West/Central Africa Map of Grantees (Larger Image)

Currently, the West Africa region is distributing the 2007-2008 West Africa Call for Proposals (English).    Please review the application forms and submit the completed application form to globalizechange@yahoo.fr by Tuesday, October 30th, 2007. 

History
A Planning Committee was formed and met in early March. The workshop took place in Douala, Cameroon on July of 2005. ReCap+ served as the coordinating organization in Cameroon. In addition to the Planning Committee members, 66 participants representing each country in the region were selected for participation.

PATAM, in defining the geographic scope of the three Collaborative Fund African regions, decided that the West African region will include all African Francophone countries and the English-speaking countries of West Africa.  North African countries will also participate in the workshop and hold a separate meeting to discuss their needs and priorities.

The workshop was designed for HIV community representatives with experience or interest in treatment advocacy, community mobilization, and treatment literacy programs, and who work with organizations or networks with an interest in expanding access to HIV care in countries. 66 participants attended this meeting. The selection committee decided the number of people from each country.  Various countries contacts helped with the selection. People were prioritized by their interest in treatment advocacy, their skills in English and French and then tried to be equitable according to region. The planning committee helped with selecting participants from their respective regions.

Conference language is French with the simultaneous translation in English.

Workshop Objectives

1. Education.  To educate HIV community representatives on HIV research, prevention, treatment, and policy; and to empower them to disseminate information about HIV and to provide skills necessary for helping communities understand, participate in, and provide input into research and treatment programs.

2. Networking.  To provide opportunities for West African community representatives to develop working relationships with national and regional public health, HIV/AIDS control officers, WHO, the Global Fund, and others to more effectively represent affected communities.

3. Advocacy & resource mobilization.  To provide opportunities for West, North and Central Africa HIV community representatives to develop plans and strategies to mobilize communities, policymakers, and resources to better fight HIV at the country and regional levels, and participate in global policy initiatives.

The first day of the workshop started with Recap+ welcoming the participants, having members introductions, delineating the expectations for the meeting and discussing the objectives. The Minister of Health, Urbain Olanguena Awono, opened the meeting. The presence of the minister in the workshop was considered historic. The participants from Cameroon and PATAM used the opportunity to call on the government efforts on access to treatment. There was a speech by Bertrand and a stand up act of protest from Cameroon‚s activists. It was clearly a great embaressement for the Cameroon government having these kinds of demands in front of the Regional participant members from other countries.

After the introductory session PATAM, Tides Foundation and TAG gave a brief background of each one of their initiatives including the HIV Global Collaborative Fund for treatment preparedness. The issue of TB and HIV co-infection generated a lot of interest. The first two days, the countries gave a brief presentation on the situation of treatment preparedness and access in their countries.

The following 23 countries reported:

Burkina, Cote D‚Ivoire, Benin, RCA, Democratic Republic de Congo, Togo, Liberia, Congo, Burundi, Congo, Ghana, Rwanda, Niger, Maroc, Nigeria, Cameroun, Chad, Guinee, Mali, Senegal, Sierra Leona, Mauritanie and Tunisie.

The participants grouped themselves per region (West, Central and North) The facilitators (members of the regional committee gave assignments to each of the groups. Through the workshop participants from each region were able to identify needs and obstacles, priorities and strategies. actors, targets and finalizing with a plan of action. Each day the group reported back to the participants at large.

During the workshop there were presentations on TB, OI, HIV treatments, what is advocacy, adherence and HIV research. Members of the faculty were members of the steering committee, TAG and MSF.

The last day participants were able to see the potential format of proposals with each one of the components: objectives, strategies, implementation and evaluation. The meeting closed with the developing of procedures for the community review panel, including the terms of reference and the election of it members. The selection of the Regional Coordinator will be handled by the CRP. The delegates decided the criteria or term of reference for the potential members of the region‚s Community Review Panel (CRP). Also a vote was made to select 10 members been this committee representative of the diversity in the region (gender, language etc.)

The delegates of the meeting divided themselves into west and central and each recommended 5 members, following CRP members criteria developed. The delegates refused to elect members based on country representation. The members of the West/Africa Region Community Review Panel are:

1. Colette Koala
2. Mohammed Farouk
3. Kate Oluwolé
4. Jean Roger Kuate
5. Brandford Yeboah
6. Seconde N. Sabimana
7. Bertrand Kampoer
8. Amani Hitimana
9. Lucie Zambou
10. Ambroise Mamona

The steering committee members identified next steps after the constitution of the CRP and, the election of the regional coordinator.

On September 26th through the 28th the West/Central Africa met in Lagos, Nigeria to review applications for regional coordinator, develop criteria and request for proposals. This was the beginning of concrete steps taken toward the actual grant making process, selection of grantees and distribution of funds. Recap+ in collaboration with PATA in Nigeria continues to be the NGO financial conduit for the meetings. An interim Regional Coordinator was selected by the CRP, Bertrand Kampoer. An official candidate, Kayo James Clovis, jamesckayo@yahoo.fr was selected at the meeting in Lagos and grant applications and priorities were developed.  

The grant applications and priorities were distributed in October through many African networks and several applications were received.  The Community Review Panel met in Kigali, Rwanda in November 2005 to select the grantees. 

Through a community driven grantkmaking infrastructure and regional advocacy decision making process, West/Central Africa was able to fund 18 organizations in the region. All of these organizations addressed needs identified by the community: to advocate and facilitate treatment preparedness and access. Organizations were selected by the regional Community Review Panel (CRP) and the Regional Advisory Committee (RAC) which is a group of advocates and HIV patients from anglophone and francophone countries. Coordination was delegated by community members to Recap+, a NGO from Yaounde Cameroon. Because the grants were given by the end of 2005, programs are still being implemented. A technical assistance plan was developed by the regional coordinator and approved by the CRP and RAC. The coordinator hired a consultant who performed a needs assessment among the grantees. A report and recommendation was given to the regional coordinator, CRP and RAC for approval. The technical assistance interventions together with the monitoring and evaluation have been completed. A complete report of the technical assistant and monitoring and evaluation are available for viewing. 

A second funding cycle began in 2006, and the CRP decided on another group of grantees in a CRP meeting in Accra, Ghana.  Please see the notes below. 

Please see below the 2005 and 2006 list of grantees chosen by the Community Review Panel.

For further information, please contact Kayo James Clovis, jamesckayo@yahoo.fr

West Africa - Project Grants (Year 2 - 2006)

•  Kids and AIDS (Cameroon)


• Positive Generation (Cameroon)


• Association Espoir et Vie (Burkina Faso)


• Association Burkin' Action (Burkina Faso)


• Lumiere Action Korhogo (Ivory Coast)


• Action Solidaire pour un Developpement Entenu a la Base (Burundi)


• Reseau des Associations de Personnes vivant avec le VIH au Togo (Togo)


• Association d'Action en Faveur Des PVVIH & TB (Twizerane) (Rwanda)


• Unique Aid Foundation for People Living with HIV/AIDS (Nigeria)


• Positive Life Association of Nigeria


• International Peace Advocacy Association (Ghana)


• Reseau Nigerien des Personnes Vivant avec le VIH/SIDA (Niger)


• Association pour la Sante et la Medecine Africaine (Benin)


• Gambia Network of AIDS Support Societies (Gambia)


• Association Guineenne des personnes infectee et affectees par le VIH/SIDA et Association Guineenne des femmes et orphelins infectees affectees par le VIH/SIDA (Guinea)


• Les Batisseurs (Democratic Republic of Congo)


• Fondation Femme Plus (Democratic Republic of Congo)


• West Point Health and Sanitation Organization (Liberia)

West Africa - Project Grants (Year One - 2005)

• Asso Viure plus comgo (Congo Brasa)


• RECAP+ (Cameroon)


• Epoir-vie Togo (Togo)


• Reseau Burundais des Persons Vivant avec le VIH/SIDA (Burundi)


• Coalition des Mouvements d'Afrique Centrale pour le plaidoyer et l'access aux Traitements (CoMACPAT) (Afrique Central)


• Reseau National Tchadien des Associations des personnes vivant avec le VIH/SIDA (Tchad)


• Positive Action for Treatment Access (PATA) (Nigeria)


• Association des Femmes Vivant avec le VIH/SIDA (Cote d'Ivoire)


• Goodwill AID (Ghana)


• Association TWIZERE, asbl (Rwanda)


• Front Inter Scolaire et Universitaire pour la Sensibilization sur le MST/SIDA (Cameroon)


• Assistance Counseil Association de lutte contre les IST/VIH/SIDA (Togo)


• Hirasso (Cameroon)


• SUNAIDS Association (Cameroon)


• Love in Action (Republic Democratic of Congo)


• Association African Solidarite (Burkina Faso)


• AIDS Alliance Nigeria (Nigeria)

West Africa Documents
2007-2008 West Africa Call for Proposals (English)
2007-2008 West Africa Call for Proposals (French)
West Africa 2006-2007 Grant Summaries
West Africa 2006-2007 Public Announcement
2006 West Africa CRP Accra, Ghana Meeting Notes
2006 West Africa Call for Proposals (English)
2006 West Afruca Call for Proposals (French)
2006 West Africa Technical Assistance and Monitoring and Evaluation Report
West Africa 2005 Grant Summaries (French)
West Africa 2005 Grant Summaries (English)
L'Afrique Occidentale Priorites (French)
West Africa CRP Priorities (English)
West Africa CRP Report - Lagos, Nigeria (English)
West Africa CRP Report - Lagos, Nigeria (French)
West Africa Regional Workshop Report (French)
West Africa Regional Workshop Report (English)
West Africa Map of Grantees