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Communication & Engagement Impact Story

Impact Story 19: Putting communities at the centre of the HIV response

We hear it everywhere: it is time to shift the power and communities should be put in the driver’s seat of the changes that they envision. But, in reality, do we really walk the talk? 

In this series, we highlight the Innovation Impact Stories of our members. They share their projects with a focus on new, innovative ways to make an impact, and accelerate change to a better world!

22 May 2024

Putting communities at the centre of the HIV response

By Aidsfonds

The Love Alliance – a strategic partnership funded by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which brings together national thought leaders GALZ, SANPUD and Sisonke, regional grantmakers ARASA, UHAI EASHRI, and ISDAO, with the global network of people living with HIV (GNP+) and the Netherlands-based administrative lead Aidsfonds. 

Shifting power to the community

We hear it everywhere: it is time to shift the power and communities should be put in the driver’s seat of the changes that they envision. But, in reality, do we really walk the talk? As we speak, communities still have little control over funds, have limited resources, are still being tokenized, and are hardly ever involved in the development of programmes. How do we change that and what role do donors have to change the system? How can we not only transfer power to those most affected, but also actively change the way programmes are done? 

Love Alliance puts communities at the centre of the HIV response

In the video below, Samuel Matsikure, Team Leader Key Populations at Aidsfonds and former Programmes Manager at GALZ, talks about the Love Alliance programme. He dives into the way the Love Alliance puts communities at the centre of the HIV response. We build on existing evidence on the effectiveness of rights-based responses that focus on and meaningfully engage LGBTIQ+ people, sex workers, people who use drugs, with specific attention for people living with HIV, women and young people within these communities.

Working with the participatory grantmaking approach 

Beyond that, we work with the participatory grantmaking approach -which is an approach that centers the community being served where community members help design and drive projects. They are also included in setting goals, making decisions about how to allocate resources, and evaluating impact.

More about the Love Alliance

The Love Alliance – a strategic partnership funded by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which brings together national thought leaders GALZ, SANPUD and Sisonke, regional grantmakers ARASA, UHAI EASHRI, and ISDAO, with the global network of people living with HIV (GNP+) and the Netherlands-based administrative lead Aidsfonds.

Check out the Participatory Grantmaking Approach