The Consortium for Southern Africa Food Security Emergency (C-SAFE) is in its third year of implementation for a coordinated 'developmental relief' program in Zambia, Zimbabwe and Lesotho. The C-SAFE Malawi program transitioned to a Development Assistance Program (DAP) in October 2004. C-SAFE responds to the immediate food security crisis with targeted food assistance to vulnerable groups, including households affected by HIV/AIDS. Transitional interventions focus on Food for Assets programming to build productive assets at the household and community level. The C-SAFE membership includes World Vision, Catholic Relief Services, CARE and ADRA. C-SAFE is funded by USAID's Office of Food For Peace.
C-SAFE Learning Spaces
The C-SAFE Learning Spaces initiative now publishes a Monthly Update of activities to keep Consortium members (and other stakeholders) up to date on the learning agenda for the FY05. The December update is available on www.c-safe.org 'Virtual (email) Working Groups' are now active (with group members from C-SAFE countries and regional offices), for each of the below-listed learning activities to ensure that the design and implementation of each activity is reflective of a broad spectrum of views.
Impact of food on HIV/AIDS: Identified as a priority by the C-SAFE Think Tank, this learning activity will be launched in late January. Kari Egge, a secondee from the CRS Emergency Response Team, and Susan Strasser, an independent consultant who worked for C-SAFE last year on the Targeted Food Assistance study disseminations, will work together to develop a tool of suggested indicators for measuring the effect of food on four categories of beneficiaries related to HIV & AIDS. These include: chronically ill (CI), TB patients, women in PMTCT programs, and individuals on ART. The consultants will travel to Zambia, Malawi and Zimbabwe throughout the month of February for consultations with C-SAFE technical staff as well as other non-C-SAFE stakeholders who can add value to the process. Anthropometrics, as well as food/livelihood security indicators and qualitative of life will be considered. The draft Tool(s) should be available in April.
Stigma: In late February, 11 C-SAFE participants (from Zambia and Zimbabwe) will attend a conference in Johannesburg on 'Stigma and HIV'. The group will use the findings from the conference to develop country level plans for staff training/sensitization and roll-out. The sessions will aim to examine external and internal causes and implications of stigma, as well as identifying strategies for interacting more effectively with communities towards reducing stigma and 'normalizing' HIV/AIDS issues. C-SAFE is fortunate to have an intern from Tulane University's School of Public Health - Diane Coleman - supporting the Stigma initiative.
Exit Strategies: One-day learning events will be held in each of the C-SAFE countries profiling promising practices in C-SAFE exit strategies, along-side presentations by WFP on their recently completed case studies on Exit Strategies from Emergency Programming. The FANTA technical note on Exit Strategies for Title II Food Aid Development Programs will also be presented. Discussions will aim to adapt the FANTA guidance to the C-SAFE context of emergency programming and a high HIV/AIDS prevalence. Two consultants have been identified and their names will be announced at the end of January. This learning activity will take place in April, with the in-country activities conducted later in the month.
Food for Assets through an HIV/AIDS Lens
With valuable input provided by C-SAFE field staff through focus group discussions in October 2004, a guidance document was developed released (internally w/in C-SAFE) in DRAFT form in early December. C-SAFE Zambia and Zimbabwe have indicated that they have begun using it to plan upcoming FY05 FFA projects. The finalized document will be released in February after a more formal review by a technical review committee.
Updates on other Learning Spaces initiatives can be found in the monthly update mentioned above.
MONITORING and EVALUATION Update
M&E Quarterly Review and Re-planning Regional Workshop
In January 2005, the C-SAFE RPU M&E section organised a workshop with M&E officers from Zambia, Zimbabwe and Lesotho. The workshop, had three themes 1) Planning for 2005, 2) Building the team, and 3) Sharing and learning from another's M&E experiences. The planning sessions focused on constructing a timeline for 2005 (including all key M&E activities, meetings and reports), with several sessions devoted to planning the end of project survey. The learning sessions were oriented around sharing information about new initiatives in C-SAFE country programs, regional CHS analysis results, field observations and implementation of specific M&E tools used in Zimbabwe. Participants observed a feeding programme in Nkosikazi Primary School in Bulawayo and a focus group discussion with students about food security in their homes and community. The group also participated in Food for Assets End Use Monitoring interviews, community based food security monitoring, and numerous aspects of MAP monitoring.
Community and Household Surveillance (CHS)
Preparations are underway for the fourth CHS round to be implemented in Zambia, Zimbabwe and Lesotho. The CHS questionnaire has been modified after receiving input from both partners (C-SAFE and WFP) based on the past experiences from the three rounds. Training for data collection is scheduled to begin in February. Reports on the trends over the first three rounds will be released in January.
In addition to country specific CHS reports, a regional analysis is being conducted to provide insight into trends across the six countries involved in the CHS. Richard Caldwell from Tango International has been contracted to produce the regional report.
End of Project Survey
In the final year of C-SAFE, the M&E section will focus primarily on the planning and implementation of the end of project survey, scheduled for April/May. The survey, designed to determine the effects C-SAFE interventions on the beneficiary population, will form a critical component of the C-SAFE evaluation, which will also occur in 2005.
Monitoring and Evaluation Learning Initiative
C-SAFE has designed a variety of unique monitoring and evaluation tools and initiatives, both in C-SAFE countries as well as at the regional level. The M&E team is in the process of documenting better practices as well as lessons learnt with the aim of sharing these experiences. This C-SAFE Learning Spaces initiative is in the initial stages of development and suggestions and comments are sought from all interested parties. Please write to: marumbo_ngwira@c-safe.org
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