PAI Convenes the “Momentum for Integration in Africa Civil Society” Workshop  

On July 8-10, 2009 in Nairobi, Kenya, Population Action International convened a diverse group of pan-African civil society advocates for a capacity building workshop aimed at mobilizing support and commitment for the integration of reproductive health and HIV/AIDS policies, programs, services and supplies as supported by the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria. We worked in collaboration with our partner organizations, Friends of the Global Fund Africa and Global AIDS Alliance, building on the work of the Mobilizing for RH/HIV Integration Initiative.

This workshop was a clear opportunity to support partners in both the RH and HIV communities and foster a cohesive civil society voice that can advocate at the national level for greater health outcomes and sustained impact for women and children. Each advocate was able to develop and share skills to promote and effectively implement programs and policies that include integration of reproductive health (RH) and HIV as a means for addressing comprehensive health issues. The workshop included sessions that allowed participants to share experiences on both opportunities and challenges they faced in their own countries, which led to a very productive dialogue and exchange of viewpoints. Other sessions focused on skills-building and providing tools necessary for program implementation and financial management.

Based on the enthusiasm shown at the workshop, the participants decided to continue this South-South collaboration through an e-forum in which they can maintain communications and share useful resources and tools with other partners. In addition to enhancing their skills, the participants created advocacy “action plans” to determine the next steps at the country level, such as identifying and working with new champions on RH/HIV integration. PAI is steadfast in keeping these commitments alive – through both the communications channel and the country action plans – by providing technical assistance to civil society advocates in order to produce meaningful and sustainable impact for RH/HIV-integrated programs and policies.