Friends of AIDS Support Trust (FAST) is a community-based organization, registered with the Government of Malawi, that has been serving the Traditional Authorities (TA) of Ndamera and Ngabu in Nsanje District to develop community competence in responding to the AIDS epidemic and other developmental issues since 1996.
Friends of AIDS Support Trust is registered with the NGO Board in Malawi (Reg. No. NGO/L/13/076), Council for Non-Governmental Organizations in Malawi (CONGOMA). Over the past 20 years, FAST has managed to scale up its activities.
The FAST Board of Trustees oversees issues of governance and monitors finances and progress of the organization. An external auditor is engaged on each and every year to audit FAST accounts. We are guided by a three year (2022-2024) strategic plan which was developed with the involvement of the beneficiaries and volunteers.
Friends AIDS Support Trust (FAST) has extensive experience working with vulnerable women, girls and as well as orphans and other vulnerable children.
FAST has in the past ten years conducted awareness campaigns and trainings for community volunteers, including couples that have tested for HIV to act as role models, sexual cleansers and men as protectors clubs against gender-based violence, over 700 men were mobilized and divided into 30 groups to oversee issues of gender-based violence and to champion the prevention of new HIV infections. The ability to utilize their in-depth understanding of cultural context to mobilize communities and increase ownership and competency to manage the HIV/AIDS epidemic and other emerging issues at the community level is one of FAST’s strongest capabilities.
In addition to this, FAST has well-established relationships with village leaders, as well as strong linkages with government structures, such as the District Executive Committee (DEC) and District AIDS Coordinating Committee (DACC) (on which the Executive Director is a member), which provides ease of implementation for projects and opportunities for collaboration. FAST is also a member of numerous networks in the country, these include Malawi Network of AIDS Service Organization (MANASO), Malawi Health Equity Network (MEHN), Nsanje Civil Society Network.
