The overall objective of HODASSU is empowerment of communities. The communities lack empowerment in areas of women’s’ development, HIV/AIDS, basic healthcare, Malaria management, education of children and support of children with disabilities. HODASSU aims to carry out sensitization in these areas as follows:
1.Child Support
HODASSU aims to assist children in the following areas:
A: Assisting bli
nd, psycho and mentally disabled children experiencing difficulties to complete their primary education by providing educational support, which on a case by case basis may include:
a) Transportation b) School Fees c) Health care and treatment d) Scholastic materials . And to these children with hardship to attain the basic education through craft making
i). Tailoring ii). Welding iii). Carpentry iv). Agro Farming
B: Vocational training for both the disabled and other disadvantaged children. Through the activities above. C: To assist the graduates from the vocational training into programmes which will include marketing of their skills in the community.
2.Psychosocial Support
Lack of parental figure leads to the vulnerability of orphans including less access to education, discipline and love. They are also prone to be taken advantage of especially sexually for young girls. They often lose one of the key protective factors leading to positive outcomes during the adolescent age; when without parents. Connectedness to parents including parental expectations regarding school completion is one of the key protective factors associated with positive outcomes for young people. Therefore HODASSU aims to provide on-going counselling services to orphans and their caregivers emphasing discipline and love of the child as one of the key factors to benefit from HODASSU programmes.
3.Malaria Management
HODASSU aims to carry out anti-malarial campaign by sensitizing people to carry out self-help initiatives to fight malaria. This will include sensitising people on how to destroy the mosquito breeding grounds, use of insecticide treated mosquito nets and taking the anti-malarial drugs as prescribed by the doctor.
4.Basic healthcare
The overall objective is to improve the health status of the population where HODASSU works, with particular emphasis on sanitation, knowledge of preventive health measures, immunization of children, and sensitization on contraceptive use and reproductive health. There is a lack of health workers going to the community to provide information about good health habits, initiative, and prevention. Empowerment of a healthy community is lacking.
5.Awareness-raising and training for rural women and men concerning children with disabilities
The majority of children with disabilities in rural areas have no access to any kind of rehabilitation services. In such situations, women as mothers and sisters have the responsibility of looking after the disabled family members. HODASSU plans a community-based rehabilitation approach to provide training and information to care-givers including the men to encourage a change of mentality or roles that only women can be caregivers in the family to promote better care of the disabled child leading to the autonomy of the disabled person.
6.HIV/AIDS Sensitization
The sensitisation will use a strategy of community visitation to increase awareness of HIV/AIDS among populations at high risk, and to promote the adoption of preventive behaviours and encourage community mobilisation and support groups.
7.Women
Women will be sensitized about group dynamics to provide leadership and entrepreneurial skills which empower women in their daily lives in the areas of coop formation.
