Building HIV positive organisations
Positive Organisation: Living and Working with the Invisible Impact of HIV/AIDS” CDRA, 2003 “The impact of the [HIV] epidemic on the NGO sector can only increase in the future. As the epidemic moves from its early stages of HIV infection to the later stages of AIDS deaths, there will be a greater direct impact on all employers in South Africa, including NGOs…”

HIV and AIDS affect every aspect of our lives. And, while the majority of civil society organisations have a thorough understanding of the potential impacts of HIV and AIDS on the communities with whom they work, very few have examined the impact that HIV/AIDS will have on the staff of their organizations and consequently on the way their own organisations will deliver services and manage their day-to-day work. Even fewer have formulated even a basic response to this potential crisis.
Smaller civil society organisations, in particular community based organisations (CBOs) and small localised NGOs, are in a precarious position. Their low staff numbers and high reliance on an active volunteer base makes them particularly vulnerable should any of staff be HIV positive. Many of these organisations deliver critical welfare services to the most marginalised communities and threats to these organisations place these marginal communities at even greater risk. HIV and AIDS have the potential to mortally damage organisations that are often the only lifeline many people in South Africa have.

Participating organsitions work in learning groups to examine the impact of HIV and AIDS on civil society organisations broadly and their organisations specifically. The programme will aim to:
build an understanding of the predicted impact and to relate that to their individual organisations develop individual workplace programmes and action plans to address the impact test and adapt/refine their workplace programmes participate in a peer learning to share experiences and exchange advice and learning from implementation
At the end of the process participants will have:
a stronger understanding of the impact of HIV and AIDS on their organisations; developed and tested potential responses to these impacts participated actively in the sharing of experiences and learning seen the value of cooperative work (networking) developed a shared vision and strategy for responding to HIV in the civil society workplace had opportunity to share their reflections and insights with broader civil society
Each learning group supported by Project Empower will produce;
individual impact models (qualitative and empirical) for each organisation an HIV workplace programme and action plans for implementation documented lessons from implementation a stable learning group of organisations that will continue to meet over time a strategy document outlining future plans and suggestions to deal with the impact of HIV on CSOs a report detailing the process and lessons learned
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Building HIV positive organisations

Positive Organisation: Living and Working with the Invisible Impact of HIV/AIDS” CDRA, 2003

“The impact of the [HIV] epidemic on the NGO sector can only increase in the future. As the epidemic moves from its early stages of HIV infection to the later stages of AIDS deaths, there will be a greater direct impact on all employers in South Africa, including NGOs…”

HIV and AIDS affect every aspect of our lives. And, while the majority of civil society organisations have a thorough understanding of the potential impacts of HIV and AIDS on the communities with whom they work, very few have examined the impact that HIV/AIDS will have on the staff of their organizations and consequently on the way their own organisations will deliver services and manage their day-to-day work. Even fewer have formulated even a basic response to this potential crisis.

Smaller civil society organisations, in particular community based organisations (CBOs) and small localised NGOs, are in a precarious position. Their low staff numbers and high reliance on an active volunteer base makes them particularly vulnerable should any of staff be HIV positive. Many of these organisations deliver critical welfare services to the most marginalised communities and threats to these organisations place these marginal communities at even greater risk. HIV and AIDS have the potential to mortally damage organisations that are often the only lifeline many people in South Africa have.

Participating organsitions work in learning groups to examine the impact of HIV and AIDS on civil society organisations broadly and their organisations specifically. The programme will aim to:

build an understanding of the predicted impact and to relate that to their individual organisations
develop individual workplace programmes and action plans to address the impact
test and adapt/refine their workplace programmes
participate in a peer learning to share experiences and exchange advice and learning from implementation

At the end of the process participants will have:

a stronger understanding of the impact of HIV and AIDS on their organisations;
developed and tested potential responses to these impacts
participated actively in the sharing of experiences and learning
seen the value of cooperative work (networking)
developed a shared vision and strategy for responding to HIV in the civil society workplace
had opportunity to share their reflections and insights with broader civil society

Each learning group supported by Project Empower will produce;

individual impact models (qualitative and empirical) for each organisation
an HIV workplace programme and action plans for implementation
documented lessons from implementation
a stable learning group of organisations that will continue to meet over time
a strategy document outlining future plans and suggestions to deal with the impact of HIV on CSOs
a report detailing the process and lessons learned

back to main programme page