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Note: This document is from the archive of the Africa Policy E-Journal, published
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Africa: AIDS and African NGOs
Africa: AIDS and African NGOs
Date distributed (ymd): 001110
Document reposted by APIC
+++++++++++++++++++++Document Profile+++++++++++++++++++++
Region: Continent-Wide
Issue Areas: +economy/development+ +gender/women+
Summary Contents:
This posting contains three notes with background and contact
information on African NGO action on AIDS and related issues, in
Nigeria, Ethiopia and Uganda. The first two are from recent
postings on the African Development Forum 2000 discussion, being
moderated by Karin Santi of APIC. The ADF 2000 discussion is in its
last month, preceding the African Development Forum meeting in
Addis Ababa on December 3-7. For an archive of the discussion, or
to sign up and post your own views in the remaining weeks, visit
http://www.bellanet.org/adf/2000
The third note, on Uganda, comes from the on-line newsletter the
Drum Beat. Additional related links not mentioned in that note
can be found at the web site of the Women of Uganda Network
(WOUGNET http://www.kabissa.org/wougnet).
+++++++++++++++++end profile++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
From: "Omololu Falobi" <omololuf@micro.com.ng>
Subject: [adf2000-l] RE: ICTs and HIV/AIDS - Experience from
Nigeria
Date sent: Fri, 27 Oct 2000
I'll like to share our experience in Nigeria, regarding use of the
internet in combating AIDS in resource-poor environment. I run an
internet-based discussion forum and news group on HIV/AIDS in
Nigeria called 'Nigeria-AIDS' (Web site:
http://www.egroups.com/group/nigeria-aids).
From an initial list of eight
people in 1998 (when it was only a monthly bulletin on email) the
e-forum currently has about 470 members who write in to exchange
ideas and circulate urgent information on their work or the AIDS
situation in Nigeria. Subscribers often forward messages on the
forum to their own internal networks and listservs, leading to an
estimated daily readership/hits of up to 1000.
Subscribers and visitors to the Nigeria-AIDS forum include
individuals from a wide range of backgrounds, including: HIV/ AIDS
NGOs and CBOs, donor agencies, people living with HIV/AIDS, the
scientific community, media organisations, international
organisations and UN agencies, the public service, educational
establishments and human rights organisations, national and
international NGO networks as well as health documentation and
resource centres. Of the present number of subscribers to the
forum, about half are based in Nigeria.
On the 'Nigeria-AIDS' forum, members discuss current issues and
information about HIV/AIDS in Nigeria. They also receive the
monthly Nigeria AIDS Bulletin, news and views on HIV/AIDS from
Nigerians across the world, information about grants, resources,
international job vacancies, upcoming conferences as well as
research reports and other news relevant to Nigeria. Members can
also post information about themselves or their organisations, or
make inquiries on any health issue.
No one pays to access information on the 'Nigeria-AIDS' forum.
Membership is free and open to anyone interested in HIV/AIDS or
other health issues in Nigeria. Anyone can join by sending a blank
email message to <nigeria-aids-subscribe@egroups.com> or leave at
will by sending an 'unsubscribe' message. Messages on the forum are
also archived on the web site:
<
http://www.egroups.com/messages/nigeria-aids>
The 'Nigeria-AIDS' forum is a project which I helped start in
January 2000 in response to an identified need to get discussions
about the HIV/AIDS situation in Nigeria out in the open and ensure
stakeholders' participation in the HIV/AIDS policy formulation and
implementation process in the country.
In more ways than one, the Nigeria-AIDS e-forum has helped guide
the policy response and stakeholders' input into the HIV/AIDS
policy formulation and implementation process. It has also helped
forge greater networking among AIDS workers and exposed them to
skills-building opportunities and best practices.
One of the weaknesses of the 'Nigeria-AIDS' forum is that it is
intrinsically restrictive. It is not easily accessible to millions
of Nigerians who cannot afford to pay for an e-mail account or
internet time at cybercafes. But we know that the real need for
HIV/AIDS is among the poorest of the poor, in slum settlements in
our urban areas, in rural towns and villages where there are no
cybercafes. We are currently exploring strategies to overcome this
weakness.
The experience of the 'Nigeria-AIDS' forum has led to the creation
of two other e-mail networks on other aspects about HIV/AIDS:
'Durban2000Community' , a news forum on the 13th International AIDS
Conference which held in Durban, South Africa in July 2000 and
'Treatment-Access-Ng'
(
http://www.egroups.com/group/treatment-access-ng),
an electronic list which discusses issues of access to HIV/AIDS
treatment and care in the African context.
My experience with these e-forums has led me to realise the huge
impact achievable with email networking. Even in resource-poor
settings like Nigeria where internet costs are still very high,
email is still a much more cheaper, immediate and effective medium
for networking than say, the monthly newsletter or monthly
meetings. It is an activity that a small organisation or a single
individual with a PC and a vision can float and reach out to
audiences near and wide.
Perhaps other ADF list members can share their experiences in this
area.
Omololu Falobi Lagos, Nigeria Email: omololuf@micro.com.ng
Date sent: Tue, 07 Nov 2000
From: "Inter Africa Group" <iag@telecom.net.et>
Subject: [adf2000-l] on-line and off in Ethiopia
Dear Colleagues:
We have been following this discussion with great interest and are
pleased with how lively and dynamic it is. It is time we weighed in
from the Horn of Africa. The purpose of this message is to describe
what is being done from Ethiopia, and to request comments and
suggestions for innovation from the list. We've also gathered a
fair amount of ideas and inspiration from posts from other regions
from this list.
One activity of an InterAfrica Group initiative called MESOB
(http://www.mesob.org) is in networking among efforts against
HIV/AIDS in Ethiopia. The project makes use of the Internet,
informal consultation, meetings and print newsletters to network
Who's Who, Who's Doing What and What Can Be Done.
We are trying to use ICT as a networking "tool among tools", along
with more conventional forms of networking and communicating.
Of 300+ NGOs in Ethiopia, nearly half have some kind of Internet
access. Also, there is an active, interested and well-informed
Ethiopian Diaspora worldwide. The idea for networking has been to
move the information in all directions according to both supply and
demand.
The demand ranges from requests (from Ethiopian organizations)
about resources for programs to models of programs elsewhere to
vaccine research to (from abroad) information about who is active,
what are they doing and how can people be linked.
One of the first things the project did was organize a meeting with
some 25 organizations and individuals in Addis Ababa to improve
awareness about ADF2000, the World Bank program in Ethiopia (one of
two in Africa, the other is in Kenya), the National AIDS Council
(organized under the direction of the President) and about the work
each organization is doing. At this meeting we also asked what the
information needs were, that MESOB could help meet, as we are,
essentially part of an information and communication organization.
The meeting included a wide range of organizations engaged in
prevention and awareness, care and treatment and
anti-discrimination.
We've begun trying to link the information sources with This has
included thus far:
--sharing information with local Ethiopian organizations who are
active, including national associations of HIV+ persons, NGOs,
faith-based groups and international actors working in the country.
--using the Resource Center, our Research Assistants and a pretty
healthy amount of web-research to find information organizations
ask for and to get it to them.
--maintaining a kind of "Action Inventory" of the 100 or so
organizations
--keeping this information up-to-date on-line at
http://www.mesob.org/hivaids.html
--including information in a twice-monthly E-mail bulletin (MESOB
Mail) on available resources, interested actors and sources of
every kind of information desired.
--monitoring, participating in and promoting this discussion, as
well as the PAHA discussion, which is focused on HIV/AIDS in
Ethiopia (http://paha.listbot.com and a document library at
http://abiy.net/PAHA/).
A little more about us, for the sake of context: InterAfrica Group
(IAG) works in the Horn and is based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Of
the three networks IAG's NGO Networking Service program is most
involved with, the MESOB network in (and beyond) Ethiopia is the
most active, even though it is also the least institutionalized. It
has proven, for us anyway, that networking is indeed a verb. (A
"mesob", by the way, is a woven table with a common plate around
which meals were (and are) shared in many parts of Ethiopia. There
is room for all around the mesob, many contribute and many
partake.)
We apologize for the length of this post. Again, this has been a
fruitful electronic discussion for us to be part of and we
appreciate all the posts that have come through.
Regards, The MESOB Team at InterAfrica Group's NGO Networking
Service (Kongit, Martha, Renee and Jalal)
The Drum Beat - 69 - UGANDA - Partnerships & Linkages
Nov. 6, 2000
from THE COMMUNICATION INITIATIVE partnership - The Rockefeller
Foundation, UNICEF, USAID, The CHANGE Project, WHO, BBC World
Service, CIDA, Johns Hopkins University Center for Communication
Programs, Exchange, The European Union, Soul City, The Panos
Institute, UNAIDS.
Director: Warren Feek wfeek@coastnet.com
Web Site: http://www.comminit.com
This issue examines the use of communication in partnerships and
linkages between social development organizations in Uganda. Focus
is on the areas of HIV/AIDS, Women, and Children. Drawn from a
paper commissioned from consultant, Rosamond Bakari.
http://www.comminit.com/uganda-comm.html
CONTEXT
1. Uganda has 16.6 million people with a 2.5% annual population
growth rate. 90% work in rural areas. Urban growth rate is higher
than population growth rate. 46% live in poverty. This has
attracted over 2,000 national and international social development
organizations, 50% the HIV/AIDS sector. The current national
prevalence rate of HIV/AIDS is about 12%. Many development
organizations acknowledge that communication is an important part
of their work. Most have yet to formalize and coordinate
partnerships and linkages in an ongoing strategy. The HIV/AIDS
sector is the strongest in communications; government policy has
ensured that communication at all levels is an integral component.
2. Development of a Social Movement - The severity and scale of the
social issues, including HIV/AIDS, demand a social movement
approach to communication in Uganda. One core element of every
social movement is the development of linkages between
organisations and communities with similar interests. Developing
those linkages is at the heart of strategy for many organisations.
The public engagement, debate, dialogue and action that result is
regarded by many as a major contributing factor to succesful action
on HIV/AIDS and other issues. HIV rates have been significantly
reduced in urban areas and have stabilized in rural areas. The
percentage of pregnant women infected with HIV has declined from
30% to 10%. In the sector of Children, costs have been minimised,
duplication avoided and local participation has been increased.
Women's organisations have found success building coalitions around
specific issues and events. However, there are obstacles, including
competition for funding, which can lead to a reluctance to share
information.
HIV/AIDS
3. AIDS Control Programme (ACP) - established within the Ministry
of Health to pursue partners at international, national and
community levels. ACP had 5 main approaches including: an
Information, Education and Communication campaign; STD control and
prevention; blood monitoring; spiritual, physical and medical care
and support; and infection control through trend analysis.
Strategies included leaflets, radio and newspaper advertisements in
English and local languages, TV programmes, public meetings, and
personal contact. A collaborative approach was used with partners
to develop a common strategy. Contact Dr. Joshua Musinguzi tel: 256
41 340874 ext 248. http://www.comminit.com/power_point/uganda/ (link
no longer available).
4. The AIDS Support Organisation (TASO) - set up by a small number
of people who were either infected or affected by HIV/AIDS. TASO
works in 7 districts providing basic counseling and nursing skills
to family members of people infected by HIV/AIDS, setting up
counseling centers, establishing day centers that provide
income-generating activities, and sponsoring HIV/AIDS orphans. TASO
has links with regional and international organizations for
exchange of information and data. Contact Sophia Mukasa Monico
tasodata@imul.com.
5. AIDS Information Center (AIC) - a voluntary anonymous HIV
testing body providing counseling services for 50,000 people a
year. AIC strategies include leaflets, radio and newspaper
advertisements. Currently AIC has centers in 22 districts working
with grassroots groups. A post-test club, giving social and medical
support in the form of linkages between individuals and
organisations, as well as ongoing counseling and training for peer
educators, condom promoters and reproductive health volunteers, is
aimed at everyone who has been tested, regardless of the result.
Contact Josephine Kalule tel: 256 41 347603.
6. National Community of Women Living With HIV/AIDS (NACWOLA) - is
a support and advocacy group. Women are provided with health
information and advice, training in income-generating activities
for independence, and a quarterly newsletter. NACWOLA acknowledges
that they became "established" through their early linkages with
other NGOs. They have formed a partnership with TASO for "The
Memory Project," which aims to help women and their children
discuss AIDS and death openly, make plans for the children's
future, and save family histories and childhood memories by writing
them down. Contact Beatrice Were
nacwola@infocom.ug
7. Uganda AIDS Commission - the national coordinating body for all
HIV/AIDS activities. Provides leadership, ensures fulfillment of
the National Plan, and holds regular meetings to find out who is
doing what, avoid duplication, and encourage collaboration.
Produced a National Strategic Framework that covers a 5-year
period. Devised a general strategy with adaptations to meet the
needs of target groups through planning meetings with
international, national, religious, community, public and private
organizations and sectors. Contact Rosemary Mwesigwa
tel: 256 41 273538/273231.
Globally, 80 million unwanted pregnancies, 500,000 maternal
deaths and 330 million new STIs annually - link to the full story
in the Base-Line section of The Communication Initiative home page
- now updated with fresh material every Tuesday and Thursday
http://www.comminit.com **
WOMEN
8. Uganda Women's Network (UWONET) - leader of the women's
coalition on the Domestic Relations Bill (DRB), which consolidates
all family related laws into 1 statute. A strategy for raising
awareness about the DRB was formulated through collaboration among
the Network's members. This included press conferences and
statements, feature articles, letters of support sent to government
officials, leaflets and pamphlets, workshops and public meetings.
Contact Sheila Kawamara uwonet@starcom.co.ug
9. Ministry of Gender, Labor & Social Development - implements the
National Gender Policy. Actively seeks partners for training,
technical services, advice and special events. Relies on a
quarterly newsletter as main communication with organizations,
individuals and the media. Provides "low key" support to the
campaign for the DRB. Contact Julianna Kuruhiira tel: 256 41
251401/347854/5
10. Akina Mama Wa Afrika - a London-based pan-african NGO providing
leadership training for women. Gained international support for DRB
through an international conference. Strategy includes newspaper
ads for events and publications aimed at individuals and groups.
Partnerships are informal, relying on collaboration through
coalitions. Contact Sandra Okoed
gracia@imul.com
11. FIDA Uganda - The Association of Female Lawyers - a voluntary
NGO actively pursuing linkages with individuals and groups,
especially in rural areas, to change the inferior status of women.
Believes the fight to eradicate poverty and give women equal rights
are the same. FIDA advocates for individual women, educates and
listens to community groups, lobbies for legislative reform, runs
legal clinics in 4 districts, provides legal advice, runs a
legal/credit service and a mobile legal aid clinic. They hold legal
education seminars in collaboration with community groups and
leaders. Contact Keith Kibirango
fida-ug@starcom.co.ug
CHILDREN
12. National Council for Children - coordinates, monitors and
collaborates with groups and agencies working with children. Set up
the Early Childhood Development Technical Forum that involves
government and NGOs in a monthly meeting to review policy and make
recommendations. The Council has its own strategy of press releases
on government policies, but its main role is advocacy for children
and partnerships with programmes. Contact Hilda Nankunda
ncc@infocom.co.ug
13. Redd Barna - Norwegian Save the Children - an emergency relief
organization that began by working with children affected by
HIV/AIDS, and now works with those who have been sexually or
economically exploited, affected by conflict and living on the
street. It assists children in accessing the welfare system and
provides out-of-school children with income-generating activities
and counseling. Its policy is to always work in partnership with
other organizations. Has established agreements with national
groups and NGOs based on information sharing, funding and training.
Contact Benon Webara tel: 25641341714/341693.
14. Straight Talk Foundation - targets adolescents with a message
of communication for better health. Produces 2 monthly newspapers
- "Straight Talk" for ages 15 to 24, and "Young Talk" for ages 10
to 14 that include information about reproductive and sexual
health, and broadcasts a weekly radio show by and for youth.
Distributes publications to NGOs and community groups to forge
links. Has formal linkages with universities, the Ministry of
Health, 3 other NGOs, and secondary schools. Contact Catherine
Watson
strtalk@swiftuganda.com.
Please send items for The Drum Beat to the Editor - Deborah
Heimann dheimann@comminit.com
This material is being reposted for wider distribution by the
Africa Policy Information Center (APIC). APIC provides
accessible information and analysis in order to promote U.S.
and international policies toward Africa that advance economic,
political and social justice and the full spectrum of human rights.
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