Celebrations all round for the Alliance in Côte d’Ivoire

31 October 2006

On 2 October 2006, the Alliance in Côte d’Ivoire celebrated two major events in its short existence so far: an award of $1.125m of PEPFAR funds, which will allow the organisation to fund activities over the next five years, and a landmark step towards its new status as an independent organisation.

Taking part in the celebrations were the organisation’s board of directors; Alliance secretariat representatives; development partner representatives, including from PEPFAR, FHI and Centers for Disease Control; representatives from government ministries engaged in AIDS work; and Côte d’Ivoire network and community representatives.

New status

Set up as a country office of the International HIV/AIDS Alliance, the Côte d’Ivoire office will shortly become an independent organisation that is nationally governed and managed (a linking organisation). In future it will be known as Alliance Nationale Contre le SIDA en Côte d’Ivoire (ANS-CI). Staff were transferred on 2 October, and a new board of directors is in place. Transfer agreements should be finalised and signed by mid-November. This transition demonstrates the Alliance’s commitment to work through strong national linking organisations, with strong international connections, as detailed in the Alliance’s strategic framework.

New funding

This new organisation, Alliance Nationale Contre le SIDA en Côte d’Ivoire (ANS-CI) has obtained funding for $1.125m over a five year period for its project 'Expansion of community-led, age-appropriate HIV/AIDS prevention and care in the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire'.

During this period, ANS-CI will develop three major strategies:

  • the organisational development and technical capacity building of ANS-CI
  • the organisational development of national NGO network
  • the implementation of wrap around health service networks, in particular voluntary counselling and testing centres (VCT).

Through these strategies ANS-CI aims to:

  • reinforce the community response to HIV/AIDS in Côte d’Ivoire
  • improve the co-ordination and technical monitoring of community led HIV/AIDS programmes at the district levels
  • intensify prevention and improve care and support interventions for highly vulnerable groups and people living with HIV.

This project will be implemented in partnership with the Collectif des ONG de lutte contre le SIDA en Côte d’Ivoire (COSCI) – the Council of AIDS NGOs in Côte d’Ivoire; le Réseau Ivorien des organisations de personnes vivants avec le VIH (RIP+) – the Ivorian Network of Organisations of people living with HIV; and the Ministry of AIDS.

New executive director welcomed on board

Dr Sosthène Dougrou is the new executive director of ANS-CI. He replaces the founding director, Dr Toussaint Sibailly, who occupied this position from May 2005 to September 2006. The handover took place on 2 October 2006 in the presence of ANS-CI’s board of directors and representatives from the Alliance secretariat.