AEGiS-15IAC: Meeting the challenges of providing financial and technical support to NGOs and CBOs in the context of increased funding.

15th International AIDS Conference

Bangkok, Thailand - July 11-16, 2004

Meeting the challenges of providing financial and technical support to NGOs and CBOs in the context of increased funding.

Int Conf AIDS 2004 Jul 11-16; 15:(abstract no. MoOrE1040)

Daly KS, Sellers T, Pimenta de Oliveira MC, Lifuka R
International HIV/AIDS Alliance, Brighton, United Kingdom

ISSUES: Recent increases in support for civil society responses to HIV/AIDS through national and international commitments and funding mechanisms (e.g. Global Fund and World Bank MAP) has led to challenges in how to most effectively get this money to NGOs/CBOs. The capacity of NGOs/CBOs to be involved in national mechanisms and to deliver quality programmes is variable, requiring both financial and technical support to ensure that their involvement and responses are sustainable, effective and capable of being scaled up. If lessons learned about NGO/CBO support provision are not applied, increased money will be spent with very limited sustainable impact at the community level.

DESCRIPTION: This paper draws on the findings from evaluations of NGO Support Provision in Brazil and Zambia and of experiences of World Bank and Global Fund mechanisms in Eastern Europe, Asia, Africa and Latin America. It provides an analysis of the key factors that influence the effectiveness and sustainability of mechanisms for channelling funds and providing technical support to NGOs/CBOs. It discusses the requisite roles, modalities and effectiveness of NGO/CBO support programmes and the key factors leading to their success or failure in different contexts.

LESSONS LEARNED: There is no single model for NGO support, with different structures and functions required according to different contexts and needs. There are also particular challenges with support directly from government to communities. Sustainability and effectiveness of NGO/CBO responses are severely hampered by short-term financial commitments and a lack of organisational and technical support.

RECOMMENDATIONS: Decision-makers within the various funding mechanisms need to make use of intermediary support organisations with proven capacity and experience of working with NGOs and CBOs, and to ensure that technical support is consistently provided alongside financial support.

Keywords: AEGIS, Organizations, Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, Latin America, Financial Management, HIV Infections, United Nations, Health Planning Guidelines, Evaluation Studies, Demography, Asia, Africa, Brazil, Zambia, Europe, Eastern, economics

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MoOrE1040