The Nitty Gritty

My new official job title is Organizational Development Advisor for Gatanga Kiiga Home-Based Care. So now you probably have two questions: what is Gatanga Kiiga Home-Based Care and what exactly does an organizational development advisor do? I don't have a ton of information on either just yet but I'll do my best to give you as good of an idea as I have about what I'll be doing. I also put a bit at the end on what my living situation might be like.

The Organization
Gatanga Kiiga Home-Based Care is a community based organization under the Ministry of Youth Affairs located near Kariara Location chief's camp in Gatura, Gatanga (between Nairobi and Mt. Kenya). The organization has 18 members and utilitizes a number of local volunteers.

GKHBC Main Objectives

• To train home-based care givers of People Living with HIV/AIDS and Orphans and Vulnerable Children.
• Care for the People Living with HIV/AIDS.
• Establish sustainable community projects.
  

Kenya has been showing a decline in HIV infection rates recently but still has a population of over 2.5 million people living with HIV or AIDS. 220,000 of these are children under 15 and there is a growing orphan population to care for. The Kenyan HIV infection ratio is 1.9 women for every man.

The Job
The purpose of my temporary position is to build the organizational capacity of the GKHBHC by strengthening its long-term planning, organizational systems, structures and processes for delivering programs. It is a growing organization and is seeking better planning for its activities as well as for its sustainability. It is also seeking to involve more men in the program as the burden of care has always been heaviest among women.

The following are my roles and responsibilities:

• Working with the board to develop clear communication and responsibilities within the organization.
• Undertaking a long-term planning process with Gatanga staff and board members and key local stakeholders.
• Promoting the long-term plan and GKHBC capabilities to new 'customers' as well as new potential funding partners.
• Supporting the organization to produce good quality reports on work carried out and results achieved against the planned activities.
• Strengthening systems for enabling GKHBC to have a sustainable resource mobilization plan in place to support its activities.
• Ensuring financial management and accountability mechanisms are developed and acted on/used.
  

Reading between the lines I would guess this is a fabulous organization that grew too fast and is having trouble with sustainability. I hope that I can be of some help so this service can continue for many years into the future.

The Home
I don't know much about my new living situation at all. I am told that it is "rural" but I will be near the market. I will have electricity and running water but an outdoor toilet. I am supposed to be in a private dwelling. However, I have been told that living arrangements can be very different from the description once you arrive sometimes so I am not expecting much.

I do not know how much access I will have to the Internet and since I'm the first and only volunteer in this particular area I guess I will have to wait to find out when I get there. I'll let you know the best way to contact me but I'm assuming e-mail will be the way to go.