Mobilizing Communities for HIV Prevention: Community Capacity Building Assistance Initiative

Friday, 14 January 2005 - 8:00 AM

This presentation is part of: HIV Prevention and Treatment

Mobilizing Communities for HIV Prevention: Community Capacity Building Assistance Initiative

Jenny L. Jones, PhD, University of Tennessee College of Social Work (Nashville Branch), Jacqueline Fleming Hampton, PhD, Metropolitian Interdenominational Church Techinal Assistance Network (MICTAN), Sharon L. Crawford, PhD, First Response Center, and Rev. Edwin Sanders, MA, Metropolitian Interdenominational Church Technical Assistance Network (MICTAN).

Purpose: To present a case study describing a community capacity building assistance(CBA)initiative that increased the capacity of community based organizations, community coalitions and faith leaders to develop and implement sustained HIV prevention activities and programs to African-Americans affected by HIV/AIDS.

Methods: This outcome based evaluation utilized a non-experimental, longitudinal design that incorporates qualitaitve components consisting of key informant interviews, focus groups, and specific CBA episodes to include delivery of HIV/AIDS prevention education and activities. The focus groups provided the perceptions, impressions and insights of the experiences of the participants; and, are combined with key informant interviews with faith-leaders and community organizations to highlight the expereinces to build capacity in the African-American community. The study period for the project covered a four year period from May 2000-March 2004. Data were collected in sixteen waves at three month intervals to coincide with the writing of quarterly reports.

Results: Analyses are based on summaries of approximately 300 CBA episodes conducted over the four year period of this project, in addition to the results of four group interviews conducted with community coalitions, faith leaders, and community-based organizations who were present at these meetings.

Implications for Practice: Through the theorectical constructs of the Social Movement Theory, Theory of Empowerment and Community Mobilization Framework, the project yeilded the following impacts: increased awareness with African-American faith leaders to mobilize and respond to the HIV epidemic; increased number of sustained faith-based prevetnion activities; increased number of collaborations between faith communities and community-based orgnizations, AIDS service organizations, and other traditional organizations; utilization of science-based practices in mobilizing faith communities; and, endorsed efficacy of faith-based strategies, interventions, and mechanisms for HIV prevention.

The successes of this project allowed for (1)appropriate culturally relevant AIDS prevention education to be developed and implemented in the African-American community and assist in educating a population that is disproportionately impacted by HIV/AIDS; (2) provide a networking opportunities to develop a sense of community among service providers who may not have had an opportunity to interact with each other otherwise.

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