CONCEPT PAPER

I.   Mission Organisation:

The CIN is a Company Limited by guarantee established as a Development and Media consultancy targeting among others the leaders of Faith Based Organisations. In its relatively short time of existence the CIN has organised and moderated in nine provincial workshops with the theme “The Role of the Church in the Prevention of Corruption” in conjunction with the Anti Corruption Commission. This program covered a period of five years and involved at least sixty clergymen and women from each province. After this period the CIN has partnered with Transparency International Zambia to carry out provincial workshops under the theme of “The Protection of Whistle Blowers”. These workshops involve at least fifty provincial heads of department of both private and public sector institutions. Furthermore, the CIN was commissioned in 2005 to carry out research on Whistle Blower Protection measures in private and public institutions which targeted four provinces and 200 respondents. The research was commissioned by Transparency International Zambia.  The CIN is also a partner with TALC which is an HIV/AIDS NGO and has collaborated with the organisation by providing media advice and participating in its the National Positive Living Conference sponsored by, among others, CARE. 

II. Project Background and Justification:

With the advent of HIV/AIDS Zambian families have had to cope with new challenges generated by the death of family heads and bread winners. One of the issues the family has to deal with is the complex challenge of succession in regards to property. Statistics do not yet exist as to how many orphans and surviving spouses have lost their homes and property to marauding relatives, friends and former employers after the death of the family head. Even though the situation mainly affects surviving widows, the increasing number of female headed homes means that even such homes are plundered. Perhaps this latter situation is even more worrying due to the fact the surviving orphans usually have little capacity to fight off property grabbers and deal with the complex issues of pension funds, survivor’s benefits and land title. This whole process of succession is one of the causes of destitution among widows and orphans. It is an acknowledged fact this situation could be helped if family heads could make adequate preparations for their passing by the preparation of Wills and the guided solving of outstanding issues such as debt and land title. The Project is designed to offer Succession training to children, women and male heads of homes. The focus will be on those parents and guardians who are living with HIV/AIDS. The Project will initially cover the areas of Central and Lusaka provinces as initial areas of intervention. The areas are chosen due to their urban nature and also due to the fact that they are typical to the areas most hit by succession problems.

III. Project Aims:

A. To train Community Trainers who would in turn train families in the communities on Succession issues.

B. Train family heads who are living with HIV/AIDS on matters of Succession.

C. Train children of PLWHA on Succession issues.

D. Train Community leaders on Succession issues.

E. Establish Succession Counselling Desks in communities.

F.  Establish community-based Rapid Response Teams to assist children.

IV. Project Strategy:

The intervention to be used will be to train four levels of society most affected by the issue of succession. These are the community, the actual parents living with HIV/AIDS, the children and community leaders. The training will be designed to develop capacity in these four levels of the community through awareness creation and imparting of essential knowledge.

V. Project Objectives:

A. To hold Succession TOT workshops to train forty (40) Community Succession trainers from ten (10) communities from Central and Lusaka provinces.

B. To hold Succession Training workshops to train two hundred (200) family heads who are living with HIV/AIDS from ten (10) communities in Succession matters.

C. To hold Succession Training workshops to train fifty (50) children on Succession matters.

D. To hold Succession Training workshops to train fifty (50) Community leaders from ten (10) on Succession matters.

E. To work in partnership with community stakeholders in establishing ten (10) Community based Succession counselling desks in churches, local CBOs and other such institutions.

F.  Establish community-based Rapid Response Teams to assist children in partnership with community leaders and community based institutions in ten (10) communities.

VI. Project Outputs:

A. To produce a corps of forty (40) Community based Trainers of Trainers in Succession issues.

B. Two hundred (200) family heads who are living with HIV/AIDS from ten communities will be trained in best practices for family succession.

C. Fifty (50) children from ten communities will be trained on their rights and protections in matters of succession.

D. Fifty community leaders will be made aware of their vital role in resolving Succession disputes and guiding families upon the death of a family head.

E. Ten (10) Succession counselling desks shall be established in ten communities on Central province (five) and Lusaka province (five).

F.  Ten Rapid Response Teams shall be formed in ten (10) communities on Central province (five) and Lusaka province (five).

VII. Project Outcomes:

A. Ten communities shall have the lasting services of at least four (4) Succession counsellors and trainers to help deal with succession issues particularly for children of PLWHA.

B. Two hundred families shall adequately prepare themselves for the eventual passing on of family heads through the training offered by the project workers.

C. Fifty children will be better prepared  to face issues of Succession upon the demise of their parents or guardians who are living with HIV/AIDS.

D. Fifty community leaders will be trained to take a continuing and active role in counselling and assisting children and spouses with succession issues upon the death of the family head or spouse.

E. Ten Rapid Response Teams composed of trained community workers and other stake holders shall quickly and constantly respond to critical succession disputes whenever necessary.

VIII. Project Time-frame:

The total project time-frame is twelve months with the first two workshops (TOT and Family Heads) being held in the first half of this period relative to funding availability. The second half of the period shall see the holding of the training for children and community leaders. The last two months of the period should see the establishment of the Succession counselling desks and the Rapid Response Teams.

IX. Monitoring and Evaluation:

A. Monitoring:

The activities shall be monitored by the organisation in conjunction with other stake holders.

B. Evaluation:

Termly Evaluation shall be done at the conclusion of each programme by the organisation. Evaluation of the entire process shall be done at the end of the twelve month period by external evaluators appointed by the funding agency. At each point of evaluation there shall be a report generated.