Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2003. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Cresent Societies - 29 October 2003
Pekka Reinikainen in Munyonyo, Uganda
But how this partnership is working and its current effectiveness were issues being examined at the 11th International Conference for People Living with HIV/AIDS in the Ugandan capital, Kampala, this week.
"For us, twinning with GNP+ is an essential part of our strategy to address the pandemic. In addition, the International Federation has some 200,000 staff and volunteers globally living with HIV," said Javier Hourcade Belloq, manager of the International Federation's global campaign against HIV/AIDS related stigma and discrimination.
Julian Hows, a member of the board of GNP+ for Europe told conference participants he hoped that the International Federation's engagement in the partnership would be a sound, lasting one. That it would not be a case of people with HIV/AIDS being flavour of the month. That the Federation would not find other less "tiresome" and more "grateful" "victims" to work with.
Nevertheless, he felt the partnership was showing great promise. "It has created new resources for many of our regional organizations. It has changed the lives of many individual persons living with HIV and AIDS. The partnership has also sensitized many within the Federation to issues faced by those living with HIV/AIDS," he said. The result, he acknowledged was that people with HIV have become part of the Federation's activities as partners, not 'patients'.
Any doubt concerning the International Federation's commitment to its partnership with GNP+ was soon dealt with.
"The Red Cross and Red Crescent is its volunteer corps. Ninety-seven million staff and volunteers serving humanity. Our people are infected, affected and interested. They will not go anywhere. Thus, the Red Cross and Red Crescent is not going to shy away from its commitments either," said Patricia Nyabadza, the International Federation's HIV/AIDS programme officer from its regional delegation in the Zimbabwean capital, Harare.
Implementing this partnership at regional levels has occurred in stages.
Dorothy Odhiambo, co-founder of the Network of African People Living with HIV/AIDS (NAP+) and senior HIV/AIDS partnership officer at the International Federation's regional delegation in Nairobi, recalled the scene when International Federation representative, Patrick Couteau, approached NAP+ for the first time.
"We looked at this stranger that entered our office. We measured him, sized him up and down. Since we cannot donate blood and we do not need their blankets or tents, so what are you doing here Red Cross man, we asked," she said.
Luckily, Patrick's persistence, stubbornness and patience paid off and he convinced NAP+, a regional member of GNP+, of the potential benefits of the partnership.
So much so that when Patrick advertised for HIV positive people to apply for a job as the Federation's HIV/AIDS partnership officer, Dorothy applied for it. Chosen for the job, she nevertheless questioned whether she had done the right thing when she started her job and saw the nice offices of the International Federation in Nairobi. But that doubt also didn't stay long.
"Patrick was fast to focus my attention to what was essential: to go out there and do well for the people with HIV/AIDS community," she recalls.
A turning point for her was to read through the seven principles of the Red Cross Red Crescent movement. "I did it several times. There was this immediate feeling of connecting fully with these basic commands of the humanitarian work."
She now strongly feels that the partnership has added value to the networks of people living with HIV/AIDS in many East African countries. Critical opportunities have been opened that would otherwise not be there and that such a partnership could be a roadmap for future leaders among the positive community, she feels.
For NAP+ regional coordinator for Southern Africa, Augustine Chella, the benefits of this partnership include the Federation formally identifying people with HIV/AIDS as vulnerable communities in need of assistance and the engagement of positive people in staff and volunteer posts.
"The partnership also gives us participatory power through the prestige of the Federation and it gives us the possibility to grow as managers of our own agenda. To me, this partnership is real and meaningful," she said.
The partnership, which had begun with the support and encouragement of UNAIDS (the United Nations Joint Programme on AIDS), was formally launched at the UN's special general assembly on AIDS in 2001.
"UNAIDS regards the partnership as a leading example of building on the strengths of key organizations to accelerate the global response to AIDS," said Salvatore Niyonzima, UNAIDS adviser on the greater involvement of people living with HIV/AIDS, who is also attending the conference.
The partnership has so far resulted in joint missions by regional organizations of both the International Federation and GNP+ to encourage concrete cooperation, such as creating self-support groups and cooperation between national societies of both organizations.
One such recent mission was to the Sudan, where as result a new national association for Sudanese people living with HIV and AIDS was formed in cooperation with the Sudanese Red Crescent Society.
Another example of cooperation came from Lynde Francis who works for a HIV/AIDS centre in Zimbabwe. She said her organization had begun cooperation with the Red Cross way before the formal partnership between the International Federation and GNP+ was formed. She reminded people that the Red Cross is also at the receiving end of all this. Her centre has been training Red Cross staff for the past five years. "Our synergy is wonderful," she added.
In Asia Pacific, support from the International Federation's regional delegation in Bangkok and the Australian Red Cross to GNP+'s office in the region has also been appreciated. "We now have office space, access to facilities and feel very much empowered. I cannot stress enough the central role that the Federation has had in our own region," said Gregory Gray, GNP+ Asia Pacific regional coordinator.
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