Advocacy in Action - International AIDS Society

Example: Working from inside the system
Seat on sub-committee helps Kenyan NGOs input into national policy
The director of a Kenyan NGO coalition was given a seat on a Ministry of Health subcommittee
during the development of the country’s first comprehensive national policy
on HIV/AIDS.
The Kenya AIDS NGO Consortium (KANCO) worked closely with the various Ministry of
Health sub-committees to inform their members and to advocate for the consortium’s
recommendations. Allan Ragi, the Director of KANCO, even represented KANCO as a
member of the sub-committee responsible for the strategies and interventions section of
the national policy.
As a result of this collaboration between the consortium and the government, all of
KANCO’s eight priority issues were addressed in the final document, adopted in 1997.
Reference: Making Prevention Work, Global Lessons Learned from the AIDS Control and Prevention (AIDSCAP)
Project 1991-1997.
Advocacy in Action Card 3 Working from inside the system
Advice
✔ Try to prepare before a meeting, by
going through the agenda and planning
what to say.
✔ Try to use facts and figures, personal
testimony and other evidence to
support your points.
✔ Try to report back to the people you
represent, soon after the meeting.
✔ Try to get to know other committee
members.
✔ Try to assist the committee in its work
– they will be more likely to support
your proposals.
✘ Try not to follow personal/political
objectives at the expense of the people
who you represent.
✘ Try not to keep your seat on a
committee if you no longer have time to
attend meetings – let someone else use
that valuable opportunity.
✘ Try not to ‘ambush’ committee
members with surprise controversial
proposals unless you are sure it is the
best tactic.