The Namibia Programme
Equity and justice for PLHIV, LGBT+ people, sex workers, adolescent girls and young women and other marginalized and oppressed populations.
PV’s Namibian program is intrinsically motivated by national and sub-national processes that contribute to equity and justice for PLHIV, LGBT+ people, sex workers, adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) and other marginalized and oppressed populations.
Rooted in evidence and underpinned by human rights, our interventions seek to address both the internal and external challengesthese populations face, such as internalised and experienced stigma, human rights violations, criminalised legislation, exclusion from services (health care, legal and social services), and social life (church & family) among others.
As an indigenous player, the Namibian team is in the unique position to work at multiple levels: 1) at the centre with individuals, organisations, and with the networks representing these groups; 2) at community level, with service providers, local partners, community activists, community gate keepers, local media, civil society and community members; and c) at structural level, with policy and law makers, government bodies, donor agencies, regional and international influencing bodies. At this level, we also contribute substantially to the formulation of national and subnational guidance & policy documents, ensuring meaningful representation of our constituents.
Mutually reinforcing and complementary strategies are at the heart of our strategic design. We actively seek strategies that cut across programme areas, contribute to redressing process of othering, increase continuum of engagement and intervention dosage and support the collective growth of various movements. All these interventions are done in collaboration with groups we work with and other relevant stakeholders, to ensure the co-creation and co-ownership of responses.
These strategies include:
Currently, the PV Namibia response targets three broad target segments: 1) Key populations (LGBTIQ+ and Sex workers), 2) PLHIV, and 3) AGYW.
Key Populations
Projects within this portfolio collectively aim to a) Improve self – efficacy self-identification of sexual minority groups; b) Increase knowledge Levels on Sexual Health and Sexual and Reproductive Rights; c) reduce prejudicial practices; d) increase tolerance; e) increase access to appropriate and tailored services; f) increase social and legal protections for LGBT+ persons and sex workers; and g) strengthen the capacity of the social-and gender justice origination/sector in Namibia. As part of our work with the LGBT+ and Sex worker movements, considerable time and effort has been spent in the field of decriminalisation of those laws that infringe upon the constitutional rights for LGBT+ and sex workers, such as the right to dignity; equality and freedom from discrimination; the right to privacy; and the right to family, to name but a few.
These laws include but are not limited to the sodomy law and Combating of Immoral Practices Act.
The work also employs the several LILO curricula to affect the impacts at individual, group, community and organisational levels.
PLHIV
Our PLHIV portfolio is focused on the strengthening of community support systems and networks for PLHIV through personalisation methodologies, such as HIV & Me, support group strengthening, as well as methodologies that focus on treatment literacy, positive living, sexual reproductive health and psychosocial wellbeing for PLHIV in general, called Positive Health Dignity and Prevention. We also have a suite of interventions for Adolescents living with HIV (ALHIV), ALHIV teen clubs within health facilities, care takers, as well as health personnel, to ensure adolescent-friendly interventions.
AGYW
This HIV combination prevention programme focuses on behavioural, structural and biomedical interventions, focussing in out of school adolescent girls and young women. This portfolio specifically addresses self-efficacy in negotiating safer sexual practices through comprehensive sexuality and reproductive health rights interventions, stigma, discrimination and legal barriers to care for adolescents and youth, gender-based violence Converted efforts are also made to ensure youth at higher risk are placed in adolescent and youth friendlyprevention programmes, such as PREP interventions, and ALHIV are integrated into treatment and care interventions.Secondary audiences include adolescent boys and young men, parents, as well as adult men, to ensure that patriarchal systems are addressed at various levels.
