The group meets the needs of society's disenfranchised via a grassroots system of peer educators, many of whom are volunteers. One of the best reasons for using volunteers, says Henriques, is that they provide the organization with demographic diversity and can reflect the lifestyles and personal histories of the target populations.

Henriques, a wiry guy who describes himself as "hyper," appears to be running multiple brain files simultaneously. From his office, a mango-colored house in Salvador, he tells his story rapidly and in italics. "From the start, I knew that I wanted volunteers to be the essence of this organization. That's different from other institutions, where volunteers are extra. But I also knew how difficult it could be."

For instance, a series of posters targeting women uses the caption "Enough of the Weaker Sex" to make a wordplay on both risky sexual behavior and women who are vulnerable to their male partner bringing AIDS home. The group's Web page at www.gapabahia.org.br is a well-crafted site aimed at both national and international net browsers, more potential clients and volunteers.

GAPA-BA's campaign targeting women seeks to change the behavior of both sexes. This ad uses a play-on-words with the expression "the weaker sex," referring to women and high-risk sexual practices. Women have in fact been strong volunteers in GAPA-BA's fight against AIDS, and the volunteer coordinator is female.

English translation: "Enough of 'the weaker sex.' A woman who loves herself demands a condom."

Small type: "Women have had to battle to vote, to work, to be the boss of their own bodies. Now, they need to fight against AIDS. Today, in the entire world, there exist millions of women with HIV/AIDS. And there is only one way to make this number stop growing: demand that men use condoms. If a woman has sex without a condom, she is not only putting her own life at risk. She is contributing to men continuing to act in the same way and infecting other women. Defend your body, your pleasure, your life. Have sex with a condom."

Logo at lower right: "GAPA Bahia – 10 years. Group to Support the Prevention of AIDS."

Selecting: The Right Person for the Job

Selecting appropriate volunteers is a Human Resouces art. Although an organization may be ecstatic if volunteers are knocking down the door, without a skills – needs match, both parties will end up dissatisfied. Marinho applies her background in psychology and human resources to this task. She interviews the recruits extensively about their personal motivations and abilities. "First, we need a volunteer who is serious about the work," says Henriques. "Yes," agrees Marinho, "and who is willing to undergo a long training."

As far as scheduling goes, "Maybe they can come only for four hours, one afternoon a week. We can maximize their time in the office or the community when we have a good match, when we know what they can do and what makes them tick," says Marinho.

Marcia Marinho, volunteer coordinator, looks over the work of Marquinhos Macedo de Oliveira, volunteer

One example of a model volunteer is Marcos Macedo de Oliveira, known as Marquinhos [marKEENyos]. HIV positive, he entered as a client and participated in occupational therapy. Although the training was successful, his health forced him to lay low for a while. When he got back in touch with GAPA-BA, he started volunteering as an administrative aide. "Marquinhos helps us with all the little things that need to get done, especially mailings," says Henriques gratefully. "It's important for me to be here," affirms Macedo. "I come every day." Consistency and reliability make Macedo a valuable colleague; more importantly, he simultaneously assists and represents a vast client constituency.

Training: A Worthwhile Investment

Volunteers take classes in both the health and the social impact of HIV/AIDS, and they learn the history of GAPA-BA. Paid staff people conduct the courses and lead discussion groups. After these general topics, the volunteer works with a supervisor to receive focused instruction in the correct department. During a six-month trial period, the volunteer becomes integrated into the organization and acquires the appropriate skills such as public speaking, data entry, or peer counseling.

"This phase takes a while," says Henriques. "It's a real investment in the volunteer. But, since we have already expended energy in planning, recruiting, and selecting, it's worth it to make sure that they are well-trained." Funding comes from foundations and private contributions. There is even a space on the Web page set up for receiving donations.

Marinho talks about a recent recruit. "I had a girl come in the other day, sixteen years old. She was really enthusiastic and wanted to serve on our AIDS hotline staff. I told her about our training schedule, and she was a bit taken aback. But then she understood she needed a great deal more background and human relations skills before she could get on the phone with someone who has just received a test result."

Celia Costa Lima is a homemaker in her forties who has been volunteering at the AIDS hotline for three years. "One of the reasons I decided to volunteer was the training itself. I took those classes, with about eight other people, and we learned all about how to counsel someone by phone." The classes were followed by a monitored practicum. Without the training, Costa Lima might not have been prepared for the surprises that lay ahead for her on the AIDS hotline.

Costa Lima works four hours a week, answering calls from people who need information about AIDS: patients, partners, parents, and more. "One of the most challenging things I do is speak with mothers who receive their child's test results by mail. This is an illegal practice in Brazil the physician is supposed to tell the patient in person what the diagnosis is, but even doctors get scared and try to foist the job off on someone else, the mom. For the mothers, however, it's a nightmare. Many times they get a double surprise when they find out their son's sexual preference, for example. So, I'm here for them to talk, cry, ask for help."

Managing and Supervising: Benefits to Both Sides

Since volunteers are treated like paid staff, they receive evaluations and critiques on their work. This policy improves on the all-too-common practice in non-profits, ranging from "leave volunteers alone" to "always tell them they're doing a good job or they might quit." Management, insists Marinho, includes keeping volunteers faithful to their schedules and comparing their achievements to their written job descriptions.

"You really have to pay attention to what's happening in the volunteers' lives," says Marinho. "Because they are here for free, and their hours are more limited, I have to keep a close eye on the changes occurring in their lives, whether they get married, or get a full-time job, or graduate from school all of these things will affect their availability and their commitment to the organization. So, managing and supervising require constant contact."

Critiques go both ways. Marinho listens to volunteers' criticisms and suggestions for the organization. Costa Lima offers an example: "Having worked at the hotline for a while, I determined that we needed a computer system and database to track the calls and register the data that we take on age, level of education, and type of question, and my suggestion is being implemented."

A tricky question for a volunteer coordinator is: Have you ever had to fire somebody? Marinho answers with typical poise: "Only once, and after many, many assessments and re-directing. Most often, we re-match the volunteer in another area, and that has proven to be fruitful. But, if I were to decide that someone was just not fitting in with GAPA-BA's mission, I would suggest that they continue to volunteer with another organization, maybe one of our partners, and I would help to place them there."

Compensating: Not with a Paycheck, but a Check-In

Henriques and Marinho promote compensation as the final step in the plan for retaining volunteers. Although the rewards are not financial, they are consistent and personal. "One of the ways that volunteers know we are paying attention is how we check in with them so often, asking them how things are going," says Marinho. "We have monthly parties for volunteers who are celebrating their birthday. We send them holiday cards," Henriques says. "It's the little things that tell them we recognize them. They are a part of GAPA-BA."

An even bigger celebration takes place annually, an appreciation dinner. Costa Lima recalls this year's event: "I was honored," she says with pride, "as one of the top volunteers. It meant a lot to me."

One of the many crossovers occurs between compensation and training. Volunteers receive extensive training about AIDS, and along the way, they also learn how to give seminars, how to increase their computer skills, how to administer surveys, and more. The professional skills that they acquire through their volunteering can push them forward in their own searches for income-generating work. Furthermore, they advance within GAPA-BA. A volunteer starts as an assistant to staff, absorbing the strategies for community education and client services. Later they can manage campaigns and take on more responsibility.

Henriques describes an unexpected "compensation": "When Marquinhos returned as a volunteer, his health was in terrible shape; he was quite weak." Henriques pauses and sits very still. "However, since he has started coming here every day, he feels part of something larger, he has a purpose. I am happy to say that his health has turned around." Being part of this positive community and feeling needed were fundamental to improving Macedo's strength.

GAPA-BA Receives Kudos and Accolades

Salvador community leader Clarindo Silva thinks work like Henriques' is extremely important. Owner of the Cantina da Lua restaurant in the historic Pelourinho district, Silva states, "I started using condoms 42 years ago, when I was 15. At that time, condoms were difficult to find, and," he smiles, "embarrassing to buy. I remember going to a pharmacy and saying," he clears his throat, "'I'll take a package of Alka-seltzer, some bandages, um, some aspirin, and, uh, yeah," he drops his voice, "'a box of condoms, please.'" Today, volunteers from GAPA-BA wheel out a condom-shaped booth the size of a VW and distribute leaflets on safe sex and anonymous AIDS testing to the public at large.

GMHC's Meacham writes, "My time spent working with the incredibly dedicated and hard-working GAPA-BA staff has reaffirmed for me that we will only be successful in our fight against AIDS by relying on one another. We must learn and borrow from one another. We cannot wait for funding to expand our work."

The Manual for Volunteer Management in AIDS Non-Profits has recently been re-printed in a run of 500,000 copies and is being distributed throughout Brazil, thanks to funding from the Ministry of Health. Henriques says, "You could take the word AIDS out of the title; all kinds of non-profits can benefit from this information."

The world is recognizing the high-quality work of GAPA-BA. As of January 1999, Henriques has received financial and organizational support from Ashoka: Innovators for the Public, which elected him into their fellowship of leading social entrepreneurs. In July 1999, Henriques was the only Brazilian to receive an award from the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund. Henriques shares these victories with his staff and credits his well-trained team for GAPA-BA's progress.

It is Henriques himself, though, who has launched, planned, and followed through on the strategies that make GAPA-BA a rich source of assistance for not only clients and staff but non-profits across Brazil. His has ignited chain reactions of cooperation in an area where few other non-governmental organizations excel. If they heed his advice and adopt his strategies, perhaps more non-profits will see that the long-term benefits of managing volunteers outweigh the initial risks and provide a renewable source of energy.

Harley Henriques do Nascimento
GAPA-BA: Grupo de Apoio Preveno AIDS
Rua Dias D'Avila, 109
Barra
40140-270 Salvador BA

Telephone: 55-71-247-6554, 55-71-235-1727
Fax: 55-71-245-1587
Email: gapaba@svn.com.br
Web page: www.gapabahia.org.br

Financial contributions accepted at:
Banco do Brasil
conta corrente (account): 1206-8
agncia (agency, the specific bank): 3458-4

Volunteer opportunity:
Henriques says, "We need volunteers. We would love to hear from volunteers from other countries. We have worked successfully with people who have come from overseas to do research, to translate our materials, and to help with our projects. Contact us by email."

Other Needs:

New computers and software, especially management information systems software, to track volunteers, clients, impact.

Donations of clothing and personal items from celebrities for the fund-raising auction.

Contacts with fashion industry / clothing manufacturers for donations of new, high-end merchandise for the Safe Shop.

International contacts for exchanges of ideas and personnel.