1.     Background and Justification

Given to the present day socio-economic & political scenario of Ethiopia, “investing on the young generation” to fight poverty and HIV AIDS is the right choice and strategy to ensure that Ethiopia shall sustain as a nation, even with a better quality of life for the generation to come.  We believe this is one of the rationales of the Federal Democratic Republic Government of Ethiopia, why significant emphasis is being given to the rural youth, as it has been explicitly indicated in the public document known as “Rural Development Strategy”.  Paradoxically, HIV-Aids and other social evils are eroding the human capital of the country in a rapid speed and the "youth" is indeed the most victim social group of this calamity.

Undoubtedly, Poverty is aggravating the expansion of HIV-AIDS.  All social evils, particularly the increasing number of disobedient and visionless youngsters in the urban settings are also function of poverty & ignorance.  The case in Addis is even much worst. This calls for a concerted effort of state and non-state actors who are involved in tackling the social and economic challenges of our country.

This challenge is neither easy to tackle nor can be ignored like some of the challenges with which we can still continue survival. Poverty and HIV AIDS are powerful weapons of mass destruction, against which every Citizen has to aggressively stand in the battlefield.   The contribution of the private sector, civil society organizations and the state could make substantial changes in shorter period, if organized, systematic and goal oriented activities are implemented with the right target groups.

MECLITE 20-20 is a non-governmental organization established on June 2004 and gets registered with the ministry of justice with a certificate no of 1637. The main trust of the organization is to contribute to the efforts of the government and other non-state actors who are in the battlefield of Poverty and HIV Aids .

The operation area of MECLIT is in Addis Ababa City.  Cherkos sub city, Kebele 15 is the specific place where the project office will be located and all the pilot activities outlined in this document will be implemented. Nevertheless, MECLIT has a vision to expand to more needy kebeles in Addis and implement similar Poverty reduction activities in the future.

2.     Vision, Mission and overall Goals

Vision

MECLIT aspires to see by 2020, a generation free of the yolks of poverty and trauma of HIV-AIDS, in its operation area.

Mission

To work with Commercial sex workers, street children and the youth who are known to be in the highest risk groups of HIV AIDS and poverty and bring about meaningful and sustaining impacts in their lives.  In short the mission statement can be read as "redeeming the new generation".

          Over all goals

-        Changing the social and economic status of street children through meeting their basic needs for education, Health and sustainable livelihood.

-        Shading light on the futures of the youth who are exposed to risky and dangerous lifestyle.

-        Help commercial sex workers get out of the business and lead descent life.

-        Winning the battlefield of HIV-AIDS through achieving sustaining behavioral changes on the youth and commercial sex workers.

-        Contribute to the building blocks of a “responsible generation” with acceptable moral and social values, Integrity, humanity and belongingness to the nation.

3.   Immediate Objectives

3.1 Change t5he livelihood of Commercial sex workers through working for social

         repositioning and economic empowerment.

3.2. Empowering the youth through engaging them in profitable and socially accepted

         economic activities.

  3.3 Supporting Street Children and help them get lasting solutions to their economic  

         and social problems.

  3.4  Bringing attitudinal and behavioral changes in the direction of making the youth responsible, innovative and civilized citizens.

  3.5   Making tangible contributions to arrest the expansion of HIV / AID through addressing the most high-risk prone social groups.

4. Expected Results [outputs]

4.1 Social Repositioning and Livelihood Recovery of Commercial Sex Workers [SRLR-CSW]

4.1.1 Twenty commercial sex workers a year disengaged from their business and start a new way of life which is socially just and economically feasible.

4.1.2 Twenty Women [CSW] a year gets out from the high-risk zones for the spread of HIV AIDS

4.1.3. Opportunity created for all concerned people, to take part in the sponsorship business to support commercial sex workers get out of such risky and socially unacceptable life style.

4.1.4. Lesson drawn from the pilot project on the innovative idea of establishing rehabilitation centers for commercial sex workers and implement the idea of sponsorship to the target group.

4.1.4. Contribution made to the efforts of the state and non-state actors who are in the battlefield of poverty and HIV AIDS.

4.2. Skill Training of the Youth for Transformation [STYT]

4.2.1 Twenty youths a year get trained on the maintenance of electronic appliance and starts their own businesses

4.2.3. Ten youths get trained on audio visual equipment and start their own business every year.

4.2.4 One saving and credit cooperative established by the trained youth and get registered by the competent government authority.

4.2.5 Financial Access [starter capital] for the cooperative secured and dispersed to the members by the cooperatives

4.2.6 Lesson drawn from the pilot project and a new and more comprehensive proposal developed.

4.3 Fostering the street Children [FoSC]

4.3 . 1 Five Street children a year reunite with their families as a result of serious consultation and counseling.

4.3.2. Twenty Street Children come back home as a result of   supporting their families through engaging them in income generation activities.

4.3.3. Families of the street children mentioned under activity 5.3.2 formed a cooperative and registered with the competent government authority.

4.3.4. Financial assistance [starter capital] to deliver credit services to the cooperative members made available.  

4.4. Social Education for the Youth [SEY]

4.4.1 One 35 mm dimension film per year on sensitive and youth relevant social theme produced.

4.4.2 Films presented for public show in Addis Ababa and regional cities

4.4.3 Two panel discussions, on selected social themes organized and publications produced every year.

4.4.4. One professional drama club established and a minimum of two scripts a year developed on special social themes and same number of theaters performed every year.  

4.4.5 Counseling services offered to 150 youth a year on various social and economic issues.

4.4.6. A multi purpose hall, with a hollding capacity of 2000 people, constructed and get used by MECLIT 2020 and other interested institutions

4.3.7. Lesson drawn from the pilot project and a new and more comprehensive proposal developed.

5. Strategies and Activities

5.1   Social Repositioning and Livelihood Recovery of Commercial Sex  

        Workers  [SRLR-CSW]

5.1.1 Strategies.

• Establishing linkages with NGOs, Public institutions, private organizations and other actors involved in HIV-AIDs initiatives to hunt Jobs and training opportunities.

• Rehabilitating Commercial Sex Workers through counseling and creating enabling environment for living until lasting solutions are thought

• Facilitating Sponsorship for Rehabilitated CSW.

• Facilitate linkages with micro finance institutions for credit services

5.1.2 Activities

• Conduct base line survey in the selected kebeles

• Identify 20 Commercial sex workers who are willing to join the rehabilitation center

• Establish a data base of the target groups

• Develop norms, regulations, values, procedures and management practices of CSWs rehabilitation center

• Organize an orientation workshop for the selected CSW concerning the norms, regulations values and objectives of the rehabilitation centre as well as the project

• Singe a memorandum of understanding between the target groups and MECLIT 2020

• Establish the rehabilitation center through getting hired a house in an ideal place in Addis and fulfill all facilities and the necessary logistics

• Run and manage the rehabilitation center

• Organizing a counseling sessions for the target groups

• Identify training needs and relevant training institutions for the target group.

• Facilitate training opportunities for the target groups.

• Contact public and private institutions that are willing to hire the rehabilitated CSW.

•  Develop PR materials, like flayers, videos etc and explore sponsorship possibilities in and outside the country for the target groups

• Facilitate linkages between the target groups and sponsors

• Conduct monitoring and evaluation of the pilot project

5.2. Skill Training of the Youth for Transformation  

       [STYT]

5.2.1 Strategies.

• Establishment of training centers

• Establishment of linkages with training institutions

• Conduct practical attachment exercise

• Formation of cooperatives

• Facilitate for self employment opportunities

5.2.2. Activities

• Full fill the training facilities and equipment

• Work out selection criteria for the trainees

• Workout training center management manual, which would include the objectives, operations, management, norms and regulations etc of the center

• Develop a curriculum for electronics maintenance and video making training

• Identify Part time trainers on electronics maintenance and video making

• Identify 20 youth [with a fair gender balance] every year to get them trained on electronics maintenance and video making.

• Establish contacts with private organizations and NGOs that are involved in electronics maintenance and video making.

• Arrange practical attachment programs for the trainees

• Facilitate the establishment of a cooperative [Saving and credit] of the trainees

• Encourage the trainees to save some money in the newly formed saving and credit cooperative

• Get the cooperative registered with the competent government authority

• Provide training on proposal writing and business management to the members of the cooperative

• Build the capacity of the cooperative in terms of management

• Enter project agreements with the cooperatives and provide them grants to facilitate self-employment opportunities of the members.

• Conduct monitoring and evaluation activities for the pilot project.

5.3     Fostering Street Children [FSC]

5.3.1  Strategies

• Reuniting Street children with their families through counseling

• Building economic capacity of families of Street Children

• Linking the target groups with orphanage Centers in and outside the country. 

• Looking for hosting families.

5.3.2  Activities

• Conducing base line survey in the selected kebele.

• Develop selection criteria of the street children

• Identify street children that deserves the assistance of this project

• Analyze and classify the basic information gathered from the street children and select the right strategies

• Identify and contact the family members of the street children whose parents are believed to have the capacity of assisting their children

• Organize counseling sessions of the street children who are likely to join their family back.

• Facilitate bilateral meetings of the street child and the respective family for reconciliation and reunion.

• Organize consecutive counseling services for the children and the respective parents.

•  Identify the capacity development need of those parents of the street children who are with in the low income bracket group

• Provide temporary material supports to help the identified parents support their children until they start to get involved in feasible income generating activities.

• Explore feasible economic engagement opportunities for the identified parents of the street children

• Encourage the parents form a saving and credit cooperative

• Provide capacity building supports to run the cooperatives

• Provide grant to the cooperative so that to help the members get credit services.

• Identify institutions that are established to support orphans and request them to take care of those children who are proven to be orphans

• Identify families in and outside the country who are willing to adopt and provide all the necessary support to the children.

• Monitor and evaluate the pilot activity.   

5.4. Social Education for the Youth

5.4.1 Strategies

• Film production and show

• Performing theaters on carefully selected themes

• Organizing panel discussions

• Providing counseling services

5.4.2 Activities

• Identify appropriate sites where the training centers and multipurpose hall are to be established

•  Work out the construction design for the training center and the multipurpose hall.

• Solicit supports from the Bureau of Social and Civil affairs of Addis Ababa Administration to secure the identified sites for the center

• Apply to the Leas Office of Addis Ababa region to buy the identified site

• Construct the training venues and the multi purpose hall using low cost construction materials.

• conduct a survey through contacting youth related organizations and sampled representatives of the youth to identify the thematic areas
• analyze the thematic areas and identify those that can be addressed best through film production, theaters and panel discussions
• identify and purchase all the facilities and equipment required for film production
• identify script writers
• develop a terms of reference for film production and make it ready for announcement through inviting professionals to come up with frameworks of their ideas and curriculum vitae
• establish a committee that would involve in the selection of the scripts and oversee the film production process
• identify professional and amateur actors who would be taking part in the film making
• Sign contract agreement with the person/organization that will be sub-contracting the film production work
• follow-up the process of film production
• inaugurate the film officially
• develop a system how the film show will be taking place in and outside Addis
• conduct the film show
• conduct an assessment and evaluation work on the process of production and its impacts
• develop a terms of reference and make a call for theatre writing
• form a committee to review the applications and CVs as well as oversee the whole production process
• sign a contract agreement with the script writers and theatre makers
• identify the actors together with the contracting firms/companies
• follow up the production process
• inaugurate the theatre
• develop a system how to show the theatre in Addis and outside Addis
• assess and evaluate the process as well as impacts of the theatre in changing the behaviors and attitudes of the youth
• develop a terms of reference on the thematic issues that need to be addressed through panel discussion
• identify panelists and agreed with them on the terms and conditions of the panel discussion
• identify a facilitator for the panel discussion
• identify reviewers of the panelists paper from the public   
• conduct a panel discussion
• produce a publication on the outcomes of the panel discussion
• identify volunteer counselors who have the experiences and expertise on issues like HIV/AIDS/  Entrepreneurship, psychological problems, etc
• develop a program for counseling  
• announce the service as well as the counseling schedule in the relevant social organizations
• conduct the counseling services
• evaluate the process and impacts of the counseling service

6.   Key Assumptions

• MECLIT 2020 would get an ideal site to establish its office and the various training units as well as multipurpose hall

• Donors who have showed interest to support the project would fulfill their commitment

• The cost of production of the films and theatres would be recovered through making a fair minimal entrance fees

• The multipurpose hall could be made available to other organization who would like to use it by making minimal payments to meet sanitary costs and human power expenses that are involved in the security and management of the hall and its facilities 

• Professional and amateur actors that will be recruited to get involved in film production and theatre making will be committed to perform their tasks in accordance to the action plan schedule developed by the project

• About 50% of the target groups for some of the project components that would involve CSW, street children and the youth who would involve in skill training activities would be identified from elsewhere in Addis while efforts will be made to get 50% of the target groups from the selected kebeles by MECLIT 2020.

• Showing the films and theaters will not be restricted to the selected kebeles even to Addis Ababa city but that will be performed in some other cities where the project management team thinks the youth deserves the services

• Since the services provided by MECLIT 2020 are not for profit the remuneration or honorarium that MECLIT is supposed to pay would be not to the market standard.  Therefore, professionals that are supposed to get involved in various activities of the project would understand this assumption

• There will be quite good number of volunteers who will be involved in some committee works and counseling services

• MECLIT would make strong linkages with some public, private and social organizations.  Like, the youth associations, NGOs, churches etc to realize its objectives in terms of meeting the needs of its target group as well as identifying the right target groups.

• MECLIT 2020 would make all precautions to keep a gender balance while providing all its services.

7. Stakeholder Analysis

The major stakeholders of the project include

1        MEKLIT 20 20

2        Kebele administration

3        Sub city administration

4        Bureau of social and civil matters of Addis Ababa region

5        NGOs

6        Churches

8        Private organization

9        Professional and amateur artist.

These institutions will be involved in the project at varying degree and times. Basically MECLIT 2020 is the project holder and remains responsible for all activities but MECLIT will be working very closely with government, non-governmental and private organizations listed above. However there will be a modality and specific terms and conditions concerning the involvement of stakeholders in MECLIT project activities. The roles and functions, which MECLIT presumes for some of the important actor is also specified in the analysis matrix given below. 

Stakeholder Analysis Matrix

8. Project Duration

This project is planned to include sets of pilot activities for two years. It is piloted because the innovative ideas in most of  the planned activities have to be closely observed and studied before scaling it up. MECLIT 2020 has a plan to prepare a multi year project of the most successful activities of the pilot period.

9. Phase-out and Sustainability strategy

The project shall phase out from each project component through making the target groups own the project activities or get stand by their own with minimal external support. The phasing out plan described below is not meant just to quite the project activities after certain period but also through ensuring sustainability of the imitated activities by MECLIT 2020. MECLIT has a vision to eradicate poverty by 2020 in its operation area through addressing the youth and socially marginalized groups. Therefore the organization will be staying in the selected sub city through changing project activities that could address best the needs of its target groups. The types of projects to be considered later could be determined by outcomes of the evaluation reports as well us newly emerging needs of the youth.

9.1 SRLR-CSW

The Social repositioning and Livelihood Recovery of Commercial sex workers project component shall come to ended up upon making all participants of the project, self reliant or get linked with reliable supporters that would be helping them until the rehabilitated commercial sex workers stands by their own. Most of them will be presumably employed by different agencies and some of them would get a sponsorship support that will help them get trained in specific area or start a business of their own.  

9.2 STFT

This project will be finalized by forming a saving and credit group which will be established by the trainees who are supposed to get involved in the maintenance of electronics as well as use of Audio Visual equipment. The idea is the target groups who have accomplished the training activity successfully and have financial limitations to start their own business shall get a credit service from this association. The bureau of cooperatives of the Addis Ababa Administration will officially register the association. MECLIT will make sure that all members of the association have started a group or individual business of their own. The trainees will be encouraged to find out a business center not only in Addis but also in the small towns and cities around Addis.

9.3. FoSC

Basically the project shall deal with small number of Street children who will be willing to benefit from the project in a sustainable manner. There will no be any free hand out for the children with the exception of those whose parents have no capacity to support them. These group will be assisted through getting some supports to cover their educational, medical, closing as well as food expenses until their parents start to generate income. Ones the project has proved that parents of the selected street children are organized in to a saving and cooperatives group and start micro enterprises, then the support the children are supposed to get from the project shall be discontinued.   For the rest of the children the project shall make considerable efforts to find a host family, and fostering organizations. Some of them will be certainly join their family back after a series of consultation and counseling.   

9.4. SEY

These project components include activities like film making, theater and panel discussion. All activities are temporary and the project shall continue doing similar business if the pilot activities are doing well.

10. Organization and management

The highest body of MECLIT 2020 is the general assembly, which will be represented by the Board of management that constitutes six members. The board of management will have an executive function so that to help the project team during the pilot period. The project will have a Director who will be coordinating all components of the project as well as involve in monitoring and evaluation. Finance and administration officer, secretary casher, a driver, three qualified social workers and one art promotion officer will assist the Director. Moreover there will be two guards and one janitor in the office and these personals will be joining the group after MECLIT has managed to establish its own office.  The Director, the Finance and Administration officer and the art promotion officer shall make the project management team. However the Board of Management would involve in the management of the project as may deem necessary. There will be contract employees to conduct some activities like the skill training, Film production and Theater making. This will be hired after all the necessary conditions are met for the project.

There will be also committees that will be formed to help accomplish some   of the art promotion activities of the project. All the committee members and members of the Board of Management will be volunteers and the only paid personals will be the project staff.

Annex: 1 . Physical plan format for Year 1

6.1.2 Social Repositioning and Livelihood Recovery of Commercial Sex Workers

6.2.2 Skill Training of the Youth for Transformation

6.3.1 Social Education for the Youth

4. Fostering Street Children

Annex 2 Project Financial plan

1. SRLR- CSW

Cost estimation for 10 Street Women's

Cost summary of SRCSW

NB

The project has targeted to address 20 CSW during the pilot period and the total cost estimated for is 215760.