Objectives

We have already agreed with the Governor of Mandimba on some key areas of support that the district needs. We are going to focus on these areas in our attempts to accelerate Mandimba’s transition to an economically successful and healthy community. For each area, we are measuring the benefits and demonstrating the efficacy of our approach. For each of the sections below, we have therefore suggested measures which will do this.

Micro-financing

We will co-ordinate the delivery of micro-financing initiatives with existing providers. We have already commenced dialogue with JustShare and Opportunity International and will pursue partnership initiatives in order to promote in Mandimba local trade and a local economy. Measures of success: Tax revenues, Domestic product per head

Primary Healthcare

We will support the newly created local district healthcare committee. We will support and sponsor the training and remuneration of community healthcare workers for every village in the district. Measures of success: number of trained and remunerated community healthcare workers, population covered by community healthcare workers, health outcome data as measured by the community healthcare workers

Water

We will co-ordinate, promote and where necessary pay for the digging of several hundred wells in order to provide fresh drinking water to every village in the district. Some will be pump-and-store solar-powered bore-hole wells, suitable for irrigation and the provision of clean water to several villages. Measures of success: population served, uptime of wells

Sanitation

We will co-ordinate and where necessary pay for the digging of suitable latrines for every village in the district. Measures of success: population served incidence and prevalence of diarrhoeal disease.

Nutrition

We will co-ordinate and set-up, in conjunction with suitable NGO's, commercial and agricultural partners, mechanisms for growing and selling more nutritious food. This will include provision of a remedial nutrition centre for children suffering from the effects of starvation and a programme to train parents and carers to prevent recurrence. Measures of success: tonnes of non-basic foodstuffs grown. Nutritional status of under-fives.

Education

We will find sponsors for all secondary school students that wish to attend the local school. Yearly fees are currently £15 ($US30). We will seek out and provide suitable educational material to support the school activity and we will sponsor educational awards for students to encourage individual competition. Measures of success: number of secondary school attendees

Transport and Communication

We will sponsor and support the provision of appropriate transport and communication for key workers, including government and healthcare workers. On the whole, this will mean providing bicycles rather than motorised transport and providing mobile phones, computers and faxes where appropriate. Measures of success: number of people with appropriate means of transport, internet penetration, number of mobile phones in use.

Fighting AIDS

Our most ambitious plan is to support the national government’s efforts in stopping the HIV/AIDS epidemic. We plan to support community wide research into supplementary treatments and nutritional support for HIV/AIDS sufferers. Recent research has suggested a larger role for micro-nutrients in the progress of HIV infection to AIDS and the transmission rates of the virus. Current thinking is that supplementation can also enhance the efficacy of anti-retroviral treatment. Our intention is to pursue this with academic and commercial partners in conjunction with the national and provincial health authorities. Measures of success: prevalence of HIV infection and AIDS-related illnesses

Outreach and PR

Finally, we intend to make this project sustainable. To do so will require a continual flow of support and funding. We want it to be widely supported by governments, NGOs, sponsors, activists and - above all - by the people of Mandimba. We reason that this can best be done by creating a permanent record of the progress in Mandimba, in reports and on film - and to make documentaries that will encourage continuing support. We have already started this.

Measures of success: amount of financial support, number of activists and sponsors.