most moving and inspirational for me, is the bonds between our members within their association, among the associations throughout the region, with the EFA regional staff, and even members of EFA International Board of Directors. These bonds form a safety net of care and support for these youth infected or affected by HIV/AIDS and their families. From daily interactions, to life-changing events, these bonds provide the strength and support to not only live HIV-positive, but to thrive. Over the past year I have seen the positive effects of these bonds on countless occasions, but two in particular stand out.

During this past year, Sarah*, a YEN association member fell ill and as a result she was placed on ARV medication. Sadly, her mother refused to accept her HIV+ status and as a result prevented her daughter from taking her medication, instead blaming her for becoming infected. Fellow association members heard about Sarah’s problem and after gaining the support of her siblings succeeded in convincing her mother to care for her child and support her in her road to recovery. Over the next few weeks, association members frequently visited Sarah, and found that her condition was not improving. It became clear, that although the mother wanted to help, she didn’t know what to do or how to help her daughter adhere to her ARV treatment. Again, association members went to her house and talked to both her and her mother about the treatment, dosage, and timing. A few weeks later, an association member was at the office. She had just been to visit Sarah and was telling me how much better her condition had gotten. The safety net had saved Sarah’s life.

On a lighter note, a few weeks ago I was honored to participate in a douba for one of our association members, Aissatou. A douba is basically a traditional wedding shower where female friends and family gather to give presents, dance, and eat together. After losing her husband to what she later found out was AIDS, and discovering her own status, Aissatou never though she would get married again. However, joining her association changed her life. Today, she is the president of her association and one of the strongest women I have ever met. She takes pride that she is in a healthy relationship where she and her soon-to-be husband are partners who communicate and share responsibilities and decision-making. I couldn’t help but smile the whole night, especially in seeing the members of her association and others, now her close friends, sharing much laughter and love.

Your Support Matters

These stories only give a brief glimpse into the multitude of new and existing programs and projects that EFA International has led during my one year. Though 2011 is coming to an end, our activities in Cameroon are continuing full speed ahead. To continue our important work, we need your support now more than ever. Please consider supporting EFA International, our activities, and the Youth Empowerment Network in one or all of the following ways:

1. Donate to EFA International or to one of our ongoing program areas on the online giving site, Global Giving, or on our website, www.efainternational.org.  Our ongoing programs include the Youth Empowerment Network, Peer Education, and the Youth Empowerment Center. To learn more about these programs and how you can give visit our donation page.
2. Share our story and your experiences with EFA International with your friends, family, and colleagues. Encourage them to learn more about our organization, our values, our work and our beneficiaries. Talk about us, forward this email or other EFA communications, suggest they check out our website, www.efainternational.org, or become a fan of our Facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/efainternational.
3. Volunteer your time or your skills for EFA International. Our Board is 100% volunteer, I am a volunteer, and for the first few years of existence our entire regional office staff was volunteers! We know that your time and your skills can be just as valuable as any monetary donation. Contact us at info@efainternational.org to learn more about volunteer opportunities both in the US and in Cameroon.

EFA International has changed my life; I challenge you to let it change yours.

We are together, nous sommes ensemble.

Gena Barnabee

Gena Barnabee

Rachel Hoy Deussom (’99) is co-founder of Education Fights AIDS (EFA) International.
After graduating from Georgetown University in 2003, she served as a Peace Corps
community health volunteer in northern Cameroon. During her service, a fellow
volunteer, Andrew Koleros, introduced Rachel to a concerned group of HIV-positive
youth, which became EFA’s original HIV-positive youth support group in February
2005. In 2006 they officially established EFA International as a 501(c)3 non-profit
organization with the mission to promote the successful future of HIV-infected and
–affected African youth through education, enterprise, and empowerment. EFA
International further develops the work that these volunteers started during their Peace
Corps service and has grown to include both returned Peace Corps Volunteers (RPCVs)
and other individuals that care deeply about youth and the development of sub-Saharan
Africa.

Since the Peace Corps, Rachel received her M.Sc. in Global Health and Population from
the Harvard School of Public Health. Rachel and her husband Gabriel are currently
based in Washington, DC where she works for the World Bank on health and HIV
projects in Africa. Her work has brought her to India, Liberia, Mali, Malawi, Niger and
Southern Sudan, but her heart remains in Cameroon.

Download Pingree Bulletin (.pdf)

1. Helping the people of interested countries in meeting their need for trained men and women.
2. Helping promote a better understanding of Americans on the part of the peoples served.
3. Helping promote a better understanding of other peoples on the part of Americans.

EFA International supports Peace Corps’ Third Goal by continuing to make Americans aware about what it means to live with HIV in Cameroon and Africa through its outreach, sponsoring University of Maryland students to visit Cameroon and gain an understanding of the country’s people, and providing volunteer opportunities with EFA for returned Peace Corps Volunteers and other individuals.

Since its launch, Peace Corps Volunteers have worked in 139 countries and are now active in 77. Of the nearly 8,655 volunteers currently serving, 22 percent have worked in the health and HIV and AIDS sector, the main focus of EFA International’s programs in Cameroon and Rwanda. March 2011 also marks the inaugural “Peace Corps Month.”

To learn more about Peace Corps’ Anniversary and related events taking place throughout the year, please visit Peace Corps 50th Anniversary page.

Sources:

• Peace Corps Mission
• Fast Facts about the Peace Corps
• News: Peace Corps Reaches 40-Year High in Number of Volunteers

For more information about Sargent Shriver’s role in starting the Peace Corps, please visit the organization’s online tribute.

Sargent Shriver talks to a group of potential Peace Corps Volunteers. 1961. Image: Peace Corps.

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!!

Alim Ousmanou, EFA Cameroon

 EFA International is very proud to announce that it’s Cameroon Country Representative, Alim Ousmanou, has been accepted to the US State Department’s International Visitor’s Leadership Program! Alim will be traveling to the United States in April 2010 to participate in a two-week leadership training program on Public Health Policy and Practice. 
 
In 2009, Alim was nominated for this highly competitive program by the Peace Corps in Cameroon for his continued collaboration with Peace Corps Volunteers through his work with EFA International.  He will represent EFA and its mission to fight HIV/AIDS through education and youth empowerment during the exchange visit. This promises to be an enriching opportunity for Alim as well as for EFA International. 

Congratulations, Alim!