Organizational Background
The Southern African Network of AIDS Service Organizations (SANASO) is a Network of NGOs, Faith based organisations FBOs, Community based Organisations (CBOs) and People living with HIV/AIDS (PWAs) involved in HIV/AIDS work in Southern Africa. The Network has been in existence for ten years and its current membership includes NGOs in 10 Southern African countries namely: Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe. It was created from recognition of the important role that NGOs, community organizations and people living with HIV/AIDS play in the campaign HIV/AIDS and the need for these groups to better coordinate their efforts. SANASO is a mechanism for facilitating contacts among NGOs so that they are able to learn from each other, better utilize each others’ resources and be able to take a common position of issues in the HIV/AIDS response in the region. SANASO membership has increased to over one thousand organizations in the region registered through National Country Networks in 10 member countries as shown below.
Number of member organizations by Country (1998 - 2002)
| COUNTRY | Number of member organizations |
| 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | |
| ANGOLA | 9 | 16 | 16 | 29 | 33 |
| BOTSWANA | 21 | 27 | 39 | 43 | 45 |
| LESOTHO | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 |
| MALAWI | 56 | 56 | 189 | 240 | 300 |
| MOZAMBIQUE | 13 | 100 | 100 | 152 | 152 |
| NAMIBIA | 32 | 32 | 29 | 32 | 50 |
| SOUTH AFRICA | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? |
| SWAZILAND | 16 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 20 |
| ZAMBIA | 340 | 254 | 340 | 342 | 346 |
| ZIMBABWE | 104 | 120 | 145 | 166 | 200 |
| TOTAL | 514 | 647 | 900 | 1044 | 1181 |
SANASO
Objectives
-
Promoting cooperation and collaboration among member organisations
-
Facilitating inter-country exchange and capacity building of member organisations
-
Advocating for adequate resources and creation of supportive environment for an appropriate and effective response to HIV/AIDS.
SANASO
Programme
Goal:
Develop and strengthen links among NGOs in Southern Africa so that they
are able to cooperate with each other and with National AIDS programmes
in order to strengthen their individual and collective efforts in responding
to HIV/AIDS.
Strategy:
Strengthen Country NGO AIDS Networks so that they are able to include in
their membership as many NGOs as possible and have a base or a Secretariat
from which their activities are coordinated.
Database development
SANASO current
membership is 1181 organisations excluding South Africa.
SANASO database contains a comprehensive list of NGOs, Faith based organizations,
Community based organisations and groups of People living with HIV/AIDS
in the region and includes types of activities implemented, expertise available,
donors and other supporters.
Project-to-Project Contacts
SANASO Secretariat facilitates contacts between individual projects in different countries in the region and assisting them get in touch with counterparts in other countries as well as identifying sources of funding for exchange visits among projects. SANASO Secretariat does this through Country Networks
(ii) Inter-Country
Exchange & Capacity building
Goal:
Ensure that member organizations have timely access to accurate and relevant
HIV/AIDS information and to share experiences and lessons learnt with other
organizations in the region.
Strategies:
-
Publish a regular Newsletter for circulation to members as well as circulating other useful HIV/AIDS information via e-mail.
-
Organize Workshops and Conferences at which experiences and lessons learnt can be exchanged.
-
Assist members gain access to low-cost communication facilities such as e-mail and Internet facilities.
(iii) Advocacy
Goal:
Make all relevant authorities in the region aware of the seriousness of
HIV/AIDS and urge them to create a supportive environment for the HIV/AIDS
response through appropriate legislation, national policies and provision
of financial support for NGOs and people living with HIV/AIDS.
-
Governments to be constantly reminded to fully implement provision of International Conventions on HIV/AIDS to which they have assented.
-
Comment, from time to time, on major issues affecting HIV/AIDS in the region.
-
Strengthen links with Regional media organizations.
-
Maintain links with Southern Africa Regional inter-government agency, SADC.
-
Provide training to National Networks on Advocacy and lobbying.
-
Form Strategic alliances with other organizations with similar views in the region and internationally.
(iv) Partnerships
SANASO works in partnerships with strategic alliances including the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) - Health Sector Coordinating Unit, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
SANASO also liaises closely and collaborates with relevant regional and
International Agencies in order to advance common interests, explore channels
for resource mobilization, obtain technical expertise and achieve better
coordination of efforts.
SANASO is a sub-region of the African Council of AIDS Service Organisations
(AfriCASO). It works in close collaboration with the Network of African
people living with HIV/AIDS (NAP+) and the Society of Women Against AIDS
in Africa (SWAA).
It has worked in collaboration with an International NGO, Healthlink Worldwide, in information development efforts which included the circulating a Southern Africa edition of AIDS Action Newsletter and SANASO Information Support Programme; with Action Aid (UK) on Stepping Stones Training of trainers: and with the Treatment Action Campaign (South Africa) and Treatment Action Group (New York, USA) in advocating for equal access to HIV and TB drugs and for provision of affordable Antiretroviral drugs to Africa.
SANASO is
currently collaborating with UNDP on mainstreaming Gender and Human Rights
for new leadership in Southern Africa Treatment
SANASO is seeking to work with relevant partners in its programme aimed
at reducing HIV/AIDS related Stigma and Discrimination in Southern Africa.
SANASO is also in regular contact with other HIV/AIDS Regional Agencies such as the regional AIDS Training Network (RATN), Nairobi, Kenya, the Southern AIDS Information Dissemination Service (SafAIDS), Harare, Zimbabwe, and the Southern Africa AIDS Training (SAT) Programme, Harare, Zimbabwe.
