BRIEF OVERVIEW OF HACI's PARTICIPATION
IN THE INTERNATIONAL AIDS CONFERENCE IN
TORONTO, CANADA
13/8/2006 TO 18/8/2006
Launching the Yellow Ribbon Campaign for OVC
HACI took advantage of the International AIDS conference which
took place in Toronto, Canada, from 13/8/2006 to 18/8/06 to call
for support to Africa’s millions of children impacted by
HIV and AIDS. 3000 Yellow Ribbons were distributed, which is a
testimony to people’s willingness to commit to collective
effort to address the vulnerability of children particularly those
orphaned and others made vulnerable by HIV/AIDS. HACI distributed
more than 7000 Yellow Ribbon flyers and other publications. There
were indications that in some cases this could be misconstrued
to imply “support to the troops”, but these voices
were fewer and many people appreciated the emphasis on OVC. Generally,
the issue of OVC was poorly covered in this conference.
The Yellow Ribbon is a statement that the future of our children
should and would be brighter than their past. It is a recognition
that the time for action is now. To wear the Yellow Ribbon would
be continuing an awareness movement for children to be made safe
from stigma and all forms of discrimination; for policies to ensure
a longer relationship between parents and children through socio-economic
and medical responses; for policies that would protect and promote
the fundamental human rights of children including access to education,
free speech, health and shelter among others; for attitudinal
changes in society in spite of economic hardships to show compassion
to everyone made vulnerable by various factors.
The Yellow ribbon movement has began in Uganda, with HACI Uganda
taking the lead, later being picked up in Ghana, and is now spreading
across Africa, calling upon the continent and the world to take
action to address the factors that make children vulnerable particularly
HIV/AIDS. Given the rate of infection and transmission, if OVC
support actions are not galvanized urgently, the number of children
in Africa directly impacted by HIV/AIDS will overwhelm all current
and future response initiatives.
The HACI Booth
The HACI booth attracted a huge number of visitors with inquiries
from participants, who included donors, representatives of UN
agencies, NGOs, grassroots organizations, researchers and individuals
including people living with HIV/AIDS, on what HACI is doing and
possibilities for collaboration. Four HACI staff took turns to
provide information ranging from service delivery to the Technical
Exchange Network.
The Mini Satellite on Coalitions
HACI in conjunction with the Canadian Coalition on HIV/AIDS
in Africa housed by CARE Canada organized a successful satellite
meeting titled “Coalitions: Innovations in HIV and AIDS
Programming”-. The theme was based on the premise that as
the pandemic continues to pose ever increasing challenges, today’s
development environment is increasingly challenging the traditional
method of HIV and AIDS services and program delivery. There is
therefore, need to find new and innovative ways to increase program
coverage and scale up of existing programming to more effectively
mitigate the impact of HIV/AIDS. One such mechanism is seen through
the use of coalitions or consortiums of NGOs, FBOs, and CSOs.
The underlying message was that through such a consortium, different
service providers can utilize the power of synergy to lower the
cost of doing business, increase the sharing of lessons and reach
a larger population over a shorter time with a broader range of
services. There is a growing interest with donors in coalitions/consortiums
as a viable, alternative model for delivering projects/programs
that will complement existing delivery mechanisms. Both HACI and
the Canadian Coalition are functioning examples of these delivery
mechanisms. It was communicated that Hope for African Children’s
Initiative was created to address Children’s needs regionally
throughout Africa. There is a growing realization that the challenges
that face orphans and other children made vulnerable by HIV/AIDS
transcend national, institutional and family boundaries. This
realization has necessitated a re-thinking of new and innovative
approaches to address OVC issues in a continent ravaged by HIV/AIDS,
war and poverty. It is on this premise that Plan, Network of African
People Living with HIV/IADS, Care, Save the Children, World Conference
of Religions for Peace (WCRP) and Society of Women and AIDS in
Africa (SWAA) come together to form HACI as a pan African partnership
for OVC.
The Canadian Coalition on HIV/AIDS and Youth in Africa is a project
that brings together four of Canada’s largest international
development organizations to help children and youth affected
by HIV and AIDS in Africa. These four organizations are CARE Canada,
Foster Parents Plan, Save the Children Canada, and World Vision
Canada. Collectively, they are addressing some of the most devastating
health and social impacts of the HIV and AIDS pandemic in four
countries in Africa: Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Mozambique.
During the meeting attended by between 40-60 people, HACI talked
about its achievements, lessons learnt from working in a partnership,
challenges and the need to publicize the Yellow Ribbon with a
view to galvanizing support for children made vulnerable by HIV/AIDS.
The Poster Presentation
The Executive Director made a poster presentation on 13/8/2006,
on “Innovative Approaches to OVC care”; highlighting
the Breaking Barriers project, the TENS and the Circle of Hope.
Visitors to the stand made inquiries about HACI, the Circle of
Hope and the Technical Exchange Network.
The Conference provided a good opportunity for sharing lessons
and establishing contacts with donors, journalists and key players
in the HIV/AIDS response.
