THE OPEN UNIVERSITY O F TANZANIA & SOUTHERN NEW HAMPSHIRE UNIVERSIT Y MASTER OF SCIENCE IN COMMUNITY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT (2005) NUTRITIONAL CAR E TO PEOPLE LIVING WITH HIV/AIDS IN BUNDA TOWNSHIP SILVAN, S . Z. LUGIRA ABSTRACT The HIV/AIDS pandemic is a global crisis with impacts that will b e felt for decades to come. According t o th e estimate s projecte d i n th e UNAID S 200 0 an d 200 3 AID S Updat e December; fourty million people were living with HIV/AIDS a s of December 2003, of whom 2.5 millio n ar e childre n belo w fifteen year s o f age. Durin g yea r 2003 , 44.9 millio n peopl e were alread y infecte d wit h HI V an d thre e millio n die d o f AIDS . Als o i n yea r 200 4 HIV/AIDS kille d mor e tha n thre e millio n peopl e an d nearl y fiv e millio n peopl e becam e infected (UNAIDS/WHO2004) . Mor e tha n twent y five millio n o f these liv e i n Sub-Sahara Africa, wher e Tanzania alone had 157,17 3 people living wit h HIV/AIDS; Mar a Regio n had 3216 and Bunda district had 105 7 as of December 2003. Recognizing thi s situation ; severa l practitioners , Institutions , group s o f person s an d individuals ar e joining int o th e effort s o f limiting o r minimizin g th e spee d o f th e sic k t o progress from HIV t o AIDS disease . Thes e efforts ar e being done through application of the antiretroviral drug s an d utilization of good diet combined with recommende d herb s tha t ar e immune stimulan t and/o r antioxidan t i n nature . Bund a Wome n Saving s an d Credi t Cooperative Society has also opted joining an hand by establishing a nutritional care projec t to serv e peopl e livin g wit h HIV/AID S i n Bunda Townshi p who accordin g to th e curren t statistics are now amounting to 482. The purpose of this document therefore i s to justify th e relevance and validity of establishing a project of this kind in the area and also to se e whether the project i s addressing the needs of the targeted community. In conductin g the researc h t o testif y th e above ; severa l source s o f information hav e bee n contacted; includin g literatur e reviews , variou s respondent s i n th e are a wh o involve d - society member s themselves ; governmen t officials ; partne r NGO S whic h ar e alread y working with the affected, a s well a s the society committee members. Several trial questions hav e been developed and used either to lead focus groups discussions or mailed to respondents; th e answer s of which, afte r th e detaile d analysis have enabled th e research team to com e up with findings and recommendations that appea r i n chapter fou r of the document. Several finding s hav e bee n learne d ou t of the stud y a s the y appea r i n th e document ; bu t briefly th e researc h confirme d to hav e NGO S i n Bunda Distric t engage d i n provisio n of various HIV/AIDS relate d service s t o th e affecte d community , but non e o f the sam e wa s engaged i n nutritional case services . This immediatel y indicates a nee d o f having an organ, established to take care of nutritional care services so as to assist in filling th e vacuum. The researc h als o note d th e hig h commitmen t of th e societ y member s hav e i n preparing themselves to establish a nutritional care project. This was evidenced by contributions raised by the members , where a s of now; more than Ten million Tanzanian Shillings hav e been se t aside to assist the take off of the project - and lastly i The findings predict good marketability of the products that will b e produced by the project . This wa s evidence d b y response s o f th e NGOS , wher e 77.8 % o f th e tota l respondent s confirmed the market. Basing o n th e abov e findings ; th e stud y confirm s th e establishmen t o f a nutritiona l car e project an d recommend s a proposa l on nutritional care (whic h appear s i n chapter five ) b e developed t o ai d th e Societ y i n securin g som e o f th e item s (lik e machineries ) tha t ar e expensive for the society to afford . Instruments use d in conducting the research appear a t the end. ii DECLARATION I S.S.Z . Lugir a d o hereb y declar e that this Project Pape r i s m y own original work , excep t where acknowledgment has been done. Th e paper ha s not been submitted for any degree in any other University before. SILVAN. S.Z. LUGIRA Date: iii SUPERVISOR'S CERTIFICATION : I. N.N . Ligemb e certify tha t I hav e rea d thi s Projec t Assignmen t an d accepte d i t a s a scholarly work. I therefore recommen d it to be awarded a Master o f Science in Communit y Economic Development . DATE: iv DEDICATION To m y wif e Lestitute r an d My beloved child Ritta. v ACKNOWLEDGEMENT: I acknowledge wit h thanks the helpful collaboratio n offere d t o m e by Mr. J . M. Molai the Bund a Distric t Executiv e Director , particularl y hi s financia l support , mora l encouragement and guidance i n pursuing the CED Programme; Mr . N.E.J. Malisa the District ADDS Coordinator; Chair persons of the Partner NGOs dealing with HIV/AIDS contro l in the district (onl y t o mentio n a few , AMREF , K.K.K.T . BUNDA , HUYAMU , I.A.MAR A CHAPTER, AID S - ABC , SHDEPH+, CR S an d BAKWATA ) an d th e Executiv e committee o f Bunda Wome n Saving s an d Credi t Cooperativ e Society , le d b y th e Societ y chair person Mrs. C. Mshora. I woul d als o lik e t o acknowledg e th e effort s o f Mr. N.N . Ligembe th e Mar a OUT Region Centr e Directo r wh o supervise d m y Projec t Assignmen t an d Mr. M. Adjibodou th e CED Programm e Director , who devote d muc h of his time i n assisting m e an d th e CED class to understand what the projec t assignmen t entails . I t wa s du e t o thei r voluntar y effort s tha t my project wor k became successful . I would equally want to acknowledge th e torrelance of my wife and childre n who ha d to fasten their belts to enable me pursue the CED Programme . Finally I would lik e t o expres s m y gratitud e t o Mis s Mujo , Mis s Jesc a Allop h an d Mrs. Mar y Okello who di d the typin g work of my projec t assignment . I t i s because of th e above people tha t my project pape r is as it is now. vi Copyright © 2005 No par t of this work may be reproduced, store d in any retrieval syste m o r transmitte d in an y for m or by an y means ; electronic, mechanical , photocopying recording o r otherwise , without prior written permission of the autho r o r the Souther n New Hampshire University or Open University on that behalf . vii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS 1. ACC/SCN : Administratv e Committe e o n Coordinations/Su b committees on Nutrition of the United States. 2. AID S Acquire d Immune Deficiency Virus. 3. AMRE F Africa n Medica l Research Foundatio n 4. BWSCC S Bund a Women Savings an d Credit Cooperativ e Society. 5. CB O Communit y Based Organizatio n 6. CE D Communit y Economic Developmen t 7. D.D.P . Distric t Development Programm e 8. FA O Foo d and Agriculture Organization 9. FG M Femal e Genita l Mutilation 10. FINC A Foundatio n fo r International Community Assistanc e 11. FISED A Financa l Services an d Enterprises Developmen t Association 12 GD P Gros s Domestic Produc t 13. H.A.A.R.D . Highl y Active Anti - Retrovira l Drugs. 14. HI V Huma n Immunodeficiency Viru s 15. EE C Information , Education , an d Communicatio n 16. IGA s Incom e Generating Activities 17. K.K.K.T . Luthera n Evangelica l Church of Tanzania 18. M.O. H Ministr y of Health. 19. MT P Mediu m Term Plan viii 20. NACP : National Aids Control Programme 21. NGO Non Governmenta l Organization 22. NORAD Norwegian Agency for Development 23. P.H.C. Primary Health Care 24. SADC Southern African Developmen t Community.