RESEARCH SUMMARY

June 2002

Greater Involvement of PLHA in NGO Service Delivery: Findings From a Four-country Study

Conclusions and Recommendations

Findings from this four-country study show that there are many ways for PLHA to take part in the activities of NGOs and that the four types of involvement—access, inclusion, participation, and greater involvement—embrace a wide range of roles. However, the most common types of involvement observed in the NGOs that participated in the study were access and inclusion. Most PLHA involved in service delivery were volunteers, often working on an informal basis, and relatively few were employed as professionals by NGOs. Nevertheless, an important finding of the study is that all types of involvement can make a difference and that meaningful PLHA involvement should not be equated with public visibility and disclosure.

The study also highlights the fact that PLHA involvement in NGO activities is an organizational process and if key steps are not taken, the positive effects tend to be limited and negative effects can increase. For example, if PLHA are involved in outreach education without receiving the necessary training and support, this can adversely affect the quality of the service and can be harmful for the PLHA themselves.

NGOs can overcome many of the factors that limit involvement by implementing the following recommendations:

Promote positive and non-discriminatory attitudes and policies toward PLHA.

• Assess the attitudes of management and service providers and provide them with sensitization training where necessary.
   
• Review policies and procedures and overhaul those that stigmatize or discriminate against PLHA, including women and MSM.
   
• Ensure the confidentiality of all PLHA, both staff and clients.
   
• Allow PLHA to make decisions about their own disclosure and visibility.

Build the capacity of PLHA for involvement.

• Provide accurate information about prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS, as well as about services available to PLHA within the organization and from other sources.
   
• Use counseling services as a starting point for empowering beneficiaries.
   
• Orient PLHA to opportunities for involvement within the organization.
   
• Ensure that PLHA receive free or affordable training relevant to their activities like any other staff member or volunteer.
   
• Plan individual follow-up to training to ensure that benefits are not short term.

Offer psychological support, including peer support, to PLHA.

• Ensure that care and support provided by “professional” service providers is high quality and complemented by peer support.
   
• Provide PLHA beneficiaries with the opportunity to meet other PLHA, either through peer counseling or support group meetings, taking into account gender and sexual orientation.
   
• Counsel PLHA and their families prior to giving public testimony or becoming more widely visible.
   
• Develop counseling strategies to help PLHA cope with perceived and actual experiences of stigma and discrimination.

Network with other organizations and services to foster PLHA involvement.

• Encourage public and private sector HIV testing services to offer information to PLHA about NGO services and to refer PLHA to NGOs as quickly as possible.
   
• Diversify activities and choose communication strategies carefully to avoid identification as solely a “PLHA organization.”
   
• Work with other groups to reduce stigma and discrimination at the community level by promoting tolerance and compassion, improving community knowledge and awareness about HIV/AIDS, sensitizing community and religious leaders, and advocating for the legal and human rights of PLHA.

Provide material support to PLHA with few resources.

• Provide remuneration depending on the amount of time spent on activities and skills used. This could include financial compensation, food, drugs, medical care, travel reimbursement, or childcare.
   
• Ensure that PLHA have free or low cost access to health care, including treatment for opportunistic infections, by offering health insurance, access to the NGO’s own care facilities, or referral to other organizations or public services.

Table of Contents

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See Also

• Population Council – Burkina Faso
• Population Council – Ecuador
• Population Council – India
• Population Council – Zambia
• Population Council – HIV/AIDS

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For additional information please contact: 
Horizons 
Population Council 
4301 Connecticut Ave. NW, Suite 280 
Washington, DC 20008
Telephone: +1 202 237 9400 
Facsimile: +1 202 237 8410 
E-mail: horizons@popcouncil.org 

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This page updated
19 Oct 2007