By Emma Kakololo
WINDHOEK
A workshop aimed at strengthening good governance and leadership skills of AIDS service organisations in Southern Africa was held yesterday in the capital.
Research data on HIV/Aids indicate that there has been no sign of overall decline in any of the Southern African Network of Aids Services Organisations (SANASO) member countries.
The region is the worst affected in the world, making out 30 percent of the total number of people infected with the virus, although the region’s population was only a measly two percent of the world’s population.
“Despite the high HIV prevalence figures in the region, there is hope,” said Deputy Health Minister Petrina Haingura at the opening of the workshop.
She said now that more resources were available in the region to address the epidemic, it should ensure that the resources made available are used efficiently.
“In communities across the world, leadership, courage and resilience are shaping the response to the epidemic. I am somewhat worried that a lot of promises, a lot of the good energy that we feel is slow in translating into concrete and significant increases in resources that actually come to communities,” she said.
She is optimistic that the workshop would translate some of these energies into positive results.
“For this to happen, we need to have good governance structures and management systems in place so that we can demonstrate an acceptable level of accountability for the funds we received to implement our programmes.”
“The workshop will ensure meaningful engagement of civil society organsations (NGOs) that have the capacity to make meaningful contribution to the fight against HIV and Aids,” she said.
In addition, she said civil society could then serve as an example to other stakeholders, inspiring them to take effective and urgent action.