(TITLE OF THE PAPER)
(City and State of school)
(Title Goes Here)
1. Briefly outline the specific issues that exist in the community (e.g. based on demographic data or other external source, or your observations if this is a real\community you are actually working in).
Myanmar is suffering from an HIV epidemic which has increased since the last part of the 1980’s and needs financial support to treat those suffering from the disease. According to information found at the Humanitarian Practice Network Website, the numbers of people with HIV/AIDS seems to have leveled off. Although there are programs in place, funding for those programs is relatively lower than it needs to be for the complete support of treatment for those who suffer from the disease. (ODI HPN, 2016) Unfortunately, there is a lack of funding available for overall public health, which adds to the problem. That is why this project is so important.
At the Radio Free Ads website, an article states that Myanmar is planning to provide free HIV.AIDS treatment for patients, but only half of them. “Myanmar has pledged to provide free treatment to around half of the country’s patients affected by HIV and AIDS by 2016, as civil society groups called on the government to increase efforts to meet future global eradication targets on World AIDS Day.” (Radio Free Asia, 2016) This financial support is good and bad because the other half need to be cared for as well. This project I propose may help with some of those patients.
According to the United Nations AIDS website, there were approximately 210,000 people in Myanmar living with HIV. (Un.org, 2016) This outstanding number of individuals are mostly adults who are age 15 and older, most of which are women and children. There are about 10,000 recorded deaths caused by AIDS by 2014. (Unaids.org, 2016) This number is due to a lack of health care and HIV/AIDS treatments available to them. Although funding has increased throughout the first decade of the century, it is not enough to provide healthcare, education, and complete coverage for all those who need HIV and AIDS treatment or support. Funding through creative planning needs to be established for this purpose.
The current functioning environment limits humanitarian group activities, but does not, in general, forbid them. (Garcia-Calleja, 2004) The slow rate of service development could be due to the problems enforced by administrative procedures, broader limitations on debate, research, organizing, and insufficient resources. On the other hand, an indication of recent years demonstrates that improved investment leads to more services that may be available to all people in need, which includes the opportunity to continue helping them obtain their human right to adequate health care. However, the expansion of service, improvements on policy, and volume building cannot occur without the available and appropriate resources.
A high-risk group of individuals from Myanmar is the thousands of pregnant women. According to reports, it is estimated that about one to two percent of those sampled were infected, and the infants were most likely affected as well. (IRIN, 2012) These women were treated with neonatal care and did not represent the entire population of pregnant women in the country. However, they do offer a look at the risk women who use drugs, work in the sex trade industry, or carriers of tuberculosis. Unfortunately, there is not ample support to test all adults who may have contracted HIV/AIDs and are spreading it throughout the region. (IRIN, 2012)
Although current education to prevent the spread of AIDS/HIV is in place, it is severely underfunded and needs improvement. The current information relied on social media, word of mouth, and peer discussions, most of the population had never heard of HIV. However, a more recent protocol of Education has established a base knowledge about the disease and how to prevent it in larger populations. (Garcia-Calleja, 2004) This increase in available sexually transmitted infection education is beginning to help, but more can be done to encourage the prevention of the disease.
A high-risk group of individuals from Myanmar is the thousands of pregnant women. According to reports, it is estimated that about one to two percent of those sampled were HIV positive, and the infants were most likely infected as well. These women were treated with neonatal care and did not represent the entire population of pregnant women in the country. (Garcia-Calleja, 2004) However, they do offer a look at the risk women who use drugs, work in the sex trade industry, or carriers of tuberculosis. Unfortunately, there is not ample support to test all adults who may have contracted HIV/AIDs and are spreading it throughout the region.
Although current education to prevent the spread of AIDS/HIV is in place, it is severely underfunded and needs improvement. The current information relied on social media, word of mouth, and peer discussions, most of the population had never heard of HIV. However, a more recent protocol of Education has established a base knowledge about the disease and how to prevent it in larger populations. (Aidsdatahub.org, 2016) This increase in available sexually transmitted infection education is beginning to help, but more can be done to encourage the prevention of the disease.
In the 1990’s, the AIDS and HIV education for prevention was sluggish. Although there was insurmountable evidence to support a comprehensive intervention, financial support was largely unavailable. The public health sector was significantly underfunded for even the basic services, HIV education and treatment was not a priority. (Aidsdatahub.org, 2016) The political stage seemed to be unconcerned with this epidemic. For example, unless the problems were directly connected to the government, the support for public programs remained largely ignored. Funding is still difficult to gain support.
During the first part of the 21st century, the education about HIV had become more active. However because of the length of time between when an individual can contract the disease and when the symptoms show themselves, can be up to ten or fifteen years, treatment doesn’t usually start until the disease has caused irreparable damage. (ODI HPN, 2016) The importance of treatment programs is essential. The quicker that AIDS and HIV are discovered, the quicker treatment can be started and the more likely the person has of conquering the disease. Funding for these kinds of humanitarian programs is essential.
2. Outline a project which would address the need in this community (including a logframe matrix to summarise this project)
3. What are the goals or desired impacts of the project?
4. What purpose or outcome do you seek?
5. What component objectives are needed to achieve the desired impact?
The United Nations, during their special assembly in 2001, agreed that the situation of AIDS/HIV in Myanmar was serious enough to create a plan of action. (Un.org, 2016) Although the program was established, there was a lack of financial support to follow through with the plan. Private funding seems the best option. Through ads and special interest groups, the money that is needed to continue a prevention program as well as provide treatment for those with HIV. (The Borgen Project, 2013) The human rights part of the equation demands that the global community do everything possible to help these individuals live a better and longer life.
Through the generous donations from the global community of humanitarians, an annual budget may be established to donate or provide low-cost healthcare that will allow HIV or AIDS patients to obtain the necessary medications and treatments that will improve their lives. Hopefully, this will allow more people to live with and be cured of HIV or AIDS. The project group will establish a working relationship with current heath organizations that keep excellent records of the mortality rates for victims of HIV.
Donations can be annual tax-exempt allotments if donors wish to establish cause to send money. Donors can feel confident that their money is going to a good cause and that it can be a tax credit in countries that allow such donations to be an exemption. This information will allow the project to budget more efficiently and introduce projections of future needs.
The proof that the project is working will be verified through the decrease in the mortality rate due to the disease. There will be a noticeable increase in healthy pregnancies, women who are in the sex for trade industry, and births of babies born with AIDS or HIV. Through the changes in population data, there will be verification that the project is working.
(This Matrix satisfies articles 2, 6, and 7. )
6. What specific outputs (project activities) are needed to achieve the desired goals/impacts?
7. How would you know if each step was contributing to achieving the overall project goals?
So far, the United Nations has completed an excellent job of creating a sufficient base to use as an example for this project. Obviously, every government program must have help from other agencies for the program to be effective. Money to support each project must have supported programs to be effective. This project is a helper program and will supplement the current programs that were established in 2001 by the United Nations. (Williams et al., 2008)
Currently, there is an established program for AIDS education in the at-risk groups in Myanmar. These groups are mainly funded for the prevention and spread of AIDS. However, the funding that provides healthcare during the process to provide necessary medicines does not have enough money to pay for those expensive treatments. Individuals involved in the sex trade still pass the disease to others who come in sexual contact with them and those fighting the effects of AIDS do not have access to the medication because they are not able to afford the treatments.
The number of female sex workers who have access to and use condoms on a regular basis has very little risk of contracting or spreading AIDS. The health care workers who participate in the Doctors Without Borders (MSF USA, 2014) program need help to provide clean and sterile equipment to administer necessary medicines through injections. For example, needles, hoses, and bags need to be clean and free from containments. A portion of the money donated will go to help cover the cost of the equipment.
Myanmar has an issue with drug abuse, much like most of the world. Although drug use is illegal, users still share needles. This is another way to pass HIV. Through the proper disposal methods, users cannot get access to used needles. Currently, the government has a program in place that provides clean needles to users. (Williams et al., 2008) This, of course, comes with education about drug abuse and additional support to help users get off drugs. In this way, the likelihood of HIV being passed through drug users may be reduced soon. However, it is not the intent of this project to add funding to that program.
The HIV prevention programs that have been created by and are currently in use are targeted at other at-risk groups such as men who have sex with other men. This group, although relatively larger than expected, is educated about the risks of HIV, is based solely on voluntary self-identification and acknowledgment. Most of the support for them came from outreach programs and not encouraged by the government. This group would benefit from this project’s support.
The government has adopted a general rule to help those who have a mother to child HIV through a cooperation of several originations that help pay for the drug Nevirapine, which has helped reduce the deaths associated with HIV in this group. (Williams et al., 2008) Our project would probably not be essential for this set of victims.
Thankfully, through The Ministry of Education, children are taught HIV prevention as early as primary school, which will help the future generations from spreading the ideas. (Myanmar-education.edu.mm, 2016) The educational program needs constant monitoring as well as informational updates as new treatment search information becomes available. The current education of 10 to 16-year-olds seems adequate, but all things need improvement through time. This is not where our project will focus its support.
Prevention efforts have been slow to reflect success since the turn of the 21st century. However, it is showing an upward progress. Programs to treat HIV are slow to gain momentum because of funding issues. Humanitarian groups have the challenge to convince possible donors that money needs to be spent on saving lives as well as prevention education.
Myanmar introduced the treatment that was created in Holland in 2003. Organizations were created to help draw attention to the life-saving drug option. Many support groups, home care treatments, and community support have formed to help people living with HIV. This is where this project will team up its efforts with others of similar focus. Most of these groups seem to need assistance with airing support from the private sector to financially provide adequate treatment for most victims of HIV.
AIDS prevention is somewhat covered through generous grants that help groups educate the population of Myanmar and surrounding areas. However, the government has not been successful in the necessary funding of treatment programs. Various privately operated groups may have a better chance and acquiring the needed financial support for medical treatments and supplies. For example, The Ministry of Health and National AIDS Program have allowed international actors and other famous people to be active in advocating for the education of AIDS prevention. These programs may be beneficial to Myanmar and surrounding areas. However, the government still holds a strong set of rules that prohibit some things from being said, while they do allow other things to be expressed. This project would likely take an active role in securing support from those same actors to help pay for medicine and treatment.
(The following part of the paper satisfied the rest of the parts 8-13, if you read it in its enteriey. The information is embedded in the document and is written from the outlines of the “how to write a grant proposal” document that I read as a guide on how to write this paper)
8. What resources would you need to achieve these steps? (NB. A hypothetical budget is required here that looks roughly realistic. But you are not expected to do detailed and actual/realworld costings!)
9. What timetable would you need to deliver each step of the project? (NB. Set a hypothetical start date to your project, and broadly map out 1
0. when each activity would need to take place, taking into account how long each activity; would need and whether any can overlap
11. You should utilize the readings in Topics 610 to assist you in preparing this assessment.
12. Please reference any sources you have drawn upon, as you would for an essay.
13. Explanation of the problem your project proposal seeks to address and how you intend to address it ***Critical analysis of any contextual factors potentially hindering a successful project to: **Address the problem, and how you might address them **Inclusion of relevant, quality literature used to support your approach **Clear, precise written communication and presentation of your project
Although most health programs are maintained through strict government control, establishing permission for this type of humanitarian and health project may be challenging and take over a year to get permission. However, it is possible to develop and maintain this sort of a project. With essential and trustworthy staff on site to manage the project, the most likely leadership might be health care workers involved in the Doctors Without Borders program.(MSF USA, 2014) In this way, money would be allotted to the specific recipients that it is intended to receive the help. However, there are specific government rules that are designed to keep projects from going out of control, and when the project begins, a government official must be present to oversee the administration. It is also possible to have a representative of the United Nations present when all activities are occurring. Knowing this essential information ahead of time is what will help this project prosper and grow.
Challenges that may occur during the implementation of this project are the environment of Myanmar. For example, cultural differences in what is acceptable and what is not acceptable in outside cultures is an uneasy topic that must be approved for discussion before it is approached with locals is extremely important. The individuals who live with HIV must form their self-help and support groups to help each other maintain their sense of culture and unique society. This cannot be overseen by this project, and could be highly suspect by the local government.
Equally, challenging is the inability to gain access to the populations that are out of the service areas. This challenge is caused by the unsteady borders and limitations that outsiders have to specific areas. Unfortunately, gaining access to people living with AIDS who may not have the opportunity to travel to healthcare can be frustrating for those who are providing the treatments nearby. Perhaps this will change to become easier in the future, and when it does, this project will be ready.
Challenges such as the resource flow will be critical for the continuation of the project. Although the estimated total money needed to treat the individuals who live with AIDS, seems like a large sum, that estimation is a total of the estimated sum required annually for several years of service. The cash flow needs to be established from sufficient and reliable sources that will remain consistent for about twenty years, or long enough to establish a sustainable income for the project to continue.
In conclusion, it is essential to look at all of the challenges that might occur with the development, planning, and implementation of this project. Listing all of the potential investors that could contribute to the success of this project, will be important for all of the necessary steps. Because of the control that the Myanmar government has on outside humanitarian groups, the proposals to the government must include an accurate outline. The outline must state the exact what the goals are, how this project intends to complete the goals, and how the completion of the goals will improve Myanmar as well as the final projected results that will improve the state of the region when the project is complete. All of these step[s must be carefully planned out with the intention of helping to support the current humanitarian projects the government is directly responsible for completing.
The primary goal of the project is to supplement the current HIV/AIDS program that the government of Myanmar is offering to its citizens. Through financially helping provide healthcare in the form of treatment to HIV victims, this project will be helping humanity as a whole. Though establishing a group of individuals who want to help provide treatment for those individuals, the mortality rate as a result of HIV will be reduced significantly. Perhaps one-day HIV can be eliminated through improvements in education, prevention habits, and treatment.
References
IRIN. (2012). "Urgent" need for HIV treatment. [online] Available at: http://www.irinnews.org/report/94943/myanmar-urgent-need-hiv-treatment [Accessed 31 May 2016].
Un.org. (2016). Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS Adopted by the General Assembly. [online] Available at: http://www.un.org/ga/aids/coverage/FinalDeclarationHIVAIDS.html
[Garcia-Calleja, J. (2004). A global analysis of trends in the quality of HIV sero-surveillance. Sexually Transmitted Infections, 80(suppl_1), pp.i25-i30.Accessed 30 May 2016].
ODI HPN. (2016). HIV programming in Myanmar - ODI HPN. [online] Available at: http://odihpn.org/magazine/hiv-programming-in-myanmar/ [Accessed 30 May 2016].
Aidsdatahub.org. (2016). HIV Sentinel Sero‐surveillance Survey Report, 2012. National AIDS Programme, Myanmar (2013). [online] Available at: http://www.aidsdatahub.org/hiv-sentinel-sero%E2%80%90surveillance-survey-report-2012-national-aids-programme-myanmar-2013 [Accessed 31 May 2016].
Aidsdatahub.org. (2016). Myanmar. [online] Available at: http://www.aidsdatahub.org/Country-Profiles/Myanmar [Accessed 30 May 2016].
Unaids.org. (2016). Myanmar. [online] Available at: http://www.unaids.org/en/regionscountries/countries/myanmar [Accessed 30 May 2016].
Radio Free Asia. (2016). Myanmar to Provide Free Treatment to Half of HIV/AIDS Patients by 2016. [online] Available at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/myanmar/aids-12032014132854.html [Accessed 31 May 2016].
MSF USA. (2014). Myanmar: MSF Cautiously Welcomes Offer to Return to Rakhine. [online] Available at: http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/news-stories/press-release/myanmar-msf-cautiously-welcomes-offer-return-rakhine [Accessed 31 May 2016].
The Borgen Project. (2013). Significant HIV/AIDS Funding in Myanmar by Global Fund. [online] Available at: http://borgenproject.org/global-fund-installs-significant-hiv-aids-funding-in-myanmar/ [Accessed 31 May 2016].
Williams, B., Baker, D., Bühler, M. and Petrie, C. (2008). Increase coverage of HIV and AIDS services in Myanmar. Conflict and Health, 2(1), p.3.
