CHAWAKUA was formed in 1992 to fill the need of supporting women and children impacted by HIV/AIDS. It became a registered NGO in 1994 with the Ministry of Home Affairs in Arusha, Tanzania.
Before its official beginning in 1992, CHAWAKUA members were empowered through the education of HIV/AIDS, Sexually Transmitted Infections, Sexual Reproduction and Home Based Care. CHAWAKUA members would meet monthly with specialists in the field of HIV/AIDS to educate its members about the disease. This education empowered the women of CHAWAKUA to educate other women on how the virus was spread. Members would accept monthly invitations from nearby neighborhoods to further educate the community and youth.
During this time, CHAWAKUA also provided support to individuals in need of Home Based Care. In the early 1990’s, families infected by HIV were stigmatized by the community. CHAWAKUA reached out to these families to counsel them on how to properly care for loved ones infected by the disease.
In 1995, CHAWAKUA was approached by the USAID funded Tanzania AIDS Project (TAP) to establish a three year partnership. This partnership involved establishing an umbrella organization led by CHAWAKUA to offer Peer Education Training to 27 NGO’s of Arusha. The umbrella organization was called Arusha Cluster HIV AIDS Intervention.
The process of Peer Education has long been used as an effective means of HIV Education and awareness in Africa. It involves the training of members of specific peer groups in the knowledge of Sexual Reproductive Health and AIDS Prevention so they in turn can in turn train others in the community. In addition, the funding from USAID supported CHAWAKUA to train the staff of the NGO’s in the business of condom sales and marketing.
CHAWAKUA then began using its Peer Educators to train in-school youth about HIV/AIDs. The training was focused towards the primary, secondary and vocational schools on a monthly basis. Training focused on HIV/AIDS, Sexual Reproduction and Sexually Transmitted Diseases.
In 2002, CHAWAKUA was approached by the African Youth Alliance (AYA) with a three year grant funded by Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. CHAWAKUA was able to implement a project known as ‘Planning My Future”. This project focused on increasing access to HIV/AIDS and Sexual Reproductive Health information and activities to out of school youth. |
