Summer Update_2011_v4.indd
Transcription
Summer Update_2011_v4.indd
SUMMER UPDATE 2011 MEASURING RESULTS IN MALAWI For the past ten years, the Global AIDS Interfaith Alliance (GAIA) has had a clear strategy to monitor the effectiveness of the programs its donors have so generously funded. Not satisfied with simple claims of good work, GAIA strives to continue demonstrating its commitment to trans- parency, accountability, and effectiveness. Monthly observation and data collection at the individual, household, and community levels have thus far enabled GAIA to assess the success of its programs and to address weaknesses. Currently, GAIA serves nearly 125,000 people in Malawi, where the average household spends just US $17 on health care per year. As the number of people GAIA serves increases and the organization gains visibility, it becomes even more critical to ensure that systematic evaluations of each of GAIA’s programs enable it to gauge accurately whether its objectives have been met and how its programs might be adjusted for maximum impact. To that end, GAIA has hired Beth Geoffrey as its Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Officer. She is working on, among other things, decreasing the time between data collection and the analysis thereof, allowing for immediate necessary changes to existing programs. researchers are conducting studies of our Mobile Health Clinics to measure the appropriateness of the treatments and the effectiveness of the services offered. Finally, an impact assessment of the Microfinance program is scheduled for later this year to further evaluate the effect of GAIA’s loans on the welfare of the recipients. Even as GAIA grows, it will remain focused on the best, most cost-effective strategies to help the people of Malawi in the fight against AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria. With these new M&E efforts, GAIA hopes to continue earning the trust of its loyal donors and become an even more compelling charitable vehicle for individual, government, and multinational donors. Several new M&E projects are under way. One is the longitudinal study of the GAIA Villages program in 60 villages to assess whether the health education efforts there have translated into health-promoting behaviors. In another project, external Nurse trainer correcting antiretroviral therapy examinations in Mulanje district Nurses learn how to fill out antiretroviral therapy patient logs NEW GAIA STAFF Deborah Kull Deborah is GAIA’s new full-time Southern California Development Officer. Deborah received a master of arts in forced migration from the University of Oxford and earned her bachelor of arts in Africana studies and bachelor of science in environmental science geology from North Carolina State University. Deborah has over five years of fundraising experience for international and humanitarian nonprofits. She is originally from North Carolina and has lived with her husband for the past three years in Santa Monica, California. Beth Geoffroy Beth, GAIA’s new Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, brings her statistical knowledge to the team to measure the efficacy and impact of our programs in Malawi. Prior to working at GAIA, Beth managed two research studies in Malawi funded by the World Bank, one aimed at reducing the incidence of HIV in Zomba District and the other focusing on a land redistribution project in six districts including Mulanje and Thyolo. She holds bachelor’s degrees in economics and international relations from Boston University and a master’s degree in international and development economics from the University of San Francisco. WOMAN REGAINS HEALTH WITH MOBILE CLINIC TESTING AND TREATMENT “Esther” is a 37-year-old woman from Mwanakhu, a village in Malawi’s Mulanje District. She has been seriously ill for eighteen months. Her troubles began with swelling in her left foot, which made walking difficult, then impossible. A few months later, she noticed a small mass on the same foot that eventually became ulcerated. And she was losing weight. GAIA Mobile Clinical Officer meets with a patient at a GAIA Mobile Health Clinic stop With no money for transportation and the nearest health facility 20 kilometers away, Esther turned to her village’s traditional healer, who told her she had been bewitched but, with his help, could be cured of her curse. For several weeks thereafter, Esther took the herbal treatments the healer prescribed, only to see her health deteriorate further. Fortunately for Esther, GAIA initiated an outreach program in her community, informing villagers of the free health services being offered through the Mobile Health Clinic (MHC) in nearby Mkanda. During her first visit to the clinic this past February, MHC staff performed a physical examination and took her medical history. Suspecting she was in the advanced stages of HIV, they urged Esther to be tested for the virus, which she indeed has. She has Kaposi’s sarcoma, a cancer associated with advanced HIV. Since taking the free antiretroviral medications provided through a Malawian government program, Esther’s condition has improved. According to the MHC staff, her left foot has healed enough to allow her to resume walking, farming, and attending to her household chores. Esther believes that many villagers in her area are infected but unaware of their status. She hopes that GAIA will continue its intervention in the villages and provide the lifesaving help she received. “Esther” is in the center. (Used with permission) FULBRIGHT FUNDS MALAWIAN HEALTH CARE WORKERS VISIT TO THE U.S. The University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) School of Nursing and the Global AIDS Interfaith Alliance (GAIA) have had much fruitful collaboration throughout GAIA’s history. Most recently, Dr. Sally Rankin, Professor at UCSF’s School of Nursing, working with Dr. Lynda Wilson of the University of Alabama, wrote a successful proposal to fund an educational and cultural exchange through the prestigious Fulbright Program sponsored by the United States Department of State. The goal of the project is to promote global health through educational programs that prepare health-care professionals to provide care for marginalized populations in Africa and the United States. In Malawi, GAIA Country Director Jones Laviwa and GAIA-Malawi trustee Dr. Angela Chimwaza selected the Malawi Fulbright scholars and helped to construct the on-theground program. Under the program, four Malawi nursing faculty, a health economist, and GAIA Projects Officer Alice Bvumbwe traveled to the United States in April. Each Fulbright visitors in Chinatown, San Francisco. From left to right: Spy Munthali, Rose Mazengera, Alice Bvumbwe, Enalla Thambozi, Maria Chikalipo, Angela Chimwaza. member of the group was paired with a UCSF Nursing faculty member working in his or her area of interest. The fellows attended classes and seminars at UCSF and observed innovative partnerships like Glide Health Services, a clinic that provides free health care to the homeless and indigent population in San Francisco. The group’s cultural tour of the city was highlighted by a visit to the National AIDS Memorial in Golden Gate Park, where a monument pays tribute to the lives lost to AIDS in the United States. The scholars also visited Birmingham, AL and Washington, DC. This July, under the same program, UCSF School of Nursing faculty traveled to Malawi to learn about health care in the developing world. VILLAGE BY VILLAGE: A GARDEN PARTY FOR GAIA RAISES $300,000 SEAN NOLAN PHOTOGRAPHY The Global AIDS Interfaith Alliance raised over $300,000 at its annual spring fundraiser on Sunday, May 15. SEAN NOLAN PHOTOGRAPHY Jones Laviwa and Dr. Michael Krasny Host Erin Becker shows exhibits to her daughter Event chair and GAIA trustee Joy Mistele and her team of committed volunteers, including but not limited to Nancy Chung Hooper, P.K. Linke, Willow Niitsuma, Hardie Cobbs, and Liz Zoba, helped to create a memorable afternoon in the stunning garden of Erin and Rob Becker’s home in Kentfield, California. Rob Becker, a supporter of GAIA, is the creator and writer of the off-Broadway show, “Defending the Caveman.” Speeches by Dr. William Rankin, GAIA’s president & CEO; Jones Laviwa, GAIA’s country director; and Kaboni Gondwe, a recipient of GAIA’s nursing scholarship and Gondwe, in sharing her struggles and triumphs, served as a powerful reminder of the impact GAIA’s donors make in the lives of Malawians. “I heard about GAIA and how they were sponsoring women in their education,” she said. “I promised them that with their assistance, I was going to make them proud, just as much as they made me proud of myself. GAIA funded the rest of my training and I graduated with distinction. It was a very happy moment for me because I accomplished something that seemed absolutely impossible.” SEAN NOLAN PHOTOGRAPHY SEAN NOLAN PHOTOGRAPHY Hardie Cobbs, David Gilmour, Joy Mistele, and Dr. Charles Cobb The event, emceed by Dr. Michael Krasny, host of KQED’s Forum, drew 300 guests, who browsed educational exhibits about GAIA’s work in Malawi, including a lifesize bicycle ambulance. They also sampled African wines from San Francisco-based importer Cape Ardor and enjoyed a live musical performance by Samba, Samba Back to Africa. current Fulbright Scholar, captivated the crowd, who responded generously to the Fund-A-Need appeal. Money raised will support various GAIA programs. GAIA nursing scholar Kaboni Gondwe with D.A. Gros NEW GAIA TRUSTEES Joy Mistele Joy is a teacher, administrator, passionate community volunteer, and champion of women in sports. She is also the proud mother of three children. Joy’s obvious energy and enthusiasm for GAIA’s work was demonstrated in her strong leadership in chairing GAIA’s successful Garden Party in May. Gordon Keen Gordon and his wife, Janice, live most of the year in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania and spend their winters in La Quinta, California. Gordon, a retired attorney, is researching the lives of 19th century lawyers and businessmen for a possible collective biography. He also enjoys books, golf, and hiking. D.A. Gros David-Alexandre (“D.A.”) joined GAIA’s board in 2010. He is a physician turned investment banker focused on life sciences and medical technology companies. His interests include medical history, wine and wine making, travel, and playing squash. Carrie LeRoy Carrie is an intellectual property attorney and a mother of three boys. She is active in local organizing efforts and founded a nonprofit dedicated to educational purposes. Carrie’s husband is from France, all three of their children speak French, and she is a proud Francophile. The Presidio of San Francisco PO Box 29110 San Francisco, CA 94129-0110 Telephone: (415) 461-7196 • Fax: (415) 785-7389 [email protected] • www.thegaia.org NON-PROFIT US POSTAGE PAID AD-VANTAGE GAIA Board of Trustees U.S. Trustees Malawi Trustees Marty Arscott, Board Chair Bennett Chavula (Chair) Kim Baltzell Angela Chimwaza Eva Banda Jones Laviwa Susan Brodesser Barnabas Salaka Jocelyn Cortese Ellen Schell Haile Debas, Emeritus Etta M. Eskridge David Gilmour Michael Gottlieb Agnes Grohs D.A. Gros Virginia Joffe Gordon Keen Jennifer Kepner Daniel King Carrie LeRoy Michael Lockhart Bob McCaskill Joy Mistele Lisa Park Andy Pflaum William W. Rankin Ivan Weinberg, Legal Counsel Charles B. Wilson, Co-Founder & Chair Emeritus Global AIDS Interfaith Alliance (GAIA) provides basic health services, targeting prevention, care, and support in communities affected by HIV, AIDS, TB and malaria in Africa. WHAT’S NEW AT GAIA: STUDENTS READ TO SAVE LIVES At St. Matthew’s Parish School in Pacific Palisades, California, reading does more than just train the brain: it saves lives. As part of their study on Africa, third graders hold a read-a-thon to raise money for mosquito nets. This year the class raised $3,560, enabling GAIA to provide 356 nets to the people of Malawi. Jocelyn Cortese, a GAIA trustee and a parent at the school, teaches the students about malaria—it is the number one killer of children under the age of five in Malawi—and the difference an insecticide-treated bed net can make to a family. Evidently, this lesson is not lost on the children. “The kids get it. I’m always impressed by how quickly they see the inequity of the elimination of malaria in other parts of the world, but not in sub-Saharan Africa,” says Cortese. “One little girl said, ‘I think we should raise $15,000 extra so that every new baby that gets born in Malawi can go home with a malaria net.’” To join the Net by Net campaign, please visit http://www.thegaia.org/involved/netbynet.html or contact us at [email protected] to organize your own school fundraiser. SAVE THE DATES Join us for Leadership Celebrations: Tributes to Bill Rankin this Fall! SEPT. SEPT. NOV. Pasadena CA San Francisco CA Purchase NY 25 27 5 Learn more and purchase tickets at: www.thegaia.org
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