The International Institute of Rural Reconstruction (IIRR) has worked with Cordaid and its implementing partners in Ethiopia since 2005 to implement community managed disaster risk reduction approach (CMDRR). 

During hazard assessment, which is the first step in disaster risk assessment, in all communities HIV has emerged as a major hazard. That is why Cordaid, IIRR and Constellation collaborate to integrate the AIDS competence approach in ongoing CMDRR project. This is a one and half year project: from August 2009 – February 2011. The NGO SOS Sahel and JeCCDO implement the approach in Borana and Dire Dawa.

In November 2009, fifteen people came together for a five days Learning event in Dire Dawa, Ethiopia.

In April 2010, Constellation coaches and members of IIRR conducted the first support visit to the team in Ethiopia. SOS Sahel works with pastoral communities. The team at SOS set up a facilitation team within its own organization. They began preliminary conversations with elders in a community where it operates. During the second week, the team visited the two facilitation teams in Dire Dawa, hosted by JeCCDO. In November, the Constellation team organized a second support visit to JeCCDO in Dire Dawa. They visited the village of Coca where facilitators saw the potential of the SALT approach at work.

In Coca village, for instance, people identified HIV as a hazard, second to the floods. The team facilitated a mapping exercise to reflect on the current situation and areas of concern and strengths. The team helped the community to build its dream and assessment its situation to build on these concerns and move to hopes and a way forward. Over 100 people have gathered for these community meetings. “We have strengths to respond to our concerns about orphans and HIV. We just need your accompaniment so that we don't lose hope”.

The IIRR team also focused on its dream and its implementation. They are able to see how the AIDS Competence process can be included in their work. « The AIDS Competence Process is easily integrated and adds value to our CMDRR ».

 “We have been focusing more on visible threats to communities [like floods and droughts], but now we see how we can use CMDRR and ACP to address the concern of HIV which is often invisible for a long time,” shared a participant.

HIV has been emerging as a major concern in both urban and rural areas of Ethiopia. Cultural practices like having multiple partners and the chewing of 'chat', a soft drugs, are some of the factors fueling the epidemic.