Achievements
• In the first two years' project phase, WRCCS established its activities in four areas and mobilized 800 to 1,000 households to participate in the project. This formed the foundation phase of establishing staffing levels of the organization.
• The second phase from October 2001 to 2004 focused on building the capacity of the target community in participatory planning processes, project implementation and monitoring. The process includes use of Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) approach, followed by setting up of community management committees called Project Monitoring Committees (PMCs) and finally development of Community Action Plans (CAPS).
• The process takes an average of six months in one site and allows staff to move to the next site while providing back up support to the old site. The sites' PMCs facilitate implementation of the CAPs in conjunction with WRCCS and other stakeholders.
• ACK-WRCCS has impacted on communities and grown as an organization in the area of community development, awareness creation and mobilization, food security, community income and mobilization of savings, HIV/AIDS prevention and mitigation, community health/primary health care (CBHC/PHC), advocating for the rights of the poor and organizational development.
• The organization is working in 356 villages, with 508 Community Based Initiators (VBDIs), reaching 5,192 households and 31,152 people.
• A total of 470 Village Based Development Initiators and Community Members were trained on PRA techniques and facilitated 47 Community Action Plans (CAPs) that formed the basis of each area activities.
• Food security activities reduced hunger months from 8 – 6. Through field schools, exposure visits, use of participatory methodologies and linkage to relevant line ministries, the target households acquired basic agricultural skills that improved production per unit area and increased diversification of food crops at household level.
• The project has established linkages with the Agricultural Research Centres in the Region where farmers can access new technology skills and participate in farm trials.
• Promotion of income generating activities and community savings schemes is taking place in 54 groups and reaching 810 low-income households. 70% of these beneficiaries are now able to mobilized income that enable them to buy clothes, improve shelter, buy school uniform for their children and have more than one meal per day.
• ACK-WRCCS is yet to reach a level of creating sustainable credit revolving fund to the community. To achieve this, the project will need to draw strategies and mobilized resources to build the fund.
• The organization has played a strategic role in health, HIV/AIDS prevention and mitigation. ACK-WRCCS ran a full integrated programme encompassing aspects of PHC, CBHC, MCH, AIDS/STDs; Community Based Rehabilitation, water and sanitation, community health education and home based care and support.
• The project trained 420 VBDs and 130 Community Health Workers in Community health education. The trained health resource person in turn trained the target population in the 47 project sites. Over 50% of the target population have established dish racks, pit latrines and are practicing general home hygiene. The levels of diarrhea, especially for the under fives has drastically reduced, an aspect that is drastically reducing the infant and child mortality rates. The project protected 121 springs and build capacity of 121 committees to manage water activities in the areas.
• Mobile clinics were enhanced in all the four areas. However, the number of fully immunized children remains at 60%, which is still low, compared to the national average of 80%.
• CBR activities resulted into increased awareness on the plight of the disabled at village and at institutional levels resulted into the creation of two special units into two schools, with 25 pupils and APDK opened two clinics at Namboboto and Sio-Port to provide services to the disabled. The disabled and their parents are linked to the Ministry of Health Busia. Surgical cases are referred to the Ministry of Health for surgical correction. In the area of HIV/AIDS, ACK-WRCCS initiated education on behaviour formation, behaviour change and positive life skills through Window of Hope Programmes in primary schools. The project is currently targeting 14 primary schools.
• Care and support services for orphans, widows and people living with AIDS have been established. There are centres supporting orphans and PLWAs in counseling and income generative activities. These are Machakus – Lake Area , Sirende – Mountain Area and Mukhombe – Eastern Area. The centres are supporting orphans and their guardians in food security activities. Twenty counselors have been trained to provide counseling services to the infected and affected in those centers. The HIV/AIDS prevalence remains a challenge in development in the Region.
• In the area of advocacy, the organization conducted civic education activities in the four areas and trained 1,000 people in human rights, voter education, gender equity and social conflict. Thirty farmers trained on farmers' rights and how to build a strong voice to articulate issues affected them and influence policy at national level. However, the organization's upstream policy influencing strategies are still under development.
• Local institutions are emerging as a result of community participatory processes and community own initiatives. There are 12 Community Based Organizations, which are running integrated activities though with insufficient capacity to manage activities effectively.
Impact
• Hunger months reduced from 8 to 4 months.
• Improved levels of income at household level.
• Reduced walking distance to clean water.
• Reduced deaths due to water-born diseases.
• Increased awareness about HIV/AIDS.
• It is now common to see women working side by side with their husbands.
• Increased awareness about women's rights.
• A pool of community resource persons trained.
• Increase awareness regarding the rights of people living with disabilities.
Challenges
• Reducing partners support.
• Large number of HIV/AIDS patients and large numbers of orphans. The Church has no capacity to respond to these in terms of resources.
• Retrogressive cultural beliefs that promote HIV/AIDS such as traditional circumcision.
• High demand of Western Region Christian Community Services in the communities.
• Improving participating process which enhances community ownership and develop into exit strategy.
• Lack of reliable means of transport for programme staff coupled with difficult terrain.
• Low productive and wealth creation due to HIV/AIDS of malaria among the productive age groups.
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