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Sexual Health Exchange, 1997 - no. 3
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"NGOs have much to learn from other sectors and other sectors have much to learn from NGOs. There is no need for anyone to duplicate efforts or to re-invent the wheel. If we work together, we can help to keep the Philipines a low-prevalence country." Evelyn Gacad, Executive Director, PHANSuP |
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The Philippines
Local NGOs in the Philippines are working together to widen the reach of their HIV/AIDS programmes and to ensure the sustainability of their efforts. Their approach assumes that, by increasing the number of institutions that understand HIV/AIDS and are committed to prevention and care, they will help sustain safer sexual behaviour, renew prevention programmes for new generations of people at risk and ensure long-term support for people living with HIV/AIDS (PHAs).
Skills and strategies are developed in workshops and one-to-one training sessions organized by the Philippines HIV/AIDS NGO Support Program (PHANSuP), with support by the International HIV/AIDS Alliance. Their pilot training programme aims to build the skills of local NGOs and to develop partnerships with other sectors in order to influence the policy environment, mobilize resources locally and replicate successful approaches.
The work began in 1993 with a significant emphasis: the Alliance raised funds internationally and passed them on to PHANSuP along with technical support. In turn, PHANSuP supported local NGOs with small grants and training. At that time, many local NGOs depended upon PHANSuP for 100% of their HIV-related funding.
Mapping out relations with various institutions as part of an External Relations Training Programme by PHANSuP
One of PHANSuP's first beneficiaries was the Olangapo City AIDS Foundation (OCAFI). After completing a generously funded multi-year project, OCAFI had strong technical capacity but was in financial crisis. PHANSuP was able to renew funding for OCAFI, but at a much more modest level so that OCAFI had to make less money go further while ensuring that it did not once again find itself stranded financially at the end of the project.
PHANSuP and OCAFI agreed on a strategy whereby OCAFI would be a resource to a wide variety of local institutions rather than a stand-alone AIDS project. Other institutions could reach new populations more effectively than OCAFI and prevention and care issues would be understood more broadly in the community. In addition, local funding might be found to complement resources provided by PHANSuP.
OCAFI has developed partnerships with a broad variety of local institutions ranging from the Rotary Club to the casino, and from the mayor's office to the STD clinic. As a result, OCAFI has gained considerable financial, political and practical support in Olangapo City, including funding from the corporate sector and improved access to vulnerable communities.
The pilot programme shows that the local NGOs that most actively pursued external relations activities are making significant progress in reducing their dependency on PHANSuP for financial support. They are mobilizing local government and private sector resources. Many supported NGOs are also widening the reach of their education programmes through partnerships with government health services and by making strategic use of free media.
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"We've learned to view other sectors as partners rather than enemies and to see that there are many untapped resources. PHANSuP taught us about how important it is to find an 'in' into each sector - to get you into their world and to give you access. We learned that we had to sell ourselves - not in an artificial way, just showing our strengths and our links with the community. Now we're hoping that our work can be sustained entirely on local support from within our own city." Jude Asunción, OCAFI Board Member |
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PHANSuP has also developed its own external relations strategies to build the capacity of the NGO sector as a whole. This has included several initiatives to promote the role of NGOs within a multi-sectoral response to HIV/AIDS, e.g., an annual NGO meeting, advocating for NGOs to the National AIDS Committee and sharing successful NGO strategies with the government and UN agencies.
While maintaining contact with the Alliance, PHANSuP is diversifying its financial support by developing relations with potential local donors and the Alliance's own international donors (e.g., the European Union). By the end of 1997, PHANSuP expects to raise 100% of its budget directly, depending on the Alliance only for technical support and exchange.
The Alliance is documenting the experience in the Philippines; this will form the basis of a practical tool kit in strategic alliances and sustainability for NGO support programmes. Lessons learned from PHANSuP have been incorporated into a similar training programme in Ecuador and will be adapted to the needs of the Alliance's partners in other developing countries.
Sarah Lee, Policy Officer, International HIV/AIDS Alliance, Barratt House, 341 Oxford Street, London W1R 1HB, United Kingdom; Tel: 44-171-491-2000; Fax: 44-171-490- 2001; e-mail: aidsalliance@compuserve.com. |
