H O P E E D U C A T I O N

March 2013 1

ProgramsMarch has been largely focused on improving program operations at all sites. Chairman of the Board Dr. John Hodgson and Program & Operations Specialist Takahiro (Taka) Ohki spent some time evaluating current strategies and equipping the team.

South Africa VisitJohn & Dinah Hodgson traveled to South Africa from March 3-13 to work with staff and visit program sites. Dr. Hodgson participated in Families Matter! site visits and interviews for our new iMatter Training Specialist, at which our CDC Activity Manager was also present. He also led the first H E Foundation board meeting with our two new South African board members: Gerrit Heymans and Pastor Titus Sithole (see Highlights p.2). We are very grateful for their involvement in H E Foundation, and look forward to seeing where their input will lead us. Dinah provided valuable financial and program reporting input as she worked with Sheila Chipangura (M&E) and Khanyisile Masinga (Administrative Assistant).

Takahiro (Taka) Ohki, our Program & Operations Specialist, joined the Hodgsons to help the staff improve operations and office policies. Taka will continue to visit South Africa for periods of several weeks to assist in operations management and in communications with our sub-partner, Youth for Christ. On this visit, he took some time to get to know the staff and streamlined current planning and reporting procedures, including expense reports, cash advances, and monthly planning.

Program ProgressThe programs continue at all sites. The first wave of Project AIM has been completed, and feedback from participants has been overwhelmingly positive. All participants indicated that Project AIM helped them think about their future, motivated them to stay out of trouble, and made them feel like they could succeed. Wave 1 of FMP! was also completed, and Wave 2 is now underway. Participant numbers can be found on page 2.

Limpopo has now completed its training of iMatter Master Trainers as scheduled; 8 new Master Trainers from the Department of Education were certified at the training that took place from March 11-15. Our total number of Master Trainers is now 17, indicating that we will likely exceed our goal of 19 for the year.

Curriculum RevisionsThe iMatter grade-specific lesson plans are nearing completion! Learner and Teacher Support Material (LTSM) Specialists from the Department of Education have assisted us with writing and editing a set of grade-specific lesson plans that will encourage teachers to continue to use iMatter in conjunction with the new national curriculum.

Immediate NeedsPlans continue to conduct the Hygiene Matters training of Master Trainers in May. Our contacts are making efforts to meet with government officials from the Ministries of Health and Education to obtain an indication of interest in the program. Our programmatic team will now be working with the Lyon trainers to prepare for the training. This is an exciting time for us and we are eager to begin work; however, it is also an unstable time, as we do not have complete program funding. While we hope to receive foundational funding for the program, we have an immediate need for approximately $47,500 to cover operations through August.

Research also remains understaffed, and we are on the lookout for an individual who will be able to take on supervision of our various research projects. This individual will oversee research design, implementation and analysis for Hygiene Matters Togo and for iMatter.

“The prevention, through education, of the most devastating systemic threats to children and youth around the world”

Current ProgramsProgram trainings continue, HEF staff visit to SA, iMatter revisions in progress. Page 1

FinancesReports received on time, online donations coming in.Page 2

New OpportunitiesPEPFAR FOA released for $30 million over 5 yearsPage 2

Immediate needsProgram funding & research consultant needed for Hygiene MattersPage 1

HighlightsFirst HE Foundation Board meeting, Richard Buhali hired for iMatter, SAPPPA completed.Page 2

Monthly Newsletter Issue 5 March 2013

H O P E E D U C A T I O N

2 March 2013

PersonnelHEF USPresidentGeorge Hoskins

Director of FinanceKaren Powell

Operations Manager Magali Hoffiz

Program DirectorEmma Moore

Program & Operations SpecialistTakahiro Ohki

Operations AssistantNikki Mahabir

H E FoundationMain OfficePrincipal InvestigatorJulius Kamera

Administrative AssistantKhanysile Masinga

Monitoring & Evaluation Manager Sheila Chipangura

Families Matter! National Program ManagerStanley Nyanyirai

Project AIM National Program ManagerRaymond Chauke

Program StaffiMatterRichard Buhali, Hope Ramaphosa, Thando Tshitshi

Families Matter! ProgramXolile Mbatha, Sizwe Mkwananzi, Zipporah Khumalo, Sibongile NgwenyaThere are also 9 facilitators awaiting training before officially becoming staff members at our FMP site in Nqutu.

This list includes only program staff employed directly by H E Foundation, and does not include Youth for Christ staff members who will be implementing HEF programs.

Bios and photos of managerial staff members can be found on our website at www.hopeeducation.org.

FinanceFinancial reporting has been received on time, and online donations have started coming in.

Financial reports were received on time for the month of March from both HE Foundation and from Youth for Christ. Actuals can be seen below.

Donations have started coming in via our online giving platform. 20% of March donations were undesignated. We are glad to see that this latest addition to our website is being used.

March Budget vs. Actuals

Grant Year 5 Program Goals vs. Actuals

Highlights & OpportunitiesHE Foundation’s first board meeting, Richard Buhali hired as iMatter Training Specialist, SAPPPA completed, and FOA for AIM and FMP! released.

Highlights

H E Foundation held their first board meeting, led by Dr. John Hodgson. We welcome our new board members: Gerrit Heymans, COO at City Changers Foundation in connection with Doxa Deo, and Pastor Titus Sithole, founder of Charity and Faith Mission Church and Bophelong Community Center.

Richard Buhali has joined our staff as the iMatter Training Specialist for North West, Free State, and Gauteng. He hasn’t lost any time getting started, and already he has contributed a great deal to the team and the program with his energy and determination.

HEF was selected to undergo the South African PEPFAR Partner Performance Assessment (SAPPPA) this year. H E Foundation, as the implementing partner, was assessed and the report is in preparation .

Opportunities

We have been eagerly awaiting the release of a funding opportunity for Families Matter! and Project AIM continuation in South Africa. The Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) was released on March 5. The application package is due April 15 and is for AIM and FMP! continuation over the next 5 years. The amount available is $30 million, or $6 million per year. Dr. Hodgson has organized the team to effectively address this opportunity and managerial staff have been working with our grant writer to complete the lengthy proposal. This is a major opportunity for Hope Education to increase its impact in South Africa and provide HIV prevention education to 330,000 program participants.