Community Mobilization to Fight HIV/AIDS

Among the poorest countries in the world, with over 60% of the population living below the poverty line, Rwanda is fighting to make headway against the HIV/AIDS epidemic and the social consequences of the epidemic, while grappling with other public health crises, chronic food insecurity, and the psychological impact of the 1994 genocide that left hundreds of thousands dead and many more displaced. 

Despite the challenges facing this small, central African nation, Rwanda benefits from an engaged government, and a dense and active network of grassroots community-based, faith-based, and non-governmental organizations.

In the fall of 2005, the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) selected a consortium, led by CHF International, to implement the USAID-funded Community HIV/AIDS Mobilization Program (CHAMP). Through this program, CHF International works side-by-side with the country's grassroots organizations to build their capacity to support, treat and care for tens of thousands of Rwandans living with HIV/AIDS and hundreds of thousands of others affected by the epidemic.

In addition to CHF International, which is widely recognized for its community-based approach and management expertise, the CHAMP consortium includes Catholic Relief Services, Johns Hopkins University Center for Communications Programs, and Social Impact. The program also draws up on the expertise of numerous Rwandan partners, including Caritas-Rwanda, the Rwanda Women's Network, and the Rwanda Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS, among others. 

CHF International is directly sub-granting nearly 70% of CHAMP's funding to local Rwandan organizations, which is empowering them with the resources they need to fight the epidemic and to support their communities. At the same time, CHF is providing its partners with extensive skills-building assistance that is strengthening their capacity to mobilize communities, manage volunteers, administer programs and grow institutionally. As part of its strategy to increase the role of Rwandan NGOs, CHAMP is working to transfer beneficiaries currently being served by international organizations to local Rwandan partners.