About ARASA  ARASA is a regional partnership of 63 grassroots, national and regional non-governmental organisations working together to promote rights-based response to HIV/AIDS and TB  Formed in 2002, ARASA’s core strength lies in the utilisation of the partnership to build and strengthen civil society organisations capacity, to effectively advocate for a human rights approaches to HIV and TB responses within their own countries. What do we do?  Advocacy and lobbying / Training and Capacity Strengthening

Mission and Vision of ARASA Vision A Southern Africa in which human rights are at the centre of all responses to HIV and TB and in which the rights of PLHIV are respected and protected and socio- economic rights, the denial of which fuels the epidemic, are respected, protected and fulfilled. Mission To promote a human rights approach to HIV & TB in Southern Africa through capacity building and advocacy.

Key Programmes (1) Training and capacity building -Training of Trainers (ToT) programme held on an annual basis for a maximum of 35 participants (2 from each country in Southern Africa Development Community (SADC)) with a view to developing a pool of expertise in the SADC region on HIV, TB and human rights - The training involves four (4) face-to-face trainings, which include: A five-day basic: Human Rights and Advocacy A five-day specialized training of trainers workshop on important elements of M&E, financial and project management A five-day specialized training on Treatment Literacy and current regimens A five-day advanced training of trainers workshops on key issues highlighted Six month concurrent on-line course run annually on some of the modules, covering entire continent

Key Programmes (2) Training and capacity building - After completion of course, applications are given opportunity to apply for a competitive-based Small Grants Programme = to support trained trainers in implementing advocacy, training and capacity building at country level Internship Programme - Call for internship to broader ARASA partnerships, for partners to share expertise with partners who request to be part of the internships - 10 week fully supported internships to another ARASA partner (mostly in different environments and based to key gaps experienced by partner requesting to be placed)

Key programmes (3) Advocacy and lobbying Advocacy work linked to the ToT and ARASA’s other programmes Advocacy priorities set at the Annual Partnership Forum( APF) every year in Oct / November Advocacy is regional in focus, but support country level work by partners Some of our current regional advocacy agendas: - TB/HIV integration, TB in the Mines, and in Prisons - Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) and LGBTI - Funding for health, under the Right to health for all - Legal and policy barriers as they relate to prevention and treatment access

Key programmes (4) Country Programme - Country of focus selected at ARASA APF / Selected by ARASA partners - Work with a focused country for a period of 2 years – Selection of host partner through expressions of interest / capacity strengthening and coalition building – Second year (dependent on funding) focus is on advocacy areas highlighted by partners in that country in year 1 Small Grants Project - 7 trainees proposals are selected to implement what they learned from ToT - Financial and technical support is provided to each grantee through a Pre-implementation workshop and throughout project implementation

LGBTI and SRHR Years of deliberations with partners on how best to move this advocacy on LGBTI human rights forward, ensuring ‘mainstream HR’ support to LGBTI-led campaigns and causes No support for LGBTI-led interventions by in-country partners = ‘segregated activism’ ‘Equal rights for all’ campaign had to be sustained through the building and reinforcement of partnerships: Strong regional movement Diversity, Dignity and Rights (DiDiRi Collective) result of these dialogues and a regional ‘needs assessment’ meeting held in Jan 2012 ARASA’s strength in using the partnership to work with other movements to promote and protect the rights of all people in SADC

ARASA Activities: DiDiRi Collective  Facilitate advocacy-related regional skills exchange visits among ARASA partners (both LGBTI-led and human rights in-country and regional stakeholders) – ARASA exchange programme and TOT attendance  Development / adaptation of training/ capacity strengthening materials on LGBTI rights for ARASA’s ToT and online short course;  Creation of awareness and reinforcement of LGBTI human rights amongst key policy and decision makers in regional structures including parliamentarians;  Undertake topical research related to LGBTI rights to inform advocacy activities: Involves human rights documentation to promote the selection regional advocacy agenda

ARASA Activities: DiDiRi Collective  Support in-country partners with their advocacy over the three years  Support partners to conduct community dialogues in 10 focus countries - spread over the three years  Assist and support mobilisation events in 5 focus countries to mark commemorative days [e.g. International Day of Action Against Homophobia (17 May)]  Promote/ support current awareness efforts around LGBTI issues with in-country and regional CSOs and government leaders;  Establish and maintain an on-going knowledge sharing platform (News letter, develop website/maintain a regional database of LGBTI organisations)