HAPA [HIV/AIDS prevention in Africa] grant : final evaluation report "training of trainers for AIDS education" : Save the Children/Cameroon Field Office, September 1, 1989-November 30, 1991

The project was implemented by Save the Children (SC). The project was successfully implemented in six activity zones in the Far North Province. Although the scope of the project changed from three impact areas to one, and from twelve target groups to two, the number of people trained and the ripple effect that was created far exceeded the numbers originally projected. Over 316 health workers received training during 14 training-of-trainers (TOT) sessions, and more than 24,000 people were reached by the trainers. In addition, over 104,000 condoms were distributed. Posters developed for the project adorn walls in clinics and hospitals throughout the Province. Nevertheless, the project experienced problems that influenced its overall effectiveness. Most of these relate to managerial issues, such as staffing, training and supervision, budgeting, and finance. As a result, procedures for assessing the effectiveness and quality of the project activities were largely overlooked. Another area of difficulty centered on the vertical nature of the program and the unrealistic time-frame in which funding was made available. The following lessons were learned. (1) To ensure sustainability, strong collaboration should exist between the implementing agency and national, provincial, and local health authorities at all stages of the project, from design through evaluation, with respective roles and responsibilities clearly defined. (2) To sustain HIV/AIDS initiatives in Cameroon, activities should be fully integrated into SC"s current primary health care support program in the Far North Province. (3) Criteria for selecting target groups for TOT interventions should include an individual"s ability to reach and influence others. Training materials should be specifically adapted to the needs and characteristics of different target groups. (4) A 2-year time-frame for a project in which behavioral changes are anticipated is not realistic to maintain training momentum and optimize the educational and behavioral benefits that take place within the target population.