Model Projects

The PSN supports individual projects where these have the potential to provide role models for our communication work

PSN believes that environmental sustainability depends, in part, on making it possible for communities and families in environmentally fragile locations to choose to limit their families.

In order to demonstrate PSN’s support for this project, it is providing modest funding to the Nomadic Communities Trust, working in Kenya and the Blue Ventures Team in Madagascar.

Model Family Planning Clinic & Conservation Project in Madagascar 2007

PSN is pleased to be supporting an innovative a project which has been set up by Blue Ventures, a UK based award winning marine conservation organization, who are working towards creating a community led sustainable development project in Andavadoaka, a coastal village in Madagascar.

The project has the dual aim of protecting the delicate coastal ecosystems of the area, which would in turn aid poverty alleviation through sustainable use of the coastal resources and also, given the presence of a trained medical officer, begin to offer basic contraceptive services to the communities.

The first stage of this project – with a particular focus on family planning – aims to reach the people of Andavadoaka, and the surrounding areas (about 2000 people). If successful, the next step will be to extend the service to all of the 30 villages within the new, enlarged marine protected area being developed by Blue Ventures and the coastal communities.

Access to family planning and other medical services is currently very limited: women typically have to walk 50km to access basic contraceptive services. Fertility is very high (Total Fertility Rate – children per woman – of 5.2) and the population is set to double in 20 years (national average prevalence of contraceptive use is only 20% amongst women in union).

Currently the population of Madagascar is 18.3 million and predicted to rise to 28.2 million by 2025,

Maternal mortality is also high (1 in 200 live births), abortion is illegal and deaths from unsafe abortions push this figure higher still.

Helping these coastal communities to access family planning services has prompted the community to express a need for family planning and this will make a significant contribution to their ability to escape poverty and develop in a sustainable way.

It is also likely to reduce the impact on the coastal ecosystems significantly caused by the increase in the human population.

The Clinic Team	Training of staff	Children's Creche

Leroghi Forest, Samburu, Northern Kenya

So many conservation-related programmes providing sustainable development for local communities depend for their long-term success on fundamental social issues such as population planning, and yet this critical topic is seldom addressed.

CAMEL MOBILE REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH SERVICES TO REMOTE COMMUNITIES IN KENYA

The Samburu project provides an inspiring model, where groundwork on both social and environmental issues combines to achieve a sustainable future.

Leroghi Forest is a Reserve comprising some 85,000 hectares of indigenous woodland and grassland which harbours a wide range of plant and animal species. It has recently come under pressure from year-round grazing, tree felling, impact of fire and unauthorised settlements. 

A programme coordinated through the Wilderness Foundation (UK) in tandem with Kenya Forest Working Group, the Green Belt movement, UN Environment Programme and other organizations is seeking to promote a range of community-led sustainable development projects to lessen this pressure by introducing alternative livelihoods.  These include eco-tourism, bee keeping, establishment of timber and fruit tree plantations and environmental education – together with substantial restoration of the Forest itself.  Most recently, arrangements have been made to incorporate a broad-based healthcare clinic run by the Nomadic Communities Trust (NCT).

NCT is a registered Community Based Organisation operating in Northern Kenya offering choices to poor, remote, nomadic communities lacking access to health resources. These include Family Planning /Reproductive Health services; HIV/AIDS prevention/palliative care & treatment of opportunistic infections; immunisation; and basic curative medicine including the treatment of malaria.

The NCT mobile clinic visits a different community & school each day of the month, revisiting most communities every month of the year to provide continuing and follow up Reproductive and general Health care, immunisation and HIV/AIDS services & education, including concern with Female Genital Mutilation (FGM)

The Mobile Clinic model seeks to access remote, environmentally fragile regions that have no other health facilities, reaching nomadic populations using appropriate means of transport. Presently a motor vehicle is in the field providing services and education to over 18 communities and their schools monthly, since September 05.

Due to the ever rising costs of motor vehicles, NCT is raising funds to also implement small simple camel train mobile clinics, accompanied by a trained Community Based Distributor (CBD) member per team, and an assistant - offering some Reproductive Health/Family Planning; and HIV/AIDS prevention programmes including Counselling & Testing.

NCT co-ordinator Sharon Wreford-Smith comments “a few of this younger generation have had access to a little education and also know what it is to go hungry and now realise why.” Kenya’s population in the 1930s stood at 2.5 million. It is now over 32 million.

Samburu District has a population of approx 200,000 predominantly Nomadic peoples. From historical statistics from it’s ‘sister project’ in Laikipia District (pop 400,000) - Mpala Community Trust (MCT) Mobile Clinic who reaches and serves an average of 50,000 people a year -it is hoped that NCT will reach a target of + 10,000 people in the first year, and an average of +25,000 people thereafter.

For more information, please see http://www.nomadictrust.com/Family%20Planning.html

KwaZulu Natal (KZN), South Africa, 2003-4

KZN is one of the regions of South Africa most seriously affected by HIV/AIDS.  In a project which combined information about reproductive health and HIV/AIDS counselling, communities were assisted in exploring the issues around reproductive health and AIDS, and Voluntary Counselling and Testing (VCT) was initiated.

Under the auspices of the Zisizeni Association for Development, a CBO based near Melmoth in northern KZN, and supported by the UK-based Helwel Trust, work with local communities focused particularly on the creation of environments in which HIV educators could talk in depth about their views on the impact of HIV/AIDS. 

The stigma and discrimination associated with HIV is still strong in northern KZN.  For example, children orphaned by AIDS are thought to be the responsibility of the government, while, if parents are killed in an accident, the relatives and community takes over responsibility for the orphans.

Work with these HIV educators centred on processes to reduce the stigma and discrimination that Zulus place on people affected or infected by HIV and AIDS, and to make it socially acceptable to keep those orphaned by AIDS in the local community. 

Reproductive health/family planning services tend to be separated from clinics supporting those with HIV/AIDS: part of this project was to begin to build bridges between these two wings.