[pronut-hiv] Seeds of Sustenance Fellowship Program: SubSaharan Africa or Southeast Asia

["Stacia Nordin, RD" <nordin@eomw.net>]

For more information, contact GSC SOS Program
Global Service Corps, SOS Program
sos@globalservicecorps.org 
www.globalservicecorps.org
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Seeds of Sustenance Fellowship Program 

Gain Experience in Organization Capacity Building and Community Training Management in Sub-Saharan Africa or Southeast Asia

The Seeds of Sustenance (SOS) Fellowship Program provides an opportunity for international development and public health professionals to gain valuable international experience through their work as fellows assigned to development organizations in sub-Saharan Africa or Southeast Asia. SOS Fellows help to improve the managerial and training capacity of participating NGOs and CBOs in developing nations focused on providing community support and sustainable training programs to vulnerable populations in the following areas: HIV/AIDS prevention and care, nutrition, sustainable agriculture, food security, Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL), and drug and alcohol abuse prevention. 

Professionals with at least a Masters Degree are selected as Visiting Fellows to participate in the SOS Fellowship's four-week, intensive cross-sectoral training.  Visiting Fellows are paired with counterpart Local Fellows representing local Participating Organizations (POs).  Following the SOS Training Program, the fellow pairs spend five to eleven months working together in the field offices of their respective POs as program managers and Trainers of Trainers (ToT) supporting and coaching staff members and community organization facilitators in order to increase their leadership and participatory community training abilities. 

The initial four-week SOS Fellowship Training Program focuses on program development, project management, and ToT theory and practice. Technical aspects of the training program vary depending on the specific needs of the region and POs, and include the following topics: 

Sub-Saharan Africa: HIV/AIDS prevention and care, Nutrition, Sustainable (Bio-Intensive) Agriculture (SA) 

Southeast Asia: HIV/AIDS prevention and care, Nutrition, Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL), and Drug and Alcohol Abuse Prevention.

Participation in the SOS Fellowship Program enhances flexibility, creativity and leadership skills and gives the fellows experience in addressing problems and utilizing resources in developing countries. Fellows also develop collaborative skills by networking with local or international NGOs and CBO to develop professional contacts and future partners. 

"My training and field work in Tanzania and my ability to work with many different populations have helped to facilitate my current work in India. I will cherish my experiences as an SOS Fellow in Tanzania throughout my future career in international development." January 2006 SOS Fellow Divya Selvakumar.  

SOS Program Details Summary

Recruitment and Selection Phase 

· Global Service Corps (GSC) recruits Visiting Fellow candidates from the U.S. and other developed countries with a completed Master's Degree* in Public Health, International Development or a related field, and experience living/working in a developing country.

·  POs select their Visiting Fellow(s) from the pool of highly qualified candidates recruited by GSC.

·  POs select a staff member(s) or local community leader(s) fluent in both English and the local language as their Local Fellow(s).

·  With administrative assistance from GSC, Visiting Fellows arrange for and cover the costs of international transportation, health insurance and in-country visa/resident work permits. (Approximately $2,500 for fellows working in Sub-Saharan Africa, and $1,500 for fellows working in Southeast Asia.)

*Masters and PhD. Degree candidates looking to fulfill degree requirements may apply to the SOS Program as six-month interns. SOS Intern candidates must be prepared to cover training, project, living and travel expenses. 

SOS Fellowship Training Phase

·  The month-long SOS Fellowship Training Program is conducted in-country by GSC in partnership with POs and local experts. SOS Trainings are conducted in Arusha, Tanzania for Sub-Saharan Africa programs and in Singburi, Thailand for Southeast Asia programs.

·  One week of orientation and intensive local language training (Swahili or Thai) for Visiting Fellows.

· Three weeks of technical training for Visiting and Local Fellows in some or all of the following areas:   

o  Training of the Trainer (ToT) theory, methodology and practice.

o  Participatory appraisal methodology.

o  Program planning, project management, budgeting, and resources and partnering development. 

o  Project monitoring and evaluation methodology. 

o   Introduction to HIV/AIDS Prevention and Care - including the basic biology of HIV/AIDS transmission and progression, and the specifics of HIV/AIDS in Africa and Southeast Asia.

o    Nutrition - including-immune boosting diets, ARV support, nutritional care of orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) and women with HIV/AIDS, and safe food handling practices.

o   SA and Food Security (Africa only) -  including hands-on experience with practical methods of appropriate agricultural technology - double-digging, composting, plant spacing, companion planting, crop rotation, garden planning, organic pest control, and irrigation/water conservation.  

o   TEFL (Southeast Asia only) - Teaching English as a Foreign Language to youth

o   Drug and Alcohol Abuse Prevention (Southeast Asia only) - including risk factor discussion and connections to HIV/AIDS transmission. 

o   Community field training exercises.

Participating Organization Field Placement Phase

For five to eleven months following the training, Visiting and Local Fellow pairs work in the field with PO staff and community leaders to strengthen program development, project management and the training capacity of local leaders from communities in developing countries. Past Fellow placements include posts within Africare, Development Alternatives Inc (DAI), Global Service Corps-Tanzania (GSC-TZ) and four country offices of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the UN in Ethiopia, Mozambique, Malawi and Lesotho. 

Monitoring and Reporting 

· Fellows provide monthly reports and records to POs and GSC in order to monitor outputs and costs.

· At the end of the program, fellows provide a final report to their POs and GSC.

Costs Covered by Participating Organizations

·  Room, board and living stipends for Visiting Fellows.

·  Program management, project support and training expenses including transportation and all and training materials

SOS Program History

Since 1993 Global Service Corps (GSC) has provided assistance to organizations in five developing countries throughout Latin America, Southeast Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa in the areas of: natural resource conservation, public health, English as a Foreign Language (EFL), youth education, sustainable agriculture, nutrition and HIV/AIDS prevention education. Since 1994, GSC international volunteers, interns and partners have worked on HIV/AIDS Prevention and Care training and food production campaigns to assist rural communities and people living with HIV/AIDS in Kenya and Tanzania. The GSC Thailand program was founded in 1995 with programs in EFL, international health and Buddhist Immersion. In 2004, the SOS Fellowship Program was launched by GSC to help international development NGOs and CBOs address the growing need for training and development resources in urban and rural communities throughout rural Africa. The first SOS Program in Southeast Asia, jointly supported by GSC and the Population and Community Development Association (PDA), is scheduled to launch in April, 2007 in Thailand. GSC headquarters are located in San Francisco, California, with offices in Arusha, Tanzani and Singburi, Thailand.                                               


For more information, please contact:

Hannah Reid, SOS Program Administrator

Global Service Corps

300 Broadway Suite 28  San Francisco, CA 94133

(415) 788-3666 x.128 sos@globalservicecorps.org 

or visit our website at www.globalservicecorps.org