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An Evaluation of the MoH/NGO Home Care Programme for People with HIV/AIDS in Cambodiabetween the home care programme and referralhospitals and health centres in theProvinces.7.1.2 Selective team formation andcompositionFindings from this evaluation indicate thatthe selection of the right personnel and achievingthe right mix of skills and experience in theHCTs is critical to successful team working.Combining staff with medical backgroundsand those with experience in AIDS preventionand counselling in the Home Care Teams hasbeen instrumental in providing a comprehensiveservice to PLHA and their families. It has alsofostered cross-learning and improved understandingbetween the MoH and NGO staff.Using a process of competitive selection hasensured that the right staff with the right attitudesare recruited onto the teams.7.1.3 Expansion and integration ofvolunteers into the programmeThis evaluation found that Volunteers areincreasingly fulfilling a number of importantroles in the Home Care Programme:• They are proving to be the major source ofreferral of new patients• They often occupy positions of trust withinthe community and are well placed to facilitategood access to local authorities, pagodas,phum leaders, etc.• They are well placed to develop links othercommunity level initiatives, such as microcreditand food distribution programmes• They are well placed to identify and facilitateplacements of orphans within the community• They often have good relationships withtraditional healers, and are in a good positionto help break down the mutual mistrustwhich sometimes exists between traditionalhealers and orthodox medical practitionersIt is recommended that Volunteer involvementis expanded and strengthened and thatVolunteers begin to assume most of thesocial support responsibilities of home careprovision, in addition to many of the nonpatient-relatedactivities7.1.4 Close linkages with the community,increasing community involvementand ownershipDuring a participatory review of the HomeCare programme the Home Care Teams identifiedthe support from community leaders as themost important factor contributing to the successfulimplementation of their work. This wasreiterated during discussions held with HCTsduring this evaluation.Lesson learned: support from communityleaders is an important factor contributing tothe successful implementation of the workof the HCTsIn addition to helping to ensure support fromlocal authorities, establishing close linkageswith the community is important in accessingexisting community-based welfare initiativesand in mobilising community resources to supportprogramme activities.pg 68