In may 2007 survey was conducted and 25% revealed that majority of community members in Kimandolu ward lack information, education and communication to enable them making decisions on testing blood for HIV or to assist people living with HIV/AIDS effectively. Mr. Alex as the pioneer of this project decided to carry forward the findings so as to help the people of kimandolu ward for a number of reasons:

1 There are so many researches which have been conducted which revealed the same but they have not been addressed.

2 Mr. Alex has been living with HIV since 1995. He decided to check for HIV after the death of his wife who left a child of two years and this child started developing some infections from time to time. In 2001 Alex and his child were detected both positive. Since then he accepted his situation and is living positively. He is very transparent about his situation and he has being working with different organizations and assisting them in education, counseling, care and support of PLWHA. This includes Arusha Living Positively with HIV/AIDS (ALPHA+), Post Test Club (Angaza Arusha) Uhai Centre, Selian Lutheran Hospital, Pathfinder International and Student for International Change (SIC) In these organizations Alex has being working as TOT(Train of Trainers on Nutrition for people living with HIV/AIDS, ARV Drug Adherence Counselor, teaching counterpart and also a mobilizer of the community.


Having realized the need for educating community in order for them to make decisions of knowing their sero- status and the need for the affected community to know how to assist the infected relatives; CSG is committed to assist the Kimandolu community. This intention raised after they had gained knowledge and skills from the organizations where they worked closely and also from different areas where they attended workshops, seminars and conferences at national and International levels. They gained experience from creating awareness and talking to various people in the working places such as Bonite Bottlers, Tanzania Breweries, Primary and Secondary Schools, Standard Chartered Bank and CASEC to mention but a few.

From this experience CSG has realized that the ward has a lot of problems which need to be addressed. CSG through survey conducted realized that in Kimandolu there are people who have been tested positive but they are not adhering to what they have been taught. Others are due for starting medication but they have not started. There are people who are infected but have not been tested for HIV to rule out their status. The community is being infected with these people and the innocent are the sufferers.

There has been a sharp increase of street children and orphans in Kimandolu Ward, Arusha Region, Tanzania just because their parents died of AIDS. The future of these children has a great impact to the community since they stand a great chance to be infected with HIV if they are not well informed, educated and communicated on AIDS issues.

On the other hand there is a growing number of People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHAs) in Kimandolu Ward equally there is a great risk of more people being infected with HIV if (PLWHAs) are not consulted and counselled to stop spreading the HIV to others who are not infected.

Kimandolu Ward has four villages namely, Tindigani, Kitiangare, Kijenge chini and Kijenge juu with about 6020 households with a population of about 30100 an average of 5 people in each household, the majority of them can neither read no write and worse still are subjected to abject poverty earning below 0.5 $ per day. The low level of education characterized by abject poverty and bad traditional customers attribute to the widespread of HIV infection causing social, economic and health crisis

The HIV prevalence rate in Arusha Region is between 5-10% according to the report prepared by National AIDS Control Program Tanzania on HIV/AIDS/STI surveillance Report Jan-December 2004, whereas efforts to complement and supplement the community efforts to combat AIDS in Kimandolu Ward is still at low level.
Support from within the same community is viable answer to the problem since everyone has a role to play. The current situation in Kimandolu Ward demand more integrated approach involving a broad base of local leaders, volunteers, activists, PLWHAs and other stakeholders at large

The CSG intervention is to organize and mobilize local leaders and the community to initiate partnership between leaders, volunteers, activists and PLWHAs in a bid to complement and supplement the community efforts towards accessing information, education and communication about HIV and AIDS. The CSG strategy is to inspire, motivate and involve the local volunteers to take active role in addressing the key problems in their home area. CSG apparently operates AIDS health information, education and communication project whose priority is community outreach and education about AIDS.

The main activity is reaching and teaching the people in the community about HIV and AIDS using participatory approaches. The activities are categorized into the following sub-activities namely.

The Community Support Group (CSG) has formulated a project which is intending to tackle the problem identified in Kimandolu Ward and ensure that all community knows about HIV/AIDS. CSG is working in collaboration with a Zonal Health Training Centre (CEDHA), which is a Centre for Educational Development for Health. The centre is the government institution under the Ministry of Health which conducts several short courses and seminars related to health and in particular for HIV/AIDS interventions. CSG have realized that most people are afraid of testing blood, they need to be sensitized, as they are unaware of the impact, they also have misconceptions which need to be addressed. The surveys also have revealed that orphans living in orphanage homes loose culture and family element and sometimes they face stigma and discrimination. The group also intends to address this issue. Advocacy is needed to win more people in voluntary counseling and testing. Thus the project is justified

Mei 2007 utafiti uliofanywa na 25% umebaini kuwa wengi wa wanachama wa jamii katika Kimandolu habari ukosefu wa kata, elimu na mawasiliano ili waweze kufanya maamuzi juu ya upimaji wa damu kwa ajili ya VVU au kuwasaidia watu wanaoishi na VVU / UKIMWI kwa ufanisi. Mheshimiwa Alex kama waanzilishi wa mradi huu aliamua kubeba mbele matokeo ya utafiti ili kusaidia watu wa kata kimandolu kwa sababu kadhaa:

1 Kuna tafiti nyingi ambazo zimekuwa uliofanywa umebaini ambayo sawa lakini si ufumbuzi.

2 Mheshimiwa Alex imekuwa wanaoishi na VVU tangu 1995. Aliamua kuangalia kwa virusi vya ukimwi baada ya kifo cha mke wake ambaye kushoto ni mtoto wa miaka miwili na mtoto huyu ilianza kuendeleza maambukizi ya baadhi ya mara kwa mara. Katika 2001 Alex na mtoto wake walikuwa wanaona wote chanya. Tangu wakati huo yeye kukubalika na hali yake ni kuishi kwa matumaini. Yeye ni wazi juu ya hali yake na ana kuwa kufanya kazi na mashirika mbalimbali na kuwasaidia katika elimu, huduma ya ushauri nasaha, na msaada wa WAVIU. Hii ni pamoja na Arusha wanaoishi na VVU / UKIMWI (Alpha +), Post Test Club (Angaza Arusha) Uhai Centre, Selian Lutheran Hospital, Pathfinder International na Wanafunzi kwa ajili ya Kimataifa Change (SIC) Katika mashirika haya ya Alex ina kuwa kazi kama tot (Train ya wakufunzi juu ya Lishe kwa watu wanaoishi na VVU / UKIMWI, madawa ya ARV Kuzingatia Msaidizi, kufundisha mwenzake na pia mobilizer ya jamii.


Baada ya kutambua haja ya kuelimisha jamii ili waweze kufanya maamuzi ya kujua sero zao-sasa na haja ya jamii ya walioathirika na kujua jinsi ya kusaidia jamaa ya kuambukizwa; CSG ni nia ya kusaidia jamii ya Kimandolu. Dhamira hiyo lililotolewa baada ya kupata elimu na ujuzi kutoka mashirika ambako alifanya kazi kwa karibu na pia kutoka katika maeneo mbalimbali ambapo alihudhuria warsha, semina na mikutano katika ngazi ya kitaifa na kimataifa. Wao kupata uzoefu kutoka kwa kujenga uelewa na kuzungumza na watu mbalimbali katika maeneo ya kazi kama vile Bonite Bottlers, Tanzania Breweries, Shule za Msingi na Sekondari, Benki ya Standard Chartered na CASEC kutaja lakini chache.

Kutokana na uzoefu huu CSG ina alitambua kwamba kata ina matatizo mengi ambayo yanahitaji kushughulikiwa. CSG kupitia utafiti uliofanywa katika Kimandolu alitambua kwamba kuna watu ambao wamekuwa kupimwa chanya lakini si waliandamana nini wamekuwa kufundisha. Wengine ni kutokana na kwa ajili ya kuanza kutumia dawa lakini si kuanza. Kuna watu walioathirika lakini haikuwa na kupima VVU na utawala wa nje hali yao. jamii ni kuambukizwa na watu hawa na watu wasio na hatia ni wagonjwa.

Kumekuwa na ongezeko kubwa la watoto wa mitaani na yatima katika Kata ya Kimandolu, Arusha, Tanzania kwa sababu tu wazazi wao walikufa kwa UKIMWI. Ya baadaye ya watoto hawa ina athari kubwa kwa jamii kwa vile wao na nafasi kubwa ya kuambukizwa na virusi vya ukimwi kama si vizuri taarifa, elimu na kuwasiliana juu ya masuala ya UKIMWI.

Kwa upande mwingine kuna idadi kubwa ya watu wanaoishi na VVU / UKIMWI (WAVIU) katika Kata ya Kimandolu sawa kuna hatari kubwa ya watu zaidi ya kuambukizwa na virusi vya ukimwi kama (WAVIU) si ushauri na ushauri nasaha na kuacha kueneza VVU kwa wengine ambao si kuambukizwa.

Kimandolu Kata ina vijiji vinne yaani, Tindigani, Kitiangare, Kijenge Chini na Juu Kijenge na kaya kuhusu 6,020 na jumla ya wakazi 30,100 wastani wa watu 5 katika kila kaya, wengi wao hawajui kuandika na mbaya zaidi hakuna bado wanakabiliwa na umaskini uliokithiri kupata chini ya $ 0.5 kwa siku. Kiwango cha chini cha elimu na sifa ya umaskini uliokithiri na mbaya wateja jadi sifa ya kuenea kwa maambukizi ya VVU na kusababisha kijamii, kiuchumi na afya mgogoro

Ya kiwango cha maambukizi ya VVU katika Mkoa wa Arusha ni kati ya 50-10% kwa mujibu wa ripoti iliyoandaliwa na Mpango wa Taifa wa Kudhibiti UKIMWI Tanzania juu ya VVU / UKIMWI / STI ufuatiliaji Ripoti ya Januari-Desemba 2004, ambapo juhudi na kutimiza kuongeza juhudi za jamii kupambana na UKIMWI katika Kata ya Kimandolu bado ni wa kiwango cha chini.
Msaada kutoka ndani ya jamii hiyo ni faida jibu la tatizo hilo kwa kuwa kila mtu ana nafasi ya kucheza. Hali ya sasa katika Kata ya Kimandolu mahitaji ya mbinu jumuishi yanayohusiana na wigo mpana wa viongozi wa serikali za mitaa, kujitolea, wanaharakati, WAVIU na wadau wengine kwa ujumla

Kuingilia CSG ni kuandaa na kuhamasisha viongozi na jamii kuanzisha ushirikiano baina ya viongozi, wanaharakati wa kujitolea, na WAVIU katika jitihada za kuongeza juhudi inayosaidia na jumuiya ya kuelekea kupata taarifa, elimu na mawasiliano kuhusu VVU na UKIMWI. Mkakati CSG ni kuhamasisha, kuwahamasisha na kuwashirikisha wafanyakazi wa kujitolea ndani ya kuchukua jukumu kubwa katika kukabiliana na matatizo ya msingi katika maeneo yao ya nyumbani. CSG inaonekana kazi UKIMWI habari za afya, elimu na mradi wa mawasiliano...