SANAC Statement on NGO Funding

The South African National AIDS Council (SANAC) and the Networking HIV/AIDS Community of South Africa (NACOSA) have been working to address the impact of funding restrictions for organisations working with sex workers and gender-based violence.  We will be working to explore all avenues to raise additional funds and to manage changes more gradually.

After discussions with the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, a transition plan has been put in place to give us time to find alternative sources of funding for the NGOs that will lose their funding. However this does not guarantee long-term funding for all organisations, and those organisations that reach low numbers of sex workers will have to be downscaled or shut down.

The funding to support the Thuthuzela Care Centres and other affected organisations is from the Global Fund. SANAC, through a representative body of stakeholders called the Country Coordinating Mechanism, applies for these funds every three years and negotiates with the Global Fund how these funds are used. Once approved, the funds are transferred from the Global Fund to NACOSA which then funds the organisations directly.

While transitional funding is vital, it is also important to realise that the Global Fund recently changed its approach in South Africa to refocus its funds in “high impact” areas. This means that the Global Fund are not cutting their grants for gender-based violence and sex workers, but rather reallocating funds to areas where they will be able to reach higher numbers of rape survivors and sex workers.

Nevertheless, SANAC and NACOSA appreciate that the demand exists in every area and SANAC will continue to work with other donors to address the need.

For more information please contact: Kanya Ndaki SANAC Communications Manager: 0832986100