VSO-RAISA

Voluntary Service OverseasRegional AIDS Initiative of Southern Africa

Bongai Mundeta, VSO-RAISA Director

VSO• Voluntary Service Overseas• Core business is capacity building of

organisations mainly through volunteer placement

• Small grants • Exchange visits

VSO in 44 countries

VSO-RAISA

• Works through partners in six countries of• Malawi• Mozambique• Namibia• South Africa• Zambia• Zimbabwe

Why HBC is a priority• RAISA and WHO conducted a research on HBC and

care work in 8 countries• At least 80% of PLWHIV are cared for at home and

have little support• At least 92% of care givers are women and girls• By building the capacity of

care providers we can reach the poorest and most vulnerable

• Governments are not channeling adequate resources to HBC

HBC should be combined with palliative care to include pain relief

How Care work can be prioritized?Advocacy:• Need for policies on HBC which support care

providers• Building regional alliances (e.g. RAANGO

influencing SADC)• VSO-RAISA through RAANGO got an

opportunity to present on HBC to SADC in 2008• Establishing Care providers network for southern

Africa (CAN)• Awareness among health professionals• Engage Government and policy makers including

parliamentarians• Research-evidence based information required

Policy formulation• There is need for policies on care work• Different countries are at different stages• VSO RAISA has partnered with GEMSA and

Gender Links in advocacy work so that policies can be formulated

• Help Age International, REPPSI, NAP+SAR, Save the Children are partners

• Handbook on Policy developed by RAISA and GEMSA , and Gender Links

• Baroness Margaret Jay (UK parliamentarian) - a short term volunteer organised training on policy on care work with SADC parliamentarians

Parliamentarians• VSO RAISA has engaged with SADC PF on care work

issues• SADC PF and parliamentarians have had 3 workshops and

one conference on advocacy for policies and Bills on care work.

• Zambia and Zimbabwe parliamentarians who work with RAISA have since started to have 2 hour slots in parliament to do advocacy for policies on care work

• Malawi parliamentarians are working at constituency level to engage more men in care work-some success stories

VSO-RAISA and SADC PF Workshop

SADC Gender ProtocolArticle 27(c)

• “State parties shall by 2015: Develop and implement policies and programmes to ensure appropriate recognition of the work carried out by care givers ,the majority of whom are women ,allocation of resources and psychological support for care – givers as well as promote the involvement of men in the care and support of People living with HIV and AIDS”

• SADC Heads of states already signed this protocol in 2008

Looking ahead• Handbook on policy formulation on Care work

to be presented at SADC Heads of State meeting on 17th August 2010

• Working with parliamentarians in-country to develop HBC policy

• Engaged with Private Sector, in C&HBC eg MERCK annual meetings with CEOs , Carpenum supporting 26,000 OVC

• Forming a regional HBC network/coalition

Challenges• National level policies on care work

with government• C & HBC training guidelines in

various countries • Palliative care integration with HBC• Many CBOs not strong in advocacy

Thank You

• I would like to thank our donors ,DFID, SIDA, Irish Aid and Dutch Government for the support given to VSO-RAISA

• I wish to thank our partners who with very limited resources have reached out to many Orphans and Vulnerable Children and to the PLWHA and their families.

Thank You