JULY 2005 — In this edition of Snapshots from the Field, Family Health International (FHI) examines the role of the Kenya AIDS Project Rapid Response Fund, which is funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) through the IMPACT Project, which is managed by FHI.

The Rapid Response Fund allows small, local organizations to initiate innovative HIV prevention, care or support activities. The fund supports only short-term activities (up to three months), including training events, workshops, stigma-reduction efforts, activities by people living with HIV/AIDS (PLHA) organizations and advocacy for these groups. Grants range from a few hundred dollars to US$5,000.

Since 1999, the fund has distributed US$454,000 to nearly 160 activities throughout Kenya. And with these small grants, community- and faith-based organizations alike have advanced their HIV activities and, in the process, improved their capacity in HIV/AIDS program management and training.

In Kenya's Rapid Response Fund: Turning a Little into a Lot, FHI discovers the successes of the Rapid Response Fund by studying:

• Community education activities at Pentechrist Revival Ministries
• Support group activities at Beacon of Hope
• Peer education at the Pwani Deaf Association and the Ziwani Seventh Day Adventist Church
• Vocational training at the Teenage Mothers and Girls Association of Kenya