The Power to Change

Building capacity to advocate for a better national response to HIV/AIDS in India: Release of Constella Futures' training manual, The Power to Change

The Advocacy Officer for Avahan, the India AIDS Initiative of the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation, Ms. Tisha Wheeler released the training manual, The Power to Change: Building Advocacy Capacity for India's HIV/AIDS Response developed by The Essential Advocacy Project (EAP) of Constella Futures at a dissemination meeting held on October 12th, 2007 in Gurgaon. This manual has been developed with support from Avahan.

The manual has been used successfully to build HIV advocacy capacity in India with State AIDS Control Societies and their partner NGOs and Avahan and its partner organizations in the states of Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Manipur and Nagaland. Using a strategic approach to advocacy with a range of stakeholders including the police, health service providers, faith-based organisations and communities is something that skills-building workshops that use this manual seek to achieve.

Creating an enabling environment for key populations (Sex Workers, Men who have Sex with Men, Intravenous Drug Users and People Living with HIV/AIDS) is central to advocacy and policy processes. As an example, in Andhra Pradesh, the manual has been used successfully so sex workers are now able to demand rations cards and birth certificates for their children after learning skills of advocating with government agencies. Similarly, project managers of the Maharashtra State AIDS Control Society have developed a plan to mainstream HIV into the work of the social welfare and women and child department at the state level using advocacy skills.

The Power to Change manual has been developed by Julia Cabassi, Consultant, in collaboration with Shaleen Rakesh, National Advocacy Coordinator of the EAP. It has been adapted from the draft A-squared Advocacy Curriculum. A-squared is a joint project being implemented by Constella Futures, The East-West Center, and Family Health International (FHI), with a number of national and regional organizations.

For details on the Power to Change training manual, contact Shaleen Rakesh at srakesh@constellagroup.com or shaleen.rakesh@gmail.com.

Download the manual - (PDF, 12 MB):
The Power to Change: Building Advocacy Capacity for India's HIV/AIDS Response

Powerpoint Resources

• A2. About the EAP and a Rights-Based Approach
• A5. CHANGES Sex Work and Police
• A5. DPU Harm Reduction
• A6. Steps in the Advocacy Process
• B1. HIV in India
• E1. Advocacy Action plans and M&E

The manual is organized under the following topics:

Module A. Introduction to HIV/AIDS advocacy

A.1 Workshop Opening
A.2 About the EAP and a Rights Based Approach to Advocacy
A.3 What is Advocacy
A.4 Advocacy and Related Concepts
A.5 Examples of Advocacy Leading to Policy Change Process

Module B. Introduction to evidence based advocacy

B.1 Understanding the epidemic: HIV/AIDS in India
B.2 What is evidence-based advocacy
B.3 Introduction to Data Analysis
B.4 Analyzing Behavioral and Epidemiological Data

Module C. Understanding the policy process

C.1 The Policy Process
C.2 Mapping Key Decision Making Processes

Module D. Advocating for change: What change is needed & who to influence

D.1 Identifying Advocacy Issues
D.2 Advocacy Issue Prioritization
D.3 Identifying Policy Solutions
D.4 Developing Advocacy Goals and Objectives
D.5 Target Audiences: Identifying Opposition and Support
D.6 Analyzing Target Audiences

Module E. Implementation - Advocacy Action Plans

E.1 Introduction to Advocacy Action Plans
E.2 Developing an Advocacy Action Plan

Module F. Advocacy messages and methods

F.1 Introduction to advocacy communication
F.2 The one minute message
F.3 Advocacy messages and methods
F.4 Face to face communication
F.5 Written communication — Introduction to policy briefs

Module G. Evidence for Action: Using data for advocacy

G.1 Written communication — Using data in a policy brief
G.2 Face to face communication — Using data for .lobbying.