Welcome to ARASA


We are a regional partnership of over 50 non-governmental 
organisations working together to promote a human 
rights based response to HIV/AIDS and TB

PETITION: African Governments and the African Union: Invest Sustainable Resources in Health and HIV Responses!

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Civil Society is calling on African Heads of State to implement the Abuja Declaration and to honour the recommitment made to the Political Declaration signed in June 2011 toward Universal Access.

Now more than ever we need our African Governments to play a proactive role; and to step up and Invest Sustainable Domestic Resources in Health and HIV Responses.
It is time for Africa’s financial ownership of the response to HIV and AIDS!!!

To sign the petition please click here

WORLD AIDS DAY: Killing the Global Fund = Killing Us
December 1, 2011

At its 25th Board Meeting in Ghana, 20-22 November, the Global Fund Board decided to cancel Round 11, its funding opportunity for countries to put forward ambitious proposals for scale-up of HIV/AIDS, TB and/or malaria programs, National Strategies and health systems strengthening. The reason for this is lack ofmoney and unwillingness by the donors to invest more in AIDS, TB and malaria through the Global Fund.

The immediate consequence is that countries will only be able to apply for funding for continuation of essential prevention, treatment and/or care programs currently financed by the Global Fund that will otherwise face disruption between January 2012 and 31 March 2014. Funding for new programs and scale-up would only come available again as of 2014. This happens at a time when the Global Fund Board also approved a new Strategy 2012-2016 with ambitious targets – that could fundamentally change the course of the epidemics.

SWAPOL Receives Regional Award at ARASA Annual Partnership Forum

The ARASA partnership congratulates Swazliand Positive Living (SWAPOL) for the work they have accomplished and the impact they have made in the pursuit of the alignment of human rights and HIV/AIDS. The ARASA Grant award is made up of the ARASA Glass Heart and a monetary award of USD 10 000.

SWAPOL is at the forefront of Swaziland’s response to HIV/AIDS. While it operates in a politically and legally hostile environment, SWAPOL has succeeded in driving community based projects and activities that have created a space and boosted the skills required for making their needs known to local and national government officials in the pursuit of meaningful advocacy of policy change.

TB Hero's Tackling TB one step at a time
(Now available online)

The Three I’s for TB/HIV toolkit marks a highlight in the work that ARASA and its partners are doing in supporting and strengthening current TB/HIV interventions.

In the spirit of joint responsibility and ownership for a targeted effort to address the dual epidemics an initiative was taken to create accessible and scientifically accurate training and advocacy materials to promote the accelerated implementation of the Three I’s for HIV/TB.

The TB Heroes Toolkit is made up of a TB Booklet can be downloaded here and the Best Practice Booklet which can be dowlnloaded here.

LGBT Africans Face Blackmail and Extortion on a Regular Basis
Homophobic Laws and Social Stigma to Blame

Press Release

(Johannesburg, February 15, 2011) Antiquated laws against same-sex sexual activity as well as deeply ingrained social stigma result in the all-too-frequent targeting of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people in Africa for blackmail and extortion, said the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC) in a report launched today.

The report, Nowhere to Turn: Blackmail and Extortion of LGBT People in Sub-Saharan Africa, illustrates how LGBT Africans are made doubly vulnerable by the criminalization of homosexuality and the often-violent stigmatization they face if their sexuality is revealed. Based on research from 2007 to the present, the volume features articles and research by leading African activists and academics on the prevalence, severity and impact of these human rights violations on LGBT people in Cameroon, Ghana, Malawi, Nigeria, and Zimbabwe. Read more...

Equal Rights for LGBTI persons in Africa

Please share your thoughts on this draft with us, which can easily be posted here OR emailed to equalrights4all@arasa.info.

Please post your comments.
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NOW AVAILABLE IN PORTUGUESE

ARASA Training Manual for HIV/AIDS and Human Rights Advocacy

This comprehensive manual sets out information on HIV/AIDS and Human rights, with a focus on Southern Africa, in an accessible and user-friendly format.
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International, African and country legal obligations on women’s equality in relation to sexual and reproductive health including HIV and AIDS

This report relates to international and domestic legal obligations regarding women's equality and sexual and reproductive health and rights for various audiences.
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