Western PAAs limp along without funding

Claudia Gardner, Assignment Coordinator

WESTERN BUREAU:

Chairman of the Western Association of Parish AIDS Associations, Carla Ledgister, says western parishes have been unable to adequately undertake care and support programmes for persons living with HIV (PLHIVs), or outreach interventions for the general population, because of a lack of donor support.

"The challenge we have is that programmes run by the Government and private sector do not really trickle down to non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and the Parish AIDS Associations (PAAs) that do the groundwork. We are really not getting any of the funding that comes into the country to provide support for the HIV programme. So, the challenges we have are financial, but we have many volunteers. For care and support in Trelawny, we do have some faithful sponsors. However, it is not adequate," Ledgister told Western Focus during an interview on Wednesday.

"A lot of private-sector companies are only willing to support government programmes," she added. "However, the NGOs that really provide the socio-economic support for the clients see little or none of the funds and have a challenge in getting the private sector to support the process. Even when we are able to get a sponsor for social interventions or education programmes, most times persons do not want to fund administrative costs such as stationery, phone calls, Internet, ink, and things like computers.

PARTNERSHIPS NECESSARY

PAAs are voluntary organisations mandated to provide care and support for PLHIVs. They also educate the population about HIV, undertake HIV testing and counselling, support their members through training, and raise funds to execute parish plans. The Western Association of PAAs comprises Hanover, Trelawny, St James, and Westmoreland.

According to Ledgister, there needs to be "more true partnerships" with NGOs, Government and the private sector. She said one of the major challenges faced now by PAAs is the fact that none of the four have been able to pay rent for office space from which to operate. She said the Trelawny Parish AIDS Association, which had an office in the past, has been operating without an office space for close to two years since the sponsor, who had provided an office space in Falmouth free of cost, died two years ago.

She said the issue also hampered the organisation's efforts to garner donor funds, which would enable it to provide assistance to, among other things, subsidise transportation costs for PLHIVs to travel to HIV treatment sites.

"We have had the opportunity to access international funding. However, our main challenge is that we need to have an office space for at least three months, funded by us to prove our commitment, but we do not have the funding," she said.

"The problem is adversely affecting inroads we have made in the HIV response. Although Government provides medication, in many cases, clients are unable to attend clinic at the treatment sites because they have no money and have to pay bus fares to go to the sites. For example, Trelawny does not have a treatment site, so persons have to go to Montego Bay," she said.