AMICAALL Burkina Faso: Start up in Toma Municipality and Expanding Partnerships

In March, an information session was held with Toma Municipality that is approximately 200 km from Ouagadougou, capital of Burkina Faso. The National AMICAALL Coordinator met with representatives of the municipality and shared information on the setting up of a Municipal HIV/AIDS Team and the preparation of a Municipal HIV/AIDS Directory and Profile. Copies of the AMICAALL Toolkit were made available as well as other information on the epidemic and the role and contribution of local government as part of a coordinated national response. Follow up activities will include training and support for the preparation of needs and response assessments, local action plans and monitoring and evaluation frameworks. In order to share information and explore collaboration, the AMICAALL Coordinator has also met with a number of organisations in Burkina, including GTZ, the PACAM programme, a multi agency initiative supporting community based projects, UNICEF, and UNITERRA, a Canadian NGO. AMICAALL Burkina Faso has also been working with the National AIDS Programme in the country to identify ways and means of reflecting municipal level action on AIDS in the national monitoring and evaluation framework.

AMICAALL Cameroon: Municipal HIV Team Established in Bamendjou, Cameroon

With the support of AMICAALL Cameroon and the Mayor, an 18-member Municipal HIV Team (MHT) has been established in the Bamendjou municipality. The MHT was launched during a two-day workshop that included the municipality’s political, traditional and religious leaders, community groups, as well as a representative from UNDP/Cameroon. The two-day workshop had 83 participants, some who travelled long distances and others who took time off from the planting season to attend.

AMICAALL Côte d’Ivoire: Expanding Outreach and Partnerships

AMICAALL Côte d’Ivoire has extended its activities from the initial 10 municipalities to another 15. A working group has been set up by AMICAALL Côte d’Ivoire, with national and international development partners that is meeting on a monthly basis to identify ways of supporting AMICAALL Côte d’Ivoire and promoting more effective coordination among all partners. A rotating chair for this working group has been put in place, with a different partner chairing the group every six months. AMICAALL Côte d’Ivoire is also working with the local UNAIDS and UNICEF offices to identify opportunities for working together in 10 municipalities. AMICAALL Côte d’Ivoire has linked up with a national municipal training centre that has recently been set up and is contributing to its training sessions focusing on enhancing municipal responses to the epidemic. The AMICAALL Toolkit is being used to facilitate the training sessions.

AMICAALL Kenya: Expands Partnerships Around Municipal Workplace

Policies/Programmes and Home Based Care

AMICAALL Kenya made a presentation at the Annual (City) Clerks and Treasurers Forum on HIV/AIDS workplace policies. The presentation was very well received. The Bondo County Council and the Kimilili Municipal Council have requested follow up support from AMICAALL Kenya to initiate municipal workplace policies/actions. AMICAALL Kenya and GROOTS Kenya, a network of grassroots women, are working together to find ways and means of collaborating around home-based care. An initial meeting in Kakamega was well attended by all the councillors of the County Council and Chief Officers, partners of GROOTS Kenya, Kenya National AIDS Council and home-based caregivers.

AMICAALL Kenya: Participates in Consultation on Universal Access

AMICAALL Kenya participated in a national consultation on "universal access" to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support, facilitated by UNAIDS, in collaboration with the National AIDS Control Council in Kenya. During the consultation, AMICAALL Kenya reiterated the commitment and contribution of local government as part of nationwide efforts to enhance capacities to scale up responses to the epidemic at the local level. Countries have been encouraged by UNAIDS to hold national consultations on scaling up towards universal access by March 2006.

AMICAALL Mali: Receives Funding from the Government of Netherlands

AMICAALL Mali is now receiving funding from a five-year, US$500,000 grant from the Government of Netherlands. With these funds, AMICAALL Mail will expand its activities to 55 municipalities.

AMICAALL Mali: Case Study

A case study on the AMICAALL Mali Programme is being prepared with assistance from the UN AMICAALL Partnership Programme. The case study should be finalised in May 2006 and available through the AMICAALL website: www.amicaall.org.

AMICAALL Swaziland: Receives Second Grant from the ACBF

On 20 March 2006, AMICAALL Swaziland signed a second grant agreement with the Africa Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF) worth US$1 million. A signing ceremony was held in Harare, Zimbabwe, which was attended by AMICAALL National Coordinator, Rudolph Maziya, and AMICAALL Swaziland Executive Council Chairperson, Councillor Nokuthula Mthembu. The grant was awarded to AMICAALL Swaziland after successful implementation of an initial US$1.04 million grant from ACBF during 2001 – 2005. Under the first grant, ACBF was pleased with AMICAALL Swaziland’s activities to decentralise the national response to the AIDS epidemic through improved mechanisms and coordination capacities at the municipal level. For this second grant, AMICAALL Swaziland will work to improve effectiveness and scaling up of community-based HIV-related interventions and services in urban areas, with a focus on training and knowledge sharing.

CINDI Conference Held in South Africa

The CINDI (Children in Distress Network) Annual Conference was held 3-7 April 2006 in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa. Founded in 1996, CINDI is a network of over 100 NGOs, CBOs, government agencies and individuals who collaborate in the interests of children affected or orphaned by HIV/AIDS in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands in South Africa. At the conference, a presentation was given on the Skills, Opportunities, Self-Reliance (SOS) Programme in Namibia by Ms. Lucy Hillier, the ORT IC Southern Africa Regional Coordinator. Ms. Hillier also submitted a paper on the SOS Programme in Namibia and distributed the recently produced case study. The SOS Programme focuses on expanding access to vocational training and youth development opportunities for orphans and vulnerable young people in Namibia. It is being implemented by technical partner ORT IC in collaboration with the UN AMICAALL Partnership Programme, AMICAALL Namibia and other local partners. The SOS Programme is being undertaken with funding from the OPEC Fund for International Development and the United States President’s Emergency Program for AIDS Relief. (PEPFAR).

Commonwealth Regional Symposium: Strengthening Local Democracy and Good Governance – Realising the Millennium Development Goals, Kampala, Uganda, 26-28 April

This symposium was organised by the Commonwealth Local Government Forum and the Commonwealth Secretariat, with support from the Government of Uganda (Ministry of Local Government) and the Uganda Local Government Association. The event was also held in close collaboration with United Cities and Local Government of Africa (UCLGA). Matheus K. Shikongo, Mayor of Windhoek, Namibia made a presentation on local government responses to HIV/AIDS, sharing experiences from Namibia and from the work of the Alliance/AMICAALL network. A study visit was organised to see practical examples of how local government is helping to deliver the Millennium Development Goals. In Kampala, the focus of the study visit was on HIV/AIDS. The AMICAALL National Coordinator in Uganda, Dr. John Mugisa, contributed to the symposium and made available materials and other information on the work of AMICAALL.

WACAP Symposium on Localising the Millennium Development Goals

The World Alliance of Cities Against Poverty (WACAP) held its annual conference in Valencia, Spain 29-31 March 2006, with the forum’s theme being Localising the Millennium Development Goals. The Alliance and UN AMICAALL Partnership Programme were invited, along with representatives of cities and other organisations, to share information on good practices. WACAP extended an invitation to the Mayor of Lusaka, Mr. Mike Elton Mposha, who participated in a panel on municipal responses to HIV/AIDS and shared lessons, experiences and challenges from the Alliance/AMICAALL network. In his presentation, Mayor Mposha stated that, “ In my own country, Zambia, all of the 72 Councils have committed themselves to becoming more engaged in the response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic at the local level”. He also called for intensifying and expanding action by local governments, in partnership with civil society and affected communities, “Now is the time to get involved to prevent more from becoming infected, to provide orphans with the tools to live productive lives, to provide support and care to People Living with HIV and to secure a future for our children in order to enable them to lead healthy and happy lives.”

World AIDS Orphans’ Day Commemorated on May 7th

Thousands of people, including mayors from 207 cities in 32 countries, are expected to commemorate World AIDS Orphans’ Day on 7 May 2006. World AIDS Orphans’ Day is an initiative of François-Xavier Bagnoud (FXB) International, an NGO based in Geneva, that supports the world’s orphans and vulnerable children affected by the AIDS epidemic. A coalition of leading US, African and Indian NGOs have planned many different activities for World AIDS Orphans’ Day which include: child-led forums, organising "circles of friends" across the US and Africa, rallies, drama presentations, lobbying with mayors and government officials, town hall meetings, hosting a gala with international dignitaries in major cities, developing interactive websites and media tools, and conducting radio and television campaigns.

For more information on World AIDS Orphans’ Day, please visit: www.worldaidsorphansday.org.

DOCUMENTATION

Skills, Opportunities and Self-Reliance (SOS) Namibia - A Case Study

The UN AMICAALL Partnership Programme, collaborating with technical partner ORT IC, and Namibian organisations involved in this initiative, facilitated the preparation of a case study examining development, start-up and the first 18 months of implementation of the SOS Programme in Namibia. Entitled, Responding to Needs of Orphaned and Vulnerable Young People: The Skills, Opportunities and Self-Reliance (SOS) Programme in Namibia - A Case Study, it includes sections on the background and rationale of the programme, accomplishments to date and challenges and lessons learned. The case study is available on the AMICAALL website: www.amicaall.org

AMICAALL Swaziland Video

A video on AMICAALL Swaziland that is documenting activities and achievements with respect to municipal action on AIDS, is under development. The video should be completed by May 2006. For more information, please contact Mr. Rudolph Maziya, National AMICAALL Coordinator, at: rudolph.maziya@amicaall.co.sz.