Building Blocks
A particular strength of the Alliance is our ability to catalyse the exchange of knowledge, learning and good practice across borders and regions to speed up action on HIV and AIDS. In 2005, this was demonstrated when a set of tools originally developed to help community-based support to orphans and vulnerable children in Africa – Building Blocks: Africa-wide briefing notes – was developed into a series of adaptations for Asia.
By 2010, 18 million children living in sub-Saharan Africa will be orphaned by AIDS, but Asia already has many more children orphaned due to all causes. If nascent HIV epidemics expand in Asia, the number of children orphaned by AIDS could grow dramatically.
Building Blocks: Africa-wide briefing notes was originally produced in English, French and Portuguese for use in Africa, and contains principles and strategies for working with orphans and vulnerable children. It is accompanied by a manual supporting community action, Building Blocks in Practice, and provides advice on health and nutrition, education, psychosocial support, and other topics.
The new set of briefing notes for Asia – produced in Thai, Hindi and Khmer – was adapted incorporating the experience and learning gained through their use in Africa, and knowledge of the epidemic, society and culture in Asia. An English edition for Asia has now also been completed. Translations of the original African briefing notes have been produced in Shona and Ndebele for Zimbabwe, and a Senegalese version has been developed.
More than 10,000 copies of the initial three language versions are being used by NGOs, community organisations, researchers, donors and policy-makers. In 2005, Building Blocks was also central to a funding proposal in Burkina Faso, which launched a wide-ranging programme in all of the country’s provinces to mobilise communities for an event called ‘Orphans and Vulnerable Children Day’.
