ACHAP promises to double efforts against AIDS

MARTIN NYIRENDA
Correspondent | Thursday September 18, 2008 00:00

Launching its renewed partnerships with BONASO, BONEPWA and YOHO, ACHAP in Gaborone on Tuesday this week, voted P5, 045 million for the development of the initial 18 months of the project.

ACHAP managing director, Dr. Themba Moeti, announced at the signing of the memorandum of understanding that ACHAP is pleased to focus more resources - financial and technical - in support of prevention in keeping with global trends.

Its renewed strategy is to strengthen partnerships with civil society organisations that have specific programmes and mandates aimed at scaling up HIV prevention, mobilising the huge potential in the civil society.

Moeti added: 'For this new partnership, we will focus our support on prevention-related interventions that will help scale up prevention efforts in line with the national HIV Prevention Strategy in various districts as identified by our partner NGOs'.

Each of these NGOs brings its own strengths, experiences and comparative advantages to drive prevention efforts within their own particular niche'.

BONASO will focus on activities that target the development of capacity of its affiliates towards effective delivery of civil society led HIV services and programmes.

BONEPWA will double its mandate to improve the welfare and quality of all people living with HIV/AIDS and their families, while YOHO will strive to facilitate health and HIV and AIDS activities spearheaded by the youth.

'We will also be working in Hukuntsi, Gantsi, Letlhakane and Gaborone'.

For the past seven years, ACHAP has supported government to achieve its goal of an AIDS free generation by 2016.

ACHAP supports a total of 168 positions in all the six NGOs to the tune of P5, 448, 513.
He added: 'ACHAP has engaged services of AED to assess the capacity to implement HIV prevention interventions of some of its local NGO partners.

'The assessment identifies a number of capacity gaps that will need to be addressed. We expect our NGOs to ensure that all planned activities are implemented within set budget and time frames'.

NACA programme planning manager, Monica Tselayakgosi, said ACHAP continues to be a strategic partner in working with government. 'ACHAP's support at both national and district level include, among others, successful implementation of ARV programme, expansion of HIV counselling, and testing services through existing partnerships'.

A significant number of human resources positions in both government and non governmental organisations are supported by ACHAP.

She believes that civil society has a critical role to play if the interventions to fight HIV/AIDS.

She said: 'To the NGO partners, for emphasis' sake, let us treat this partnership as an opportunity to serve the people, learn and remain faithful to the agreement that we sealed with ACHAP. I know the challenges of proposal writing, it involves a lot of work but know that real work has began'.

The representatives of the NGOs signed the Memorandum of Understanding.
ACHAP District Operations Director Leonard Manthe said that the partnerships between ACHAP and the NGOs were the first of their kind.