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Who We Are

About us

WACI Health is an Africa regional advocacy organization committed to creating political will to end life-threatening epidemics and improve health for all in Africa.

Our History

We started out as World AIDS Campaign (WAC) in 1997, to focus on raising public awareness on specific issues on the global AIDS response. This was achieved by working to support and strengthen campaigning on HIV accountability among diverse civil society constituencies worldwide.

WACI was also tasked to lead the planning and observance of the International World Aids Day. In 2004, became an independent NGO based in the Netherlands.

In 2008, the organization undertook a strategic shift that would lead to the registration of World Aids Campaign International  (WACI) in South Africa. Over the following (4) years, WACI would see a range of institutional and leadership transitions. From a global organization, founded and headquartered in Europe, working in various geographical regions, including: Europe, Africa, Asia, Middle East and North Africa, to an organization that is today based and focused on Africa addressing not only HIV but also broader issues in health.

The organization’s deliberate shift to focus on Africa was guided by the need to be more conscientious, more innovative and even more accountable and streamlined in our approaches as we continued to ensure that the organization maintained her pivotal role in the global AIDS response, while continually embracing and incorporating the broader health development agenda into her work.

After seven (7) years as World AIDS Campaign International, the organization is now referred to as ‘WACI Health’.

 

Vision

Health for all in Africa

Mission

WACI Health exists to champion the end of life-threatening epidemics and health for all in Africa by influencing political priorities through an effective, evidence-driven Pan-African civil society voice and action.


Our Strategic Approach

In our transition from World AIDS Campaign International to WACI Health, we remain committed to responding vigorously to epidemics such as AIDS, TB and malaria as well as associated causes of death. In addition, the shifting field of global health calls us to support long-term investments in health and explore the interconnectedness of major infectious diseases and conditions that continue to kill many across the world. At the core of our strategy is a deliberate intention to broadly contribute to health equity, human rights and gender equality.

Our approach is based on our theory of change, which is made up of three core strategies:

  1. Policy and advocacy: Policy watch and analysis for strategic input and accountability at global, regional and national levels. Through political advocacy, we will seek to influence perceptions, views and decisions of those in positions of power. We will continually seek to achieve improved tools for data analysis and evidence for advocacy.
  2. Civil society Capacity Strengthening: Strengthening capacity of Civil Society to engage as strong advocates for health in Africa. We will support realization of appropriate civil society capacity for utilization of tools, and knowledge to apply evidence in advocacy. We will seek to strengthen civil society and community organizing for health advocacy.
  • Civil society mobilization: Building a civil society movement in Africa in order to raise a critical mass of people whose voices and action will be core to ending the epidemics and improving health for all in Africa. We envisage a movement that will broadly contribute to health equity, human rights and gender equality.

The theory of change is dynamic and interactive, with all of the strategies working together to impact 3 areas of Global Health work, which broadly point to our strategic goals.

 

  1. Resources for health: We will focus on urging national governments and international agencies to step up their investments in health through transparent investments.
  2. Research and Development: We will focus on supporting health research and development with an aim to see that its application and delivery results to access to health products, technologies, innovations and better health for the people most in need.
  • Civic Engagement: We will strive to support stronger civil society and community voice and action. We see this strengthening/empowerment not only as a process in health advocacy but also an end in itself where empowerment contributes to sustainability beyond specific processes.
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African Countries Step Up Contributions to the Global Fund

GENEVA – African countries increased investments in the Global Fund as global health partners seek to galvanize all sources of funding to end AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria as epidemics, and to build resilient and sustainable systems for health.

Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Kenya, Namibia, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Togo, and Zimbabwe each made contributions to the Global Fund’s Fifth Replenishment, hosted by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada in Montreal on 16-17 September. Altogether, the conference secured pledges of more than $12.9 billion from partners across the world.

Pledges by African countries to the Global Fund are aligned with a far more significant increase of domestic investment in health by African countries – US$10.9 billion committed for 2015-17. For the first time, Africa is now mobilizing more domestic funding for health than foreign funding in the sector.

Specific pledges to the Global Fund signal commitment beyond any specific country, toward a global approach to ending the epidemics.

President Faure Gnassingbé of Togo, making his nation’s first contribution to the Global Fund of US$1 million, said Togo will play its part in the fight against epidemics to end them for good.

President Macky Sall of Senegal said: “In an interconnected and interdependent world, diseases know no borders.” He added: “New impetus is needed to continue support to the countries affected by diseases. These countries should also invest more in the health sector so we can end these diseases for good.”

President Alassane Ouattara of Cote d’Ivoire also pledged US$1 million to the Global Fund, and spoke about the importance of focusing investments in programs that specifically address the disproportionate effects on women and girls.

President Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya, when he announced a pledge of US$5 million just prior to the Replenishment Conference, said his country was contributing the funds in the spirit of solidarity and shared responsibility in the fight against diseases.

“The funds, which will be invested in prevention and treatment of diseases and in building health systems, will save lives and create more inclusive and thriving communities,” President Kenyatta said.

Mark Dybul, Executive Director of the Global Fund, said more investments in health by African countries have helped build remarkable momentum against HIV, tuberculosis and malaria – some of Africa’s most devastating diseases.

“African leaders have made investing in health a top priority,” Dr. Dybul said. “They are strong partners in a global movement that is determined to expand access to health services to everyone, leaving no one behind.”

The Replenishment Conference raised nearly $1 billion more than the previous pledging session in 2013, and benefitted from participation by leaders from countries all over the world, including heads of state of Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire and Togo and the prime ministers of Mali and Guinea.

The amount raised will save 8 million lives, avert 300 million infections, and help build resilient and sustainable systems for health. The conference is the beginning of a three-year replenishment period, and the Global Fund will work to gain further contributions in the coming months and years, with strong advocacy by civil society and partners worldwide.

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For more information, please contact:

ERNEST WAITITU
Editorial Specialist
Mobile: +41 079 541 0656
E-mail: ernest.waititu@theglobalfund.org