OCTOBER 2023 BI-MONTHLY
NEWS
CO-NEWS
MAG AZI NE
COMMUNITY
NO.1
LAUNCH NUMBER WELCOME TO YOUR MAGAZINE
FOCUS LEARNING WEEK ON COMMUNITY-LED MONITORING
INFO THE CLM ACADEMY IN MARRAKECH
CONTENTS
NO.1
PAGE 3 - 4
PAGE 9
EDITORIAL AND PRESENTATION
CLM NEWS
Welcome to the very first issue of our magazine dedicated to Community-Led Monitoring (CLM)
The CLM Francophone Academy in Marrakech from October 3 to 5
PAGE 5
PAGE 11
FOCUS ON THE LEARNING WEEK
FUTURE
Feedback on the training of resource persons on CLM and the Learning Event in AOC
Update on upcoming events
EDITORIAL Dear partners, dear comrades, ITPC West Africa has just expanded the range of its products with this bimonthly Co-News: community news. The amount of data collected through CLM (Community-led Monitoring) initiatives and the important information that resulted from the use of this data have finally convinced us of the need to have a periodic bulletin on the realities and challenges of health services in West and Central Africa. Since the first experience of Community Treatment Observatories initiated by ITPC-WA in 11 countries in West Africa thanks to grants from the Global Fund (2017-2019), we have amassed a wealth of information on the availability, accessibility, acceptability, affordability and relevance of health services for key populations, including people living with HIV. The introduction of the CLM model in 2020, structured around the quadrant (education, evidence, commitment and advocacy), in more than fifteen countries in West and Central Africa, revealed the full potential of advocacy the disposition of communities. Provided only that the information is shared, and widely. Co-News offers itself as an organ, a vector of information on all relevant subjects of interest to communities on health issues, including scientific advances in prevention and treatment, access to health services and the level of their quality in the West and Central African region. Co-News is definitely yours, in the sense that it belongs to you and is nourished by your contributions. So don’t hesitate to send us texts and images to publish. But also your observations to improve the quality of this organ. We wish you a pleasant reading. Innocent Sewoa LAISON Chairman of the Board of Directors of ITPC-WA
PAGE THREE | CO-NEWS
WHO IS ITPC-WA? ITPC-WA acts in West and Central Africa to improve the quality of life of affected people from the point of view of their health and their rights.
Technical support to civil society organizations to strengthen their skills in governance, leadership, resource mobilization, project management
Advocacy for access to quality health services and effective implementation of national and international health guidelines AREAS OF INTERVENTION
Intellectual property and access to medicines
Establishing/strengthening community monitoring and accountability systems
Research on barriers to health services
WHY CO-NEWS? Putting CLM at the heart of the fight for health and human rights
Goals : Promote CLM: Highlight CLM as an essential tool to strengthen access and quality of services for communities Raise awareness of community participation: Highlight the importance of community participation in the fight against pandemics, highlighting its crucial role in social justice and human rights. Create a space for dialogue: Provide a place for debate on health and its links to social justice and human rights, encouraging reflection and discussion. Encourage Engagement and Advocacy: Motivate engagement and advocacy by providing concrete perspectives on how communities can help improve access to services.
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FOCUS Learning Week: a week of sharing and action for the development of CLM in West and Central Africa The Learning Week which took place from September 11 to 14, 2023 in Abidjan (Côte d'Ivoire) marks a major step in the engagement of communities for southsouth learning and the strengthening of community monitoring strategies.
THE LEARNING WEEK IN FIGURES
5
40
Days
Organisations
13
90
Countries Participants
This event brought together around a hundred actors, mainly from civil society, engaged in the fight for human rights and access to health services in West and Central Africa. Two major milestones marked this week: Training a pool of resource persons on CLM The Learning Event (learning session)
Capacity building of Resource Persons on CLM in West and Central Africa Creation of a sharing framework for interventions on CLM in West and Central Africa Documentation of good practices on CLM in West and Central Africa PAGE FIVE | CO-NEWS
Interactive training on CLM The training workshop, an essential component of Learning Week, took an interactive and collaborative approach. The 24 participants, from 12 countries in West and Central Africa (Benin, Burkina, Burundi, Ivory Coast, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Nigeria, Central African Republic – CAR, Democratic Republic of Congo – DRC, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo) took part in the work.
This training is of crucial importance in the context of scaling up community-led monitoring programs. It is part of the technical support provided by ITPC WA with financial support from UNAIDS. The objectives of this training converge towards a transfer of skills for the creation of a group of regional experts, the promotion of knowledge sharing and the documentation of good practices for effective implementation of CLM in the region.
PAGE SIX | CO-NEWS
Learning Event on CLM in West and Central Africa Sharing Experiences and Knowledge The highlight of this week was the Learning Event, a meeting which brought together key players in the field of health, social justice and human rights. The sessions covered a wide range of topics, from the impact of CLM on communities to how it strengthens accountability.
Left to right:, N'guissali Turpin (CSIH), Innocent Lesson (ITPC WA) Henk Van Rentergherm UNAIDS Mananza KONE (PEPFAR/USAID)
The event allowed participants to share their experiences and discuss the implementation of CLM in their respective countries, including challenges and proposed solutions. This made it possible to harmonize the understanding of the implementation of CLM, while taking into account the specificity of the context of each country. Key Messages The speakers highlighted the importance of CLM in improving access to quality services. They highlighted how CLM ensures the availability of strategic information for decision-makers and how the challenges encountered in implementing CLM form an essential part of the learning. Importance of Surveillance One session highlighted the importance of generating comprehensive and relevant data for national and local health systems and the effective integration of CLM indicators into national surveillance systems. Sustainability and Visibility of CLM A panel discussion explored the crucial challenge of ensuring the sustainability and continuity of CLM implementation, even in the face of budgetary constraints. Communication on CLM A series of presentations explored effective ways to communicate on CLM interventions, including the publication of scientific articles and newsletters.
PAGE SEPT |CO-NEWS
Improvement of CLM interventions National level recommendations Strengthen Citizen Participation Make the CLM a real tool for community control of the healthcare system
Harmonize Implementation Extend the development of CLM implementation guides in each country
Expanding the Reach of CLM Integrate CLM into pathologies other than HIV, TB and malaria
Promote the Commitment of All Actors Ensure that CLM is integrated by all partners (public and private sectors, TFP)
Improvement of CLM interventions Recommendations at regional level Develop a Training Curriculum on CLM Set up a discussion pool for this purpose
Strengthening Regional Collaboration Establish a consultation framework
PAGE EIGHT |CO-NEWS
Promote Mutual Learning Organize face-to-face and online experience-sharing sessions for mutual learning and support between countries
CLM NEWS CLM Francophone Academy: Towards Effective Implementation From October 3 to 5, 2023, 29 actors from 17 countries gathered who have devoted the last five years to the implementation of CLM and technical and financial support for citizen monitoring and accountability interventions. Organized by ITPC Global, the CLM Francophone Academy was the first event of this scale intended for French-speaking actors. During this academy, community stakeholders identified essential priorities for the development and implementation of CLM: 1. Recognize the CLM Cycle Length It is essential to understand that implementing a high-quality CLM cycle requires time, at least 18 months, to effectively meet its requirements. 2. Budget the Entire CLM Cycle All stages of the CLM cycle and the necessary resources must be properly budgeted to ensure complete and consistent implementation. 3. Be Realistic The expectations of partners and donors must be realistic, taking into account local realities and the constraints of implementing the CLM. 4. Preserve Autonomy and Independence It is essential to protect the autonomy and independence of implementing actors, without interference in decisions, particularly concerning the choice of indicators.
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5. Be CLM Champions CLM actors must promote training internally within their organizations and with donors. They should also establish training at all levels, from government to local levels, to strengthen understanding and commitment to CLM. Documenting success stories and challenges is essential. 6. Regional Coordination and Technical Support: Coordination and alignment of donors and technical partners should be encouraged to avoid duplication and enhance resource efficiency. SouthSouth exchanges between countries must be supported to promote mutual learning. The creation of a regional framework for consultation and harmonization of CLM interventions will strengthen the coherence and effectiveness of actions. The CLM Francophone academy marked an important step in strengthening the implementation of CLM in the French-speaking region. These identified priorities will guide future efforts to promote autonomy, coordination and effectiveness of CLM interventions.
20 Years of Passion, Struggle Impact: 20 years of ITPC
and
On the sidelines of the CLM Francophone Academy, a special celebration took place. ITPC marked its 20th anniversary in a memorable way. PAGE TEN | CO-NEWS
AGENDA To take part in this webinar, you are invited to register using the following link: https://us02web.zoom.us/webina r/register/WN_yQ6S7hQjTCWOrK qsitJ6AQ
22nd International Conference on AIDS and STIs in Africa (ICASA 2023 Zimbabwe) December 4 – 9, 2023
AIDS 2024, the 25th International AIDS Conference, will be held in Munich, Germany, and virtually from July 22-26, 2024 and is expected to bring together some 18,000 participants from around the world.
PAGE OUR | CO NEWS
CALL FOR CONTRIBUTIONS
Our topics interest you and you would like to contribute to our magazine? Contact us at: infos@itpcwa.org bkone@itpcwa.org to learn more about publishing opportunities. ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
You can find more resources on CLM by visiting: https://itpcglobal.org/fr/ressources/ https://clm.itpcglobal.org/ https://www.unaids.org/sites/default/files/media_asset/establishingcommunity-led-monitoring-hiv-services_fr.pdf
Copyright: © 2023 by ITPC WA. All rights reserved. The contents of this magazine are protected by copyright. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of ITPCWA