TEACH Scholarships For Ugandans- HIV Scholarships For Ugandan Students

TEACH Scholarships

Statement of Purpose
TEACH implements and coordinates experiential learning activities for HIV/AIDS service providers from private and public institutions of African developing countries. The goal of the programme is to strengthen the capacity of these organisations in the provision of HIV/AIDS care and support services. TEACH’s objective is to improve HIV/AIDS service provider competence in Sub-Saharan Africa through an experiential in-service apprenticeship.

Background
The TASO Experiential Attachment to Combat HIV/AIDS project, known as TEACH, began in 2005. The programme arose out of a recognised need, and demand, to share TASO’s best practices in HIV/AIDS management with other African countries affected by HIV/AIDS. The first phase of the programme ran from 2005-2008. After a successful project evaluation report, TEACH funding was renewed for a further three years, effective 2009.

The TEACH project is made possible through support from the Swedish development agency SIDA. With the current round of funding, effective 2009, TEACH plans to train 540 people, or 180 per year.

The aim of TEACH is to build the capacity of public and private African organisations involved in the provision of HIV/AIDS care and support services. Through our training model, we hope to build a critical mass of effective service providers in Sub-Saharan Africa.

At the core of the programme is a one-month experiential apprenticeship in TASO centres. This is conducted through TASO’s 11 service centres across Uganda, four regional offices, the international training facility and headquarters.

Upon returning to their home country, TEACH graduates will apply best practices in HIV/AIDS programming and service delivery models and thereby improve the overall response to HIV/AIDS across the African continent.

The TEACH programme is also responsible for coordinating TASO’s internship programme.
An internship with TASO provides individuals not eligible for a TEACH attachment or scholarship the opportunity to learn more about the TASO model and best practices in service delivery. TEACH facilitates intern placements and orientation but interns meet their own placement costs, including air tickets and accommodation and upkeep

TASO is the pioneer civil society organisation responding to the HIV/AIDS pandemic and the largest indigenous HIV/AIDS service provider in Sub-Saharan Africa. The organisation has over twenty years experience supporting people living with HIV/AIDS and encouraging them to live positively.

TEACH ACHIEVEMENTS

In the first phase of the programme (2005-2008) TEACH trained 687 HIV/AIDS practitioners from Sub-Saharan Africa in HIV/AIDS best practices in service provision.

TEACH has coordinated over 1000 internships in TASO. The interns have come from different parts of the world i.e. US, UK, Australia, Canada and Japan, partner organizations as well as research agencies.





Skills attained by TEACH attaché
• Community mobilization
• Memory book writing
• ART case conferencing
• Data management
• Counselling and listening, including child counselling
• Lobbying and advocacy
• Public relations and customer care skills


As result of the TEACH Program the alumni translated the skills gained into practice by replicating TASO models in their organizations.

Some of the TASO best practices adopted by TEACH attachés include:
• Home-based HIV/AIDS counselling and testing
• Community mobilisation and sensitisation through drama
• Client empowerment model through sustainable livelihood programming
• The community ART and service delivery model
• The counselling model, in particular couples, community and family counselling
• The “positive living” model
• Memory book and will making
• Client appointment system
• Information management system
• HIV/AIDS integrated service delivery model

How to Apply
http://www.tasouganda.org/index.php?option=com_artforms&formid=3&Itemid=99999


ABOUT TEACH ATTACHMENTS

TEACH attachés have so far come from nearly 25 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. Past participants in the programme range from medical professionals to military personnel, NGO workers and civil servants.


As an attaché, an individual undergoes an orientation with TEACH and then placed at one of TASO’s 11 service centres across Uganda for a one-month apprenticeship.

TEACH attachés are exposed to a number of TASO activities which include:-

* Participating in counselling sessions
* Participating in visiting TASO partners in Uganda
* Participation in medical activities
* Community outreach clinics
* Home based voluntary counselling and testing
* Day care centre activities
* Drama activities, sensitisations and community trainings
* Income-generating and sustainable livelihoods activities
* Laboratory and dispensing activities
* Child support activities
*
* Home care activities

Supervision of community nurses
Social support and nutritional support

PROCESS OF APPLYING TO BE A TEACH ATTACHÉ


Qualifications to be a TEACH attaché
• The applicant must be from an organisation involved in HIV/AIDS service provision or related work.
• The applicant should have at least 1 year of practical experience in HIV/AIDS prevention, care, support and impact mitigation or policy and advocacy-related work.
• The applicant should be seconded by their organisations/employers with a commitment to ensure that the lessons and skills acquired are deployed in support of HIV/AIDS work in their respective organisations thereafter.
• The applicant should have good communication skills and be fluent in English (both spoken and written).
• The applicant should have a minimum of High School qualification or its equivalent
• The applicant should be willing to be placed for a period of four weeks at any TASO centre.
• The applicant should have demonstrated commitment to share and learn from TASO’s experience.

Eligibility criteria for TEACH scholarships
TEACH’s scholarship scheme is funded by the Swedish development agency SIDA in partnership with TASO. The scheme provides both full and partial scholarships to deserving organisations and candidates from both public and private sector that have demonstrated interest in HIV/AIDS care and support work and would like to learn from TASO’s experience.

Applications from small and resource-poor organisations from Sub-Saharan Africa will be given priority for the full scholarship. Some places are reserved for those individuals or organisations who can meet the full costs of this programme.

Other considerations around scholarship allocation include that this project is primarily meant to benefit individuals and organisations from developing countries in Africa. The scholarship scheme is ideally meant to benefit both individuals and their organisations involved in HIV/AIDS related work.