5) Description of health product/service offering: We are addressing HIV/AIDS (with focus ranging from home- based care to nutrition and food security for people living with the disease, to education and material support for orphans), so our primary beneficiaries are those either infected or affected by HIV/AIDS, the latter population encompassing a fairly large segment of the rural population in W. Kenya. We have introduced a home- based care program for people in the AIDS stage of HIV; we have developed a nutrition program and model based on the concept of Nutrition Field Schools--where the most vulnerable populations we serve are introduced to all aspects of food production--designed to improve both income-generation and food security; we have arts and ICTs projects--in which photography, video and other audiovisual equipment and means, mobile phones, radio listening groups, storytelling and drama, and multimedia learning materials (on CD-ROM) help to disseminate information and empower community members--designed to improve communication, knowledge on a variety of health- related topics, and collaboration among individuals and communities, so that they can better advocate for their needs. We have become involved in a consortium of three nonprofits, operating in different districts in the region, who are developing learning materials on the subjects of their expertise--income-generation, nutrition and agriculture, and environmental education--and who are using ICTs/ODL for collective activism and the dissemination of education modules to each (and all) of our communities. This is called GRASSUP NOW (Grassroots Socio-Economic Underpinnings: Poverty, Nutrition, ODL/ICTs, Women), whose title conveys the goals, issues, and populations we are targeting. Our GenARDIS project focuses on women, agriculture, and technology. Community- based informal learning centres, information kiosks, and a community health and education radio network have been created.

6) Description of innovation: KAIPPG focuses on improving the capacities of individuals, families, and communities affected by HIV/AIDS, not only by addressing the health needs of patients, but just as importantly, helping people to help themselves. Every person and community with whom we work draws up a contract, which spells out the steps needed for growth and development, and how to go about meeting these goals. KAIPPG works with each party to realize these goals, helping to increase the chances for success through referrals, trainings, provision of resources as we can (equipment, seeds, clothing, educational fees). This strategy allows beneficiaries to actively participate in all phases of program interventions, which are designed to show that they can do something about their situation, thus improving their ability to help themselves and one another in future situations and challenges. In addition to our self-help and capacity-building philosophy and activities, we have programs--GRASSUP NOW, GenARDIS 1 (2003) and II (2005), Nutritional Field Schools (NFS)-- designed to holistically address a wide array of individual and community challenges, in the areas of HIV/AIDS and health, education, sustainable development, nutrition and agriculture, economic empowerment, irrespective of age, class, and gender. Our nutritional field schools are a good example: an inclusive design involves several layers or units--from the overall project (with 120 participants), to the learning unit (with 30 participants each), to the family-style support unit (10 participants), in which people do the actual work of planting and harvesting, as well as caring for one another and trying to meet member needs (including standing in for a person who is too weak to work, or providing home-care for someone who is sick)--all linked and integrated into a system which also includes a wide array of support services, resources, and helpful entities.

7) Operational model: KAIPPG focuses on many aspects of HIV/AIDS, and in addition we address income-generation and poverty mitigation, nutrition and food security, agriculture, education, healthcare, human rights, issues related to women and youth, treatment access, use of arts and ICTs for education/prevention/communication/skills- building/livelihoods, and environmental sustainability. Currently, KAIPPG has 24 project sites spread across 6 Districts in the Western Province, with the local communities being the main actors in project identification, management and implementation. We have a track record of implementing innovative and holistic HIV/AIDS projects. KAIPPG is partnering with Pathfinder International, implementing an extensive Nutrition and Food Security Project covering 8 divisions of W. Kenya. We are a member of the Kenya AIDS NGOs Consortium Coalition Project for Implementation of the Global Fund Round II Grant (orphan focus), and have implemented a large grant from the National AIDS Control Council for a home-based care program in Butere/Mumias. KAIPPG has worked closely with a number of stakeholders to contribute to the provision of comprehensive services to our clientele. There is a strong partnership with a range of government and mission hospitals, providing VCT services and ARV administration, the Family Planning Association of Kenya (providing condoms and reproductive health education) local Ministries of Agriculture departments (providing technical expertise for our nutrition and food Security Project), and several other private sector, faith-based and community based organizations. We have established numerous grassroots committees, consisting of project beneficiaries, who are involved in program design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation, with each individual, group, and community guided by a self-help contract drawn up to guide and gauge their progress, which is modified and supplemented as goals are met or further actions needed.

8) Human resources: KAIPPG has a strong organizational design with a clearly defined chain of command, and linkages with community structures. Currently KAIPPG has 12 paid staff, two program volunteers, and a large team of community-based volunteers. The paid staff include four Nutritional Field Workers, attached to the Nutrition and Food Security Project; one nurse attached to the Community Care and Support Program; the Projects Coordinator; Administrator; Accountant; the Chief Executive; and two support staff. Others include the head of KAIPPG International and volunteers with that organization. The Commonwealth of Learning and other organizations with whom we work are also partners who help to implement our health initiatives. The head of KAIPPG Kenya, James Onyango, has an MBA from the University of Nairobi and is a human-rights activist who has given inputs on the Kenya National HIV/AIDS Strategic Plan and represented Kenyan civil society on many national and international forums. Janet Feldman is founder/director of KAIPPG International and ActALIVE, an international arts coalition, and Maria Corazon de la Paz, a volunteer grantwriter, is a health expert.

9) Key operational partnerships: KAIPPG has been partnering with Pathfinder International since 2004 in implementing an extensive Nutrition and Food Security Project, covering 8 divisions of the Western Province. KAIPPG is a member of the KANCO Coalition Project for implementation of the GFATM Round II Grant, and we have managed a grant from Kenya's NACC to implement a home-based care program in Butere/Mumias district. We have worked with government and mission hospitals providing VCT services and ARV administration, the Family Planning Association of Kenya (providing condoms and reproductive health education); Ministry of Agriculture departments (providing technical expertise for our nutrition and food security project); Mumias Sugar Company; Anglican Church, and other private sector, FBOs and CBOs, The Commonwealth of Learning, Physicians for Human Rights, OLSET. KAIPPG International is a business partner, helping to attract financing and other resources, collaborating in grant-writing and fundraising, and serving as a link with the US-based Zawadi African Tea Company, another business partner. Established by a Kenyan national, Zawadi works with smallhold farmers in Kenya to develop sustainable products and income via market development in the USA and online. They donate a portion of profits to KAIPPG for an "Orphan Adoption Fund", whereby prospective parents can help defray adoption costs, enabling local orphans to have families once again.

10) Financial Sustainability

          • Fees charged to clients?: No

          • How do you assure affordability?: Although we do not charge our clients, we do charge for some services we provide, like sending emails, photocopies, and computer use, and our GenARDIS and GRASSUP projects have built-in income-generation components to help sustain them. We encourage a donation of 5% of produce by the beneficiaries of our nutrition/agriculture program, to sustain each unit in the project and the overall initiative. Community members who can pay for health treatment enable these services to be given free to those who cannot afford them. We also have an annual membership subscription for those who can afford it. Community-development implementation committees are involved in deciding what beneficiaries should pay for certain services, which reflects what they can afford.

          • Earned incomes as a percentage of operating costs: 15%

          • Other funding sources: At this time, the projects are not entirely self- sustaining or profitable, though each year we see improvements in that direction. Other sources of funding include Pathfinder International; Global Fund for AIDS, TB, and Malaria; GenARDIS project partners (CTA, IISD, IDRC); The Commonwealth of Learning; National AIDS Control Council; government subsidies; Ministry of Agriculture (staff to help with project implementation); free donation of seeds from research institutions such as Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI); condom and IEC materials from the Ministry of Health; individual contributions; business donations from Zawadi African Tea Company.

          • Strategy for long-term sustainability: Increasing the capacity of communities through trainings and skills-building to improve their productivity and project implementation abilities. The use of volunteers to market our program, thus reducing project implementation costs (proposal-writing and professional advice from volunteers with expertise, instead of hiring consultants); implementing projects with a built-in income component, such as community telephony (which we do with our GenARDIS project); partnerships with long-term donors such as USAID (through Pathfinder), GFATM, CTA/IDRC/IICD/HIVOS (GenARDIS). Establishing an international presence (KAIPPG International) which helps to generate finances and in- kind resources; seeking ways to enhance local capacity.

11) Current and Future Impact

          • Total number of clients: 30,000

          • Clients in the past year: 4500

          • Percentage of low-income clients: 100

          • Impact: In addition to improvements in income-generation and economic empowerment, there have been behavior changes in terms of health and other markers of well-being, a reduction in the stigma felt and placed on people living with HIV/AIDS, an increase in awareness of rights, an increased activism in terms of needs and interests, an improvement in literacy and in educational achievements. Policy changes have emerged too: local activism has led to creation of the Constituency Development Fund, which addresses the needs of specific interest groups at grassroots level. Vulnerable groups are now included on local bursary committees to address educational needs of those who would not otherwise have access to schooling. PLWHAS are included on all committees.

          • Overall "market": In addition to the HIV/AIDS-related client groups in 30 districts in Kenya, others include 50,000 people in poverty, over 500,000 people who are faced with malnutrition and food-insecurity within the Lake Victoria region in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania; 12 FM Radio and TV broadcasting stations in Western Kenya and Eastern Uganda region, 5 private companies and 21 Kenyan NGOs and CBOs who create multimedia and education campaigns and materials. There are more than 10 NGOs within the Southern African region who are seeking best-practices to improve advocacy strategies, 7 others looking to improve environmental education in communities, as well as nutrition and income-generation. Our NFS, GenARDIS, and GRASSUP projects could potentially be applied as models in rural areas in Eastern, Southern and Western Africa.

12) Scaling up strategy

          • Stage of the initiative: Scaling Up stage.

          • Expansion plan: Our expansion plans include scaling up our NFS, GenARDIS, and GRASSUP NOW projects, as well as increasing the number of clients we serve with our programs, increasing our funding base and sources of in-kind supports, and increasing the number and types of organizations and entities with whom we create and implement projects. We would also like to expand our ability to share our program models and contents with others: for example, we would like to send KAIPPG staff on a cross-country R&D tour, whereby we would learn from others about their best practices in various fields, and also be able to impart our knowledge to them. We have had a number of communities asking us to bring our edutainment (HIV/AIDS prevention and education via entertainment) projects to them, but to date we have not done so for lack of transportation. This we would like to remedy with adequate vehicles in future. With GenARDIS, we plan to scale up community telephony, use of information kiosks; involve more beneficiaries in content design, packaging, choice; increase ICTs training and use. With GRASSUP, to develop more educational modules and find ways for our model and contents to serve other communities.

13) Policy change: Enactment of bills that support gender equity and decentralization of resources to reach the most vulnerable. Subsidies for smallhold farmer groups including tax rebates. National funding for community based initiatives that address the needs of the most vulnerable. National ICT policies that will facilitate removal of duties and other taxes on ICTs hardware. Improvement of connectivity in rural areas. Easing procedures for the acquisition of licences for FM radio and other ICTs media, including the cost element. Ensuring free or affordable health care to all. Government initiatives to improve the economic condition of the communities through community trading.

14) Origin of the initiative: James Onyango, Executive Director of KAIPPG Kenya, has played a crucial role in the development of KAIPPG since its formation in 1995, formed many families in W. Kenya had literally been wiped out or were in the process of dying, women widowed and children orphaned, all due to HIV/AIDS. He has been central to the creation of KAIPPG's nutrition and agriculture programs, its ICTs and arts programs, and its GenARDIS and GRASSUP NOW programs. He has been a treatment activist, human-rights leader, an advocate for policy changes, and a partner/participant in activities from the local to international levels. Janet Feldman (KAIPPG International) and Maria Corazon de la Paz are key GenARDIS figures; Janet and other central GRASSUP partners include Krishna Alluri (Commonwealth of Learning), Francis Anyona (Ikonzo Musanda Self-Help Group), Kennedy Onyango (CISSO), and oneVillage Foundation.

Contact Information:
James  Onyango
Executive Director
KAIPPG Kenya
(NGO)
Mosacco Plaza, Nabongo Road, P. O. Box 2448-50100, Kakamega, Kenya
Kenya
Tel: +254 56 641004
Fax: +254 56 641004
Email: kaippg@earthlink.net
Website: http://www.kaippg.org