Donors and international non-governmental organisations (NGOs) are increasingly prioritising support for HIV/AIDS in their programmes. However, they are largely ignoring a crucial consequence of the pandemic – the debilitating impact of HIV/AIDS on the ability of their local partners to carry on working.

The HIV/AIDS pandemic has reached such proportions, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, that it is now commonplace to speak of ‘rates of attrition’, a term previously reserved for world war fatalities.

A paper from the International NGO Training and Research Centre (INTRAC) and CARE USA draws attention to the plight of local NGOs in countries with high HIV prevalence. The costs of working in such contexts are still largely hidden and often disguised as ‘inefficient performance’ on the part of local NGOs.

NGO staff, from drivers to directors, are as much at risk of being infected and affected by HIV as anyone else in their societies. In fact, many NGO staff are at increased risk, as they may travel frequently and have higher-than-average disposable incomes.

HIV/AIDS was found to affect local NGOs in the following ways:

• As staff members become sick their motivation is undermined: some may use organisational funds to pay medical bills.
• Colleagues are forced to take on the sick person’s workload, adding to their own stress levels and reducing agency effectiveness.
• When staff are frequently ill information from the field is not received, donor reports go uncompleted and funding is delayed.
• Managers may provide greater support to ill colleagues than is permitted or financially sustainable.
• NGO staff, particularly low-level female employees, are under pressure from extended family members to pay for medication, funeral expenses and the care of orphans.
• As staff die, NGOs are burdened with funeral expenses, non-repayment of loans taken out by deceased staff, raised insurance premiums and loss of institutional skills.

Despite mounting evidence that the epidemic is increasing NGO costs and reducing impact, many donors are still demanding the reverse – more impact with less money.

An increasing number of international agencies have noted the effects of HIV/AIDS among their own staff. Many have implemented workplace programmes and some have begun to pay for anti-retrovirals. They are in a good position to use their own experience and resources to help provide technical and financial support to smaller NGOs. The authors recommend that they:

• assist NGO managers in developing staff awareness programmes, implement health policies and assess the long-term human resource and financial implications of HIV/AIDS
• increase budgets to support rising internal costs of NGOs working in places with high rates of infection
• set objectives that are relevant and realistic in situations where significant percentages of beneficiaries are HIV-positive
• educate their own funding sources about the costly organisational reality of AIDS.

Unless urgent action is taken, NGOs in sub-Saharan Africa will follow the same path as HIV-positive patients without support – they will get sicker, become less effective and eventually die.

Source(s):
‘Building Organisational Resilience to HIV/AIDS: Implications for Capacity Building’ Rick James, 2005, INTRAC. Full document.
‘Supporting NGO partners affected by HIV/AIDS’ by Rick James and Dan Mullins, Development in practice, vol. 14, no. 4, pp. 574-585, June 2004 Full document.

id21 Research Highlight: June 20 2005

Further Information:
Rick James
International NGO Training and Research Centre (INTRAC)
PO Box 1535
Blantyre
Malawi

Contact the contributor: intrac@malawi.net

International NGO Training and Research Centre (INTRAC)

Dan Mullins
CARE-USA
Southern and West Africa Regional Management Unit
Postnet Suite 151
Private Bag X51
Rivonia 2128
Johannesburg
South Africa

Contact the contributor: mullins@caresa.co.za

CARE-USA

Other related links:
‘Building Organisational Resilience to HIV/AIDS: Implications for Capacity Building’ Rick James, 2005, INTRAC.

'HIV/AIDS and the agricultural sector in eastern and southern Africa: anticipating the consequences'

'A vicious circle: poverty and HIV/AIDS in South Africa'

'Refugee women and HIV/AIDS: what role for relief organisations?'

'The impact of HIV/AIDS on rural livelihoods'

Research Programme: Poverty, HIV/AIDS, Livelihoods and Employment from NEPRU

See id21 HIV/AIDS links