HIV and AIDS, as is often stated, is not only a health concern, it has much broader and more far reaching consequences for the structure and stability of society and the relationships that hold society as we know it together. HIV and AIDS pose a fundamental threat to our notions of society, community; family; and the social institutions we take for granted. The impact extends to our individual ability to manage under increasing emotional strain and our societal ability to provide care and support for those affected by HIV.

Much of the work being done to combat the spread of HIV is being carried out by small organisations located in affected communities. These organisations often draw their staff from the community and the staff members are, in many ways, similar to the people they work with. Workers in these organisations are usually young or elderly community members who have responded to a ‘calling’. Generally they only have basic training and education and few opportunities to create or access work other than through these CBOs.

Much of the burden of HIV prevention, care and support falls to these organisations, while most of the development, resource and training opportunities go to NGOs. The consequence has been that many of the people entrusted with delivery ‘at the coalface’ do not feel confident or skilled enough to input in any significant way to programme design or development.

In an attempt to improve this situation Project Empower, through the Circles Network, provides a range of learning opportunities  for the staff of these organisations(information seminars, workshops, discussion groups and training) in a relaxed, open learning environment that encourages participation and sharing of experience and learning.

Network members are drawn from civil society organisations with preference being given to community-based structures with a specific HIV focus. Participants would typically be young fieldworkers and volunteers who are currently running education and prevention programmes and who have had little opportunity for formal training and development.

Network activities will be determined by the training and development needs of the group. Project Empower will facilitate specific training workshops to meet identified needs, but will supplement these with personal development sessions and information seminars. A critical outcome will be that participants are more aware of themselves, their environment and the role they play in the progression of the HIV epidemic.

This programme period is normally one year. Ideally the networks, once established, will continue to operate indefinitely and become self-managing. Should the network become permanent, funding will be sought on a year-to-year basis to meet specific, annually defined training and development needs.

The programme attempt to ensure that the Circles Network has:

• Provided information, training and support to HIV prevention workers;
• Provided a place where the development needs of fieldworkers, trainers and volunteers are addressed;
• Helped members to feel valued and appreciated, where these responses to their work are often missing in their workplaces;
• Helped members to feel more able to influence their lives and take and implement important decisions affecting their personal and professional lives
• Reduced members’ sense of isolation and lack of effectiveness that they as staff of community based organisations often feel
• Created a relaxed, natural and effective learning environment
• Provided a therapeutic place where the many stresses associated with working daily with HIV positive people can be reduced;
• Encouraged awareness of, openness to and tolerance of people with different identities and life experiences.