Religious leaders advocate over HIV/AIDS, South Africa - VSO

Advocacy case study: South Africa
Religious leaders advocate over HIV/AIDS
Challenge
VSO advocacy volunteer Caroline Opinde worked in South Africa with the
International Network of Religious Leaders Living With or Personally
Affected by HIV/AIDS (INERELA+) to develop their advocacy and
knowledge management portfolios which aided them in advancing the
rights of all vulnerable people living with HIV/AIDS.
Caroline Opinde commented, “At the beginning of my placement at
INERELA+, there were a number of gaps that had a ripple effect in slowing
down the advocacy work that INERELA+ is involved in at congregational,
national, regional and International level.”
The main challenges were; an inefficient system of documenting learning
and successes, a lack of ambition for advocacy work, and a lack of skills in
fundraising and implementing programmes. This meant that religious
leaders were ill‐equipped and unengaged in dealing with HIV related
stigma, infections and deaths within faith communities
Catalyst
Caroline set about designing and fundraising for a two‐year project, the
goal of which was to empower religious leaders to help vulnerable people
living with HIV/AIDS in their faith communities. Her role also included
mapping out advocacy opportunities specifically on the behalf of
identified marginalised groups, such as migrant labourers, refugees,
lesbian and gay communities, sex workers and young girls.
She achieved the project’s goals by ensuring INERELA + was represented
in strategic meetings and activities on HIV/AIDS from national to
international levels. For example INERELA+ represented the religious
sector in the 2009 World AIDS DAY (WAD) (South Africa) planning
committee and drafted the key national messages at an event President
Zuma attended.
Through Carolyne and other senior leaders, INERELA+ actively
participated and presented at the XVIII World AIDS conference in Vienna
in which over 20,000 people attended, giving them a truly international
platform. Additionally, her fundraising efforts boosted the visibility and
programmes of INERELA+.
Caroline strongly promoted INERELA+ through the media. She also built
the capacity of INERELA+ by designing an interactive website which now
allows members to chat and air their views on different issues. She was

also instrumental in publishing a quarterly newsletter Positive Faith in
Action distributed to national offices, 18 in Africa and 16 other
international faith based organisations, including World Vision, Cordaid
and Cafod. The newsletter produced articles and stories written by faith
based leaders, who called on their followers to change their attitude
towards stigmatising people living with HIV/AIDS.
Results
As a result of Caroline’s work, religious leaders now talk more freely and
confidently (including to their congregations) on HIV/AIDS thus reducing
the stigma associated with it significantly. To some extent, marginalised
groups are now being included in HIV/AIDS programming.
Importantly, the voice of religious leaders can now be heard in strategic
discussions at all levels. The 18 national offices in Africa which receive the
INERELA+ newsletter also are capitalising on the respect that they receive
as religious leaders to shape and influence policy at national level. Thus it
can be said that INERELA+ as a whole are influencing policy at an
international level.
In reflection, by placing volunteers in strategic places, VSO is able to build
the capacity of organisations that have an international reach and thus
influence international policy.