Cameroonian Campaign Platform

Summary

The World AIDS Campaign has been involved in Cameroon since 2009.

WAC’s Africa Regional Coordinator visited Cameroon in July 2009 and met with representatives of ten national organizations, the UNAIDS Country Office and representatives of the National AIDS Council. This was followed in the visit programme by a preparatory discussion to devise a strategy for an HIV campaigners meeting. This workshop was organized in collaboration with I-Change, the Central Africa Treatment Action Group (CATAG), REDS and RéCAP+. These four agencies have become the key partners for WAC in Cameroon.

The campaigners meeting took place in October 2009. It attracted 60 participants from CSOs and networks of PLHIV from across Cameroon. The objective of this meeting was to bring together campaigners from a disparate range of agencies and locations, with a range of insights around the most significant HIV-related challenges in Cameroon, into one space to discuss and develop a coordinated campaigning platform and to agree on key areas of HIV-related advocacy and lobbying. The agenda focused on a combination of information provision and skills training.

The outcomes of the meeting were as follows:

Participants provided with the most up to date, understandable information available on the current situation in respect to HIV Universal Access in Cameroon

A campaigning and advocacy workplan for 2009 -2011 was developed

An agreed response to the pending drug stock out facing PLHIV.

Progress of the HIV Bill was detailed, and a campaign targeting parliamentarians to put the bill back on the agenda was developed.

Production of the Yaoundé Declaration, an advocacy tool highlighting five key areas of concerns that required action by government.

Follow-up has included engagement by the WAC Africa Regional Coordinator in a training program on advocacy supported by ITPC and CATAG. CATAG then organised a Central Africa treatment Literacy and advocacy program that WAC facilitated. A cross border collaboration plan was developed amongst the 10 countries.

Programme Partners

• Réseau Camerounais des Associations de Personnes Vivant Avec le VIH (RéCAP+)
• Swaa
• ICHANGE
• CATAG
• UNAIDS
• REDS
• ITPC
• ICW

Mission and Vision

• An inclusive and diverse PLHIV movement-centered, civil society-led structure that is sustainable;
• A structure which thinks and acts strategically to achieve Universal Access through campaigning, advocacy and lobbying; and
• A structure, which is realistic about the need to act with others regionally and globally in addressing the barriers to achieving Universal Access.

Current Campaigns

• To ensure no drug stock outs - availability of ARVs and OI drugs
• Ensure that an HIV Bill is adopted
• Free CD4 count tests and free HIV tests particularly for pregnant women
• Financial Transaction Tax as part of a broader health and HIV financing campaign
• Focus on capacity building of the civil society partners

Other

I-Change, the Central Africa Treatment Action Group (CATAG), REDS and RéCAP+ (see above for full names). These four agencies have become the key partners for WAC in Cameroon

We provided e-advice on drug stock and developed Adopt a clinic campaign. We provided support to their media strategy to highlight the effects of the funding cuts of the Global Fund.