WEEKLY BULLETIN

WEEKLY BULLETIN
The National Empowerment Network of PLHIV in Kenya (NEPHAK)
say yes to life
say yes to life
say yes to life
say yes to life
24th – 30th May 2015
Edition 21
Time for Institutional Strengthening Devolving Health: Governors Need
More Action and Less Talk.
and Reflection at NEPHAK.
A head of the Annual General Meeting next week,
the leadership of NEPHAK last week re-treated to
Nakuru town to review its key governance and
management policies and develop new ones. The 5 –
day meeting brought together both the board and the
management of NEPHAK (see photo below) and was
supported by Trocaire which has been NEPHAK
partner since 2012.
As the Governors went for the elections of the Chair
of the Council of Governors, one issue that occupied
them is the issue of health. This is because some
Members of Parliament and Senators, including a few
professional bodies have openly asked that health
should not be devolved but should be refered back to
the national Government. The Governors wont hear
any of this.
However, it is our opinion at NEPHAK that if
Governors want to retain heath and health care as
devolved functions, then they need not say it but
need to act in a manner that is supportive of the
health sector: alloctate more resources, respect and
health professionals, including health care workers
and work closely with CSOs, including communities.
Meeting Particpents in Group Photo.
The meeting endede with a revised Constitution,
revised Board Manual, revised Finance, Procurement
and Adminsitration Manuals as well as Risk
Management plans. In addition, the network
developed its gender and child protection policies.
The revised and new policies shall now be ratified at
the Annual General Meeting scheduled for the 29th
May 2015.
For example, while we know resources supporting
HIV programming are mainly coming from external
partners, it is high time county government invested
in community based programmes that educate people
around HIV prevention and care. Secondly, what
direct support have counties given to the First adys
Beyond Zero Initiative? This is the task that faces the
new Council of Governors leadership.
Sauti Skika ALHIV Team Think
Charity Should Begin at Home!
And in an interesting development, adolescents
andyoung people infected and affected by HIV
under the Sauti Skika Initiative now want to be part
of NEPHAK Board. According to an email sent to
NEPHAK Board Chair, the Sauti Skika team have
requested for 2 slots in the board of NEPHAK. This,
and other items will be discussed at the NEPHAK
AGM this week.
Hand-over after the CoG Chair elections.
FACTBOX: According to the lastest communication from the Global Fund Secretariat to Kenya CCM leadership, the final
upper ceiling funding amount for grant-malking approved by the Secretatriat’s Grant approvals Committee (GAC) for Kenya
Single TB/HIV Concept Note is US$ 249,644,557.
TB/HIV Concept Note to GF Makes it
to Grant Making Stage
Hope for PLHIV Community as
Stigma Index Global partners Unite.
The Single TB/HIV Concept Note to the Global
Fund wil now proceed to the Grant Making Stage.
This development was communicated to the Kenya
CCM leadership by the Global Fund Secretariat last
week. As such, PLHIV and communities, including
representatives of key populations who have been
part of the Concept Note dialogue process should
prepare to actively engage in the grant-making
stage.
The hope for getting credible evidence to ensure
HIV stigma reduction has been revived with the
renewed partnership by the ICW, GNP+ and
UNAIDS who have been championing PLHIV
Stigma Index at the global level.
During grant-making stage, he Global Fund
Secretariat works with the national team and
especially organizations selected by a Country
Coordinating Mechanism to manage the grants
(known as Principal Recipients) to transform
technically sound concept notes into disbursementready grants. The Principal Recipient and
Secretariat country team also work jointly to
develop a Performance Framework, Budget and
Work Plan. The Kenya CCM already nominated the
National Treasury as Government PR and AMREF
and Kenya Red Cross Society as PRs for CSOs.
Country dialogue should continue into grant
making to ensure that the input of those who will
benefit from the programs is taken into account in
their detailed design and that the latest technical
and operational guidance is used. The grant will
again go through a second review by the Grant
Approvals Committee before it is presented to the
Board for approval.
Since the development of the Joint TB/HIV Concept
Note was based on broad and all-inclusive
consultations, the same is expected to continue
during the grant-making stage. In preparations for
this, NEPHAK and partners will be working to
prepare PLHIV and community representatives
take lead on this stage of the grant-making and to
provide feedback to the wider constituency.
It is during this stage that expertise and experience
of PLHIV and community leaders is needed to
ensure issues of gender, human rigthts and related
soft issues get into the grants workplans and
budgets.
NEPHAK Weekly Bulletin
However, as the global partners renew their
commitment to work on HIV related stigma, the
first greatest challenge is that there is currently no
specific grant to support the international
coordination of the Stigma Index programme, and
concomitantly, there is also no dedicated
coordinator in place.
The renewed global partnership on sstigma
initiatives comes at a time when the global
community have rallied their energies and thoughts
around the 90: 90: 90 targets and which there is an
acknowledgement that cannot be achieved without
stigma reduction.
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WHO Revised Treatment Gudilenes:
Get Involved.
The World Health Organization and partners is
calling upon PLHIV and affected communities
interested in HIV treatment and preventionwants
you to participate in a small survey!
The WHO HIV department is currently preparing
an update of the 2013 consolidated guidelines for
the use of antiretrovirals. The information you
provide will be collected and summarised by the
Global Network of People living with HIV (GNP+)
for use in the WHO Guideline Development Group
meeting to be held in June 2015. Get survey on the
link: www.surveymonkey.com/s/WHOsurvey_EN
The information will also provide direction and
content for the service delivery section of the
Guideline. This survey contains 9 questions and
should take as little as 10 minutes to complete. All
your answers will be treated anonymously and
confidentially. If you have any questions please
contact Victoria Clarke, External Relations and
Communications Officer at GNP+ at vclarke@gnpplus.net.
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Editor, P. O. Box 75654-00200 Nairobi. TEL: 0720209694, Email: info@nephak.or.ke, Website : www.nephak.or.ke, Twitter: NEPHAKPLHA