TAI's main strength lies in creating an open environment that allows individuals to reflect on their inner selves - their thoughts, believes and feelings and how those translate into actions - and then support them in any changes they wish to make, either within themselves or within their communities. We do this within the context of HIV prevention and AIDS mitigation, with special focus on gender and the impact of various factors on women.
We achieve this by:
- helping individuals and communities identify their priority issues and goals
- providing relevant information, options and capacity building to address those issues and reach those goals
- creating space, using various activities, for honest discussions about and reflections on difficult and sensitive issues
- encouraging and supporting group initiatives and creativity
- co-ordinating and liaising between different groups and stakeholders, facilitating co-operation
We do this because we believe that:
- you cannot force change and you cannot decide for other people what is best for them
- true sustainability is about teaching people to fish, not giving them a packet of I&J
- HIV prevention is not just about using condoms. There are many inter-related factors that create vulnerability or promote wellbeing. These include gender, culture, attitudes, poverty, self-esteem, future goals, access to services, etc.
In certain circumstances, TAI may feel it is necessary to take direct action such as in the case of children or other vulnerable individuals being in danger, abused or other states of crisis. We will do this carefully and within the guidelines of our policies, to avoid creating dependency on TAI.
