Stop Sida activites since 2005 and ways forward
report by Noe Sebisaba
Since Stop SIDA was and still is in its transitional period from Tanzania to Burundi, most of its founders and initiators were on their way to return to Burundi, thus repatriation and reintegration in their motherland. Stop SIDA was not preserved from the aftermath of that transition. Stop SIDA got less articles and documents, however, it is legally registered in Burundi. The following is a briefing on how activities are going on, working hypotheses and challenges.
I. KEY DATES OF THE TRANSITION PERIOD
April 8th to 10th, 2005
A coordination meeting which gathered Stop SID representatives from Kanembwa, Mtendeli and Nduta camps has been held with a mandate of analyzing “what will become Stop SIDA during the repatriation and when camps will be closed”. A team of 4 volunteers leaded by the Stop SIDA founder, Noe Sebisaba, was appointed to repatriate with an agenda:
a) To make sure that Burundi Government especially the ministries in charge of HIV/AIDS, Health, Reintegration and Reinsertion and Home affairs are “lobbied” about the importance of supporting and facilitating Stop SIDA initiatives in its repatriation process;
b) To contact local authorities of Cankuzo and Ruyigi provinces so as to inform them about Stop SIDA’s plan of transferring its activities initiated in the refugee camps;
c) To make sure that the documentary film “Love in the Time of AIDS” is viewed in Burundi through National TV and local residents in the provinces which will be concerned by Stop SIDA first intervention;
d) To make sure that the constitution of Stop SIDA is legally registered;
e) To recruit new Stop SIDA members within Burundi;
f) To insure liaison and communication between Stop SIDA Burundi and Tanzania
g) To open an account in the name of Stop SIDA;
h) To analyze Burundi situation and elaborate an adapted action plan;
i) To mobilize funds;
j) To open an office in Ruyigi or Cankuzo province
k) To deal with any other issue related to the transition period.*
*From “STOP SIDA country strategy once in Burundi” produced during the April 8th to 10th coordination meeting.
All the activities were planed to be achieved within 6 months. The budget proposed reached 23,348,600 Tanzanian shillings. The project was submitted to LWF\TCRS, the sponsor of Stop SIDA at that time.
Despite the non availability of the amount requested, the team of 4 decided to cross the border in may 2005. Here are the team achievements since the repatriation till now:
October 30th,2005:
A Constitutive Assembly made of 21 members signed Stop SIDA adapted constitution;
November 2005:
The documentary film “Love in the Time of AIDS” is submitted to the RTNB (Radio Television Nationale), the unique TV within the country. Since the date till now, it has been screened by RTNB five times and the recent one was on 19th March.
December 30th,2005:
Stop SIDA constitution is registered by the notary, Master Barahiraje Soter, under the number M/1876 of 7th volume of their office;
February 16th, 2006:
Stop SIDA is registered by the Burundi government as a Non Government Organization working on HIV under the number 530/142;
June 2006:
During UNGASS conference, UNHCR screened the documentary film “Love in the Time AIDS”;
July 10th to 15th 2006:
Funded by LWF Burundi, Stop SIDA Burundi sent a delegation in Burundian refugee camps in Western Tanzania. Stop SIDA members within camps agree on transfer of Stop SIDA properties from camps to Burundi;
September 2006:
Funded by LWF Burundi, Stop SIDA Burundi constructed at Rusengo a transit cowshed intended to welcome 27 dairy cows and 28 dairy goats to be transferred from Tanzania refugee camps to Burundi.
August 6th to 18th, 2006:
Stop SIDA founder participated in AIDS world meetings in Toronto funded by UHHCR, LWF Burundi and DCA:
- August 10th and 11th, he participated in the Faith Based Organization pre-conference,
- August 12th, he delivered a 15 minutes speech on leadership on AIDS in conflicts situations during the pre-conference organized by UNICEF and UNHCR,
- August 13th to 18th, he participated in the 2006 AIDS Conference. The documentary film “Love in the Time of AIDS” was screened in Global Village. He also co-chaired the “Migrant, Mobile Populations and refugees: key challenges session with UNHCR staff;
October 17th, 2006:
Stop SIDA chairperson and founder submitted to the Ministry in charge of HIV\AIDS a presentation letter with a copy to the National Council against HIV\AIDS (CNLS);
December 19th to 21st,2006:
LWF\TCRS HIV department officials, Stop SIDA leaders and People Living with HIV\AIDS from Tanzania visited different sites within Burundi where Stop SIDA is operating in Ruyigi and Cankuzo provinces;
December 26th to 28th,2006:
Funded by LWF Burundi, Stop SIDA conducted an “enjoy safe” workshop and campaign in Gisuru and Cendajuru communes to caution the population on ending year festivities;
January 11th ,2006:
Stop SIDA submitted to the Ministry of Home Affairs the 2006 annual report with copy to the Ministry in charge of AIDS, the National Council against HIH\AIDS, and the Presidents of National Council in Ruyigi and Cankuzo provinces;
February 28th to March 2nd:
Stop SIDA founder and chairperson made a “go and see visit” in Gasorwe Congolese refugee camp to see how Stop SIDA can orient its initiative once it is funded by Great Lakes Initiatives on AIDS (GLIA) funds;
March 4th,2007:
In collaboration with the Legal Representative of United Methodist Church in Burundi, Stop SIDA screened the documentary film “Love in the Time of AIDS” during the mass;
March 13th to 16th, 2007:
Stop SIDA secretary made a “go and see” visit Burundian refugee camps in Kibondo district-Tanzania to see how to arrange the transfer of Stop SIDA livestock to Burundi. Refugees claim that humanitarian agencies don’t want to facilitate this exercise while camps are about to be emptied in population;
March 13th to 16th, 2007:
Stop SIDA chairperson and founder went to Nairobi (Kenya) to attend workshop on Monitoring and Evaluation of GLIA system;
March 31st, 2007:
Stop SIDA founder and Sandrine Pont-Turco of FilmAid International met at Bujumbura to discuss about Participatory Video Project Terms of Reference between their respective organizations which will be conducted both in Kibondo Burundian refugee camps and in Burundi Stop SIDA intervention zones.
II. STOP SIDA MAIN CHALLENGES
For more than 23 months of existence within Burundi, Stop SIDA has not yet received a sustainable donor. Stop SIDA acts using the meager contributions from members or punctual funds from partners.
a) Because of the above mentioned situation, Stop SIDA is not able to respect its action plan. For many times it is obliged to readapt its actions or execute punctual activities of other organizations. This situation disturbs its vision, its action plan and the flow of its timetable and thus difficult to monitor and evaluate them.
b) In addition, Stop SIDA doesn’t have a permanent staff. Beginning by the chairperson, Stop SIDA acts totally using volunteers who are torn between earning their life elsewhere and volunteering within Stop SIDA.
Stop SIDA is an organization working now on repatriation and integration. It is to notice two resistances to its initiatives :
While working to promote repatriation, there is less will to implement such agreement in Tanzania.
While working to promote the integration, potential partners within Burundi and donors hesitate to support because they ignore the competence and capacity of Stop SIDA.
III. HYPOTHESIS\ASSUMPTIONS
A sustainable support to Stop SIDA has to come from organizations which are aware on the relevance of its initiatives such as UNHCR, LWF, and FilmAid International etc.
Stop SIDA is working on relevant issues but new (unknown): repatriation and reintegration.
Stop SIDA has to work hard on the advertisement of its initiatives, competence and capacity.
The documentary film “Love in Time of AIDS” is a good asset to make a good record.
Stop SIDA needs a sustainable coordination between Burundi and Tanzania.