ITPC-ARASA Consortium
The ITPC-ARASA Consortium brought together two organizations – ITPC and ARASA – to support advocacy by people living with HIV (PLHIV ) and other inadequately served populations (ISPs) for health and human rights.
| Grantee type:
Global Consortium |
| Grant:
$2,517,120 |
| Grant period:
2016-2018 |
| Lead organization:
International Treatment Preparedness Coalition (ITPC) |
Partner organizations:
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ARASA – the AIDS Rights Alliance for Southern Africa – is a partnership of 115 CSOs (made up of people living with HIV, sex workers, people who use drugs (PUDs), LGBTQI, people affected by Tuberculosis (and HIV/TB), women, prisoners and ex-miners) in 18 countries in Southern and East Africa.
International Treatment Preparedness Coalition (ITPC) is a global network of activists working for treatment access across health issues including HIV, TB, viral hepatitis and diabetes. ITPC’s Global Activist Network includes regional networks, community-based organizations and individual activists in all regions of the world, with substantial and sustained organizing in Eastern and Southern Africa, West Africa, South Asia, Eastern Europe and Central Asia, and Latin America and the Caribbean.
- Many effective medicines have been developed to treat and prevent leading causes of death, including HIV, TB, and viral hepatitis. Yet many people in the world are not benefitting from these medicines.
- For example, as of 2017, approximately 18 million people living with HIV had not accessed HIV treatment, and many more lacked the regular viral load testing and other services to ensure treatment success. About 5 million people with active TB did not have access to potentially lifesaving medicines, slowing progress against one of the most-ignored global epidemics. Over 100 million people in low- and middle-income countries were untreated for hepatitis C. Those millions of people, along with their families, friends, and communities need support to mobilize, demand access to treatment, and actively seek out testing and treatment where it can be found
- Treatment access is hindered and blocked in many countries by human rights contexts, including laws that criminalize key populations and restrict organizing and advocacy by civil society, continued political unwillingness and inability to prioritize and fund programs for key populations, and widespread discrimination in health care settings.
- In the history of the HIV response, advocacy by people living with HIV and their allies has been central to the design, implementation, and improvement of health services, as well as the funding of research and drug development. Ongoing advocacy is needed to continue improving the availability, affordability and accessible of treatments for HIV, TB, viral hepatitis, diabetes and other health conditions.
© Partnership Network Association
RCF funding 2016-2018
The ITPC-ARASA Consortium received US$ 2.5 million in funding from the Robert Carr Fund during 2016-2018. This funding was allocated to both core and strategic program costs and built on sustained funding to both ITPC and ARASA since 2012. In 2019, the Robert Carr Fund provided renewed funding to both networks, funding ARASA directly and ITPC as the lead of a new consortium involving the Global Coalition of TB Activists, T1International (a network focused on type 1 diabetes) and Mainline International (a drug user harm reduction network).
Geographic coverage
The ITPC-ARASA Consortium was a global consortium, linking ARASA as a regional network of organizations in 18 countries in Southern and East Africa with ITPC’s Global Activist Network of organizations and individuals in all regions of the world.
Population coverage
The ITPC-ARASA Consortium focused on the global empowerment, leadership, health and rights of people living with HIV, other people in need of life-saving treatments for TB and viral hepatitis, and other inadequately served populations (ISPs) advocating for access to health and human rights.
Activities 2016-2018
With RCF funding in 2016-2018, both ITPC and ARASA were able to strengthen national, regional and global organizing, advocate for human rights, and campaign for greater access to services. Examples of network activities include:
- ITPC supported several sustained global campaigns, including a Be Healthy – Know Your Viral Load campaign, policy work about dolutegravir (DTG) access and safety, work to advocate for PrEP access, and policy work and advocacy about trade, intellectual property and access to medicines. ITPC also supported substantial and sustained regional organizing in Eastern and Southern Africa, West Africa, South Asia, Eastern Europe and Central Asia, and Latin America and the Caribbean.
- ARASA supported its 115 organizational members across 18 countries to sustain and build national advocacy alliances for human rights and advocate specifically for the right to health and the rights of key populations. ARASA also conducted an intensive survey of all of its 115 organizational members to update and refresh the alliance’s collective vision and strategies and worked to support national TB organizing in Malawi and regional and national organizing of people who use drugs (PWUD) across five southern African countries.
Results 2016-2018
The results of Robert Carr Fund support for ITPC and ARASA in 2016-2018 included:
- Network strength and influence: RCF funding helped ITPC networks in West Africa, South Asia, Eastern Europe and Central Asia, and Latin America and the Caribbean to sustain staffing and democratic and representative governance structures. RCF funding also helped ITPC to restructure itself as a Global Activist Network and to develop new partnerships with activists working on TB, viral hepatitis, diabetes and trade and intellectual property issues. RCF funding helped ARASA to renew engagement with its 115 organizational members and sustain as a cohesive regional network through changes in its leadership and funding base.
- Human rights: With support through ITPC and ARASA, activists sustained vocal support for the right to health in over 100 countries, including in contexts where “foreign agent” laws and extremist politics created barriers to independent activism by civil society.
- Access to services: With RCF funding through the ITPC-ARASA Consortium, activists helped ensure increased access to HIV viral load testing in Latin America, the Caribbean South Asia, and Southern Africa; increased access to HIV PrEP in Latin America; accelerated access to generic dolutegravir and other HIV treatments in several countries; and increased governmental commitments to access to services in every region of the world.