Featured Projects

Action for West Africa Region (AWARE-HIV/AIDS)

The Action for West Africa Region Project (AWARE-HIV/AIDS) and a parallel project for reproductive health and family planning (AWARE-RH/FP) focus on capacity development, system strengthening, building partnerships, and leveraging funding from other increasing resources to enhance the regional response.

Constella Futures has primary responsibility for increasing regional stakeholder advocacy for policy change under the prime contractor, Family Health International. Its staff has taken the lead in building a broad constituency base for improved policies, procedures, and norms on a national and regional level. AWARE-HIV/AIDS has updated information on the HIV/AIDS political and legal landscape and developed a regional policy agenda with stakeholders to outline a strategy for change. The project is currently adapting the SPECTRUM models and developing appropriate advocacy tools for AWARE countries. With these tools in place, the project will develop and strengthen the capacity of regional institutions and networks, both public sector and civil society, across 18 countries in West and Central Africa.

AWARE-HIV/AIDS also conducts workshops to assess key issues such as stigma and discrimination, property rights, age of marriage, and resource mobilization, and propose a series of actions across the region to mitigate policy impediments to a more effective HIV/AIDS response.

In November of 2005, AWARE-HIV/AIDS, in partnership with The Regional Coordination of the Religious Networks in the campaign against HIV/AIDS, launched a month long cross-border caravan aimed at sensitizing the West Africa sub-regional population against stigma and discrimination. The six-country HIV awareness campaign began in Mauritania and crossed through Senegal, Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso, reaching Abuja on December 4 for the opening ceremony of ICASA. The synergy of the caravan brought together religious leaders to further their involvement and role in the fight against stigmatization and discrimination as well as helped improve HIV awareness and attitudes towards those living with HIV/AIDS. Please read the AWARE-HIV/AIDS newsletter “Monitor” (PDF) to learn more.

Family Health International leads the team comprised of Constella Futures and Population Services International with offices in Accra, Ghana.