As well as bringing the provincial HIV and AIDS community together at two-yearly Masibambisane summits, NACOSA also holds regular meetings for our provincial representative members and regular public forum meetings in Cape Town and the rural regions of the Western Cape.

Summit success
Building on the success of previous Masibambisane summits in 2002 and 2004, Masibambisane 3 at the University of Cape Town in December 2006 focused on turning the tide on HIV and AIDS through building social capital.

The summit was oversubscribed from the start but with the support of the Department of Health and the Mentoring Research Network (MRN), 420 people registered and benefited from a broad programme of plenaries, commissions and workshops. Representing civil society and government from across the Western Cape, activists, community workers, carers, programme coordinators and managers, counsellors, trainers, government officials and medical practitioners travelled from as far as Beaufort West, Oudtshoorn, Klawer and Plettenberg Bay to experience the energy of Masibambisane.

Feedback from the summit has been overwhelmingly positive. Delegates valued the practical skills and knowledge that they can take back to their communities and debates will continue to evolve through NACOSA's regional and district level meetings. Some of the highlights identified by delegates were:

• Getting to know what the other towns were doing
• Meeting different people with one common goal
• Receiving first hand information from delegates about challenges in their districts
• Relevant and explanatory topics and information to link theory to a more practical setting
• Getting information on future plans of government
• Putting a face to government and making those representatives accessible to NPOs
• After lunch workshops where everyone could participate
• The incredible singing
• The passion of everybody and their determination

NACOSA is proud that these summits continue to bring the HIV/AIDS community of the Western Cape together to reaffirm our commitment to the fight against HIV/AIDS.