The Reviewed and
Revised Compendium of Christian Projects
Addressing the Diseases
of Poverty: HIV/AIDS, Malaria, and TB
Family Impact: Building Families –
Transforming Communities!
Project/ program name: Family
Impact: Building Families – Transforming
Communities!
Country: Africa
Church or
denomination:
N/A
Vision: Family Impact exists to
promote a passion for the supremacy of God in transforming family life and
relationships so that God’s patterns for life are accepted as the norm in
society and the spread of HIV/AIDS is significantly reduced.
Project Summary: Family Impact aims to uphold and teach God’s plan for marriage,
family life and relationships as an attractive and practical option and the
best long-term lifestyle choice for individuals and society. We do this by developing new initiatives,
training and capacity building in positive, God-centered life skills education
for all ages with special emphasis on men, caregivers and parents, young people
and children. We are also committed to
encouraging networking and strategic partnerships among Christian agencies
active in HIV prevention and family ministries.
History: Family Impact is a sister
movement to Scripture Union Africa and was set up in 2002 as a development from
the Aid for AIDS Design for the Family project which reaches 3 million children
and young people each year with life skills education in schools in Africa. Family Impact is a non-profit Christian organization
with its own Board. It is registered as
an African Trust in Zimbabwe and as a Charitable Company limited by guarantee
in England.
Background: A1997 survey among 1000 school-going teenagers in Uganda, Zambia
and Zimbabwe conducted by Aid for AIDS showed that most of them aimed to follow
their parents in life rather than other adult role models and also wanted and
respected the advice of their parents more than other adults. This finding goes against popular
conceptions and stereotypes and needs further investigation. However it is a reminder of the enormous
influence that families and caregivers have in the lives of individuals and
communities and especially on young people and children. The UN paper ‘Families: Agents and
Beneficiaries of Socio-Economic Development’ concludes that “The only way
satisfactorily to address sustainable social development is to recognize the
central role that families play in communities”.
The traditional family has been the strength of
communities and the centre of life in Africa.
Today, family is in transition.
Urbanization has profoundly affected the extended family known in rural
communities. Family breakdown, divorce
and single parenthood have become common.
HIV/AIDS has added one more pressure to families that already face many
threats. Children and young people
belong to a web of family relationships.
Family is one of the strongest influences in their lives. Families provide the greatest potential for
coping with the enormous task of caring for people affected by HIV/AIDS
including the large number of orphans.
HIV/AIDS prevention strategies must take into account the significant
link between high-risk behavior among young people and their family background. Families remain the basic unit of society and
a long-term response to HIV/AIDS must strengthen family life in our nations and
empower individual families. The
Christian church is uniquely placed to provide wholesome, positive education
and examples of strong family life but is presently not well equipped to do so
and does not treat it as a major priority.
This emphasis on family life links well with life
skills education for HIV prevention with children and young people. The importance of life skills education
that promotes abstinence and fidelity is increasingly recognized (e.g. the
research of Edward Green on The impact of religious organizations in promoting
HIV prevention). Positive family
values provide a positive motivation for choosing abstinence and faithfulness.
Aims: 1) Form strategic
partnerships by networking with individuals, churches and other organizations
active in family work and HIV/AIDS prevention; 2) Research and pioneer new
initiatives; and 3) Provide training and capacity building.
Objectives:
1.
Networking and strategic
partnerships
To facilitate networking
among churches and Christian agencies in HIV/AIDS ministries and to develop
partnerships in HIV prevention.
2.
Workplace and Community
Outreach
To pilot outreach to men in
the workplace and their communities.
3.
Caregivers and Parents
To adapt and develop the
Positive Parenting materials for orphan caregivers and rural communities
4. Training and Capacity
Building
To develop training
materials, methods and outreach and to provide training for churches and
Christian agencies and other organizations.
Activities:
1.
Networking and strategic
partnerships
In October 2002 Family
Impact facilitated a networking meeting for agencies from 18 countries involved
in HIV prevention. A major activity
for 2003 is to develop and build on the outcomes from that meeting in order to
strengthen partnerships in prevention strategies.
Family Impact is represented
as Chairman of the Steering Committee of the Pan African Christian AIDS Network
(Pacanet). We are active in promoting
networking among churches and Christian agencies in HIV/AIDS ministries through
correspondence and meetings.
2.
Workplace and Community
Outreach
Freedom Unlimited is a 2
year pilot project reaching men in industry, mining and rural communities in
Matabeleland, Zimbabwe with life skills through industrial drama. This involves researching, editing
materials, training teams and testing the effectiveness of the approach and
outreach. Through the initial contact
with men we will work with the wider community.
3.
Caregivers and Parents
Positive Parenting materials
are already available which address the needy and neglected area of helping
parents. The plan is to adapt and
develop these materials especially for orphan caregivers and parents in rural
communities and to test their effectiveness.
A national caregivers training for Zimbabwe is proposed for November
2003.
4.
Training and Capacity
Building
We have staff based in Kenya
and Zimbabwe who are involved on an on-going basis with training
activities. A new activity planned for
2003 is a 3 week training course in family and family ministry for leaders in
churches and Christian agencies in Southern Africa.
Who
does the work? The Service Centre is the head office of Family Impact based
in Zimbabwe and directed by David and Janet Cunningham who work with a Zimbabwe
based team. The Service Centre is
responsible for public relations, fund raising and communication with partners
as well as administration, monitoring and evaluation.
The Training Department of Family Impact is based in
Kenya and led by Tom and Hellen Malande Lukakha who have successfully directed
the Aid for AIDS project in Kenya for 6 years.
They have worked with the Ministry of Education by training Secondary
School Principals in Life skills Education.
They are the presenters of the Positive Parenting video and audio
series.
§
God’s
pattern for marriage, family life and relationships is accepted as the norm in
Africa.
§
The
spread of HIV/AIDS is significantly reduced.
§
Individuals,
churches, communities and countries are impacted for God.
Results: Family Impact began as a new ministry in January
2002 and it is too early to report on results.
Funding and other resources:
N/A
Resources:
§
Choose Freedom and Adventure
Unlimited.. Schools based HIV/AIDS Life
skills programs for teenagers and for children comprising a leader’s guide and
an optional video.
§
Positive Parenting. Nine booklets on Parenting with a teaching video and
Bible reading notes for parents. Flash
cards with a simple text and PowerPoint presentations are being prepared.
§
Radical Relationships. A workbook for couples thinking about engagement and marriage.
§
Enjoy Your Marriage. A Leader’s Guide for home groups or weekend seminars together
with Bible reading notes for couples.
§
Freedom Unlimited. Life skills in the workplace: a resource book for a
value based HIV/AIDS program.
Contact information:
In Zimbabwe:
David and Janet Cunningham
Family Impact
45 Heyman Road
Bulawayo
Telephone: +263 9 251555
E-mail: impact@mweb.co.zw
In Kenya:
Tom and Hellen Lukakha Malande
PO Box 7261
Eldoret
Telephone: +254 321 32850
E-mail: familyafrica@africaonline.co.ke
In South Africa:
Dr. Kevin and Angie Musarira
Postnet Suite 572
Private Bag X9
Benmore 2010
Telephone: +27 11 706 0439
E-mail: amusarira@yahoo.com
In United Kingdom:
Drs. Stephen and Laura Anderson
Family Impact
Roseville
Lead Road
Greenside
Ryton
Tyne and Wear NE40 4JQ
Telephone: +44 191 413 8446
E-mail: sandl@ednam.freeserve.co.uk