HIV/AIDS mainstreaming in the workplace: an experience of

CSO’s

Tanzania AIDS Forum

HIV/AIDS Technical review meeting Blue Peal Hotel,Dar Es Salaam 30th October 2008

About Tanzania AIDS Forum

Tanzania AIDS Forum (TAF) is an open network which brings together all HIV and AIDS organizations in Tanzania.

TAF was launched in May 2006 The main objective of TAF is to bring

together CSO’s to have one voice on advocating issues on HIV/AIDS, health and gender in Tanzania

Facilitate learning and sharing of knowledge, lessons and experiences among CSOs.

High level engagement in policy and legal processes related to social cultural and economical issues.

Establishment of comprehensive mechanisms for Capacity building among members

Provide conducive atmosphere that will facilitate appropriate coordination and linkage among CSOs

Objectives for TAF

Current TAF membership base

ARUSHA

KAGERA

DODOMA

DAR ES SALAAM

Mwanza

Mbeya

TANGA

MOSHI

SHINYANGA

Rukwa

B’mulo

CSO’s experience in developing interventions at the work place

CSO’s have been among stakeholders that are positioned in the fore front on battle against HIV and AIDS since the first HIV cases were diagnosed in Tanzania in 1983

Some of the initiatives of CSO’s have been programmes targeting communities, but some have been programmes for internal and external mainstreaming of HIV/AIDS in the work place

Some of the outstanding examples of CSO’s implementing HIV in the work place include AMREF, HDT, Concern World Wide, TANESA, VSO to mention but a few.

Rationale for HIV/AIDS intervention at workplace

The disease cuts the labor supply and reduces profit for many institutions

Valuable skills and experience are being lost Most workers spend their time at work places Easy to reach workers Convenient area for workers/their family to

get HIV&AIDS information

Steps for effective HIV/AIDS programme at work place

Management sessions for rationale of the programme Conducting Baseline survey (KABP survey) Sensitization session to management and staff on Basic Facts

on HIV/AIDS Training of Peer Health Educators Provide on going information on HIV/AIDS and STI to staff Formulation of HIV/AIDS committee Developing participatory HIV policy at work place and

dissemination the policy

Steps cont....

Work plans and monitoring indicators including follow up survey

Ensure access to condoms Encourage VCT and sharing confidentiality Linking with services providers for care and support Forum for PHE, focal person and management Reach beyond the work place

Internal HIV/AIDS mainstreaming

CSO’s have been engaging in implementation of HIV/AIDS mainstreaming within their institutions to their workers, partners and families.

Experience shows that programmes which have been implemented vary from one organization to another

Major factors are size of organization, resources at disposal, management commitment and internal policies

Experience from Concern World Wide

Mainstreaming HIV in all guiding documents for in house HIV mainstreaming

Demand driven trainings among staff which include Prevention, care and treatment (ARV and OI), nutrition,, BCC, life skills,

Voluntary Counseling and Testing among staff

Experience from VSO

In house focused session on HIV knowledge Enabling the workplace to open up a dialogue for

HIV/AIDS facts Accommodate HIV/AIDS interventions and Care and

Support to Staff ( AAR) Orientation of new staff and volunteers on HIV/AIDS

and orientation of staff on National HIV guiding documents that include HIV policy, NMSF, MKUKUTA and HIV/AIDS act of 2008.

Experience from HDT

Interventions are implemented for both within HDT and to external institutions

In house programmes: Enabling the workplace to be user-friendly for discussion of HIV/AIDS issues

Prevention programme (Continuously educative sessions, avail condoms at work place and promotion of dialogue on HIV issues among workers)

Trainings on HIV facts, care and treatment, VCT, PMTCT and BCC

Technical support to External institutions

Situational analysis (KABP surveys) Designing of the workplace HIV/AIDS policy Trainings on BCC and peer educators Provision of IEC materials Monitoring and evaluation of the Programme Orientation on national HIV/AIDS guiding

documents such as NMSF,HIV/AIDS policy, MKUKUTA and HIV/AIDS act of 2008.

Achievements attained so far

About 40% of VSO partners have developed HIV/AIDS workplace programmes

Through WPP, the knowledge among staff on HIV/AIDS issues have been raised.

Change of attitude on HIV/AIDS matters including condom use

Increasing rate of behaviour change by practicing safe sex

Increasing rate of Voluntary HIV testing among staff

Challenges

Inadequate resources for implementing HIV/AIDS programmes in the work place among CSOs

Less knowledge among CSO’s on rationale for developing WPP

Lack of baseline information prior establishing interventions on HIV/AIDS

Lack of effective M&E for WPP There is still stigma and discrimination among

workers

Recommendations

Enforcement of policy, strategies and law for HIV WPP to be part of all corporate policy

Situational analysis should be conducted prior to interventions

CSO should be considered to receive funding for WPP

Advocacy (Govt, CSO) to development partners to fund WPP as part of the program

Need to ensure interventions are linked and result based especially for MDA

Summary of experience in national response

Community interventions increased, hard to reach areas remains suffering. Critical shortage of appropriate IEC and moving to skills based education than awareness

Participation in policy formulation improved, but still passive. Few district plans involve CSOs and few CSOs involve LGA

Largely activity based that strategic and not necessarily focused on NMSF targets

Capacity to design strategic interventions & monitoring challenging. Access to technology & challenging for CBO

Funding largely increased, but remained small mainly for programs with no core cost covered

Effective coordination among CSO still challenging but the start has been established. receiving less support! “Often big bang”

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