Southern African AIDS Trust (SAT) commitment for a coordinated response to HIV and AIDS in Southern Africa: the implementation of the Three Ones
Wamba, L.J.; Loga, T.T.
Canadian Journal of Public Health 99(Suppl 1): S11-S15
2008
ISSN/ISBN: 0008-4263 Document Number: 245481
The "Three Ones" approach promotes one HIV and AIDS Action Framework, one AIDS coordinating authority and one monitoring and evaluation (M&E) system at the national level. Regional organizations operating across countries must ensure a delicate balance of working within the three ones of individual countries while preserving regional identity. Southern African AIDS Trust (SAT) is one such body that has programmes in Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe and its headquarters in South Africa. To date, SAT has effectively operated within the three ones of each country. First, all SAT countries deliberately support organizations contributing towards outcomes set in National AIDS Plans. Second, the countries work closely with and within coordinating systems of those countries. The National AIDS Councils (NAC) are members of SAT Programme Advisory Committees in all SAT countries and the NAC is a regular participant at SAT Annual Partner Meetings in all SAT countries. Working within one M&E system has proven challenging due to not fully functioning national systems and competing M&E needs at the national, partner, SAT and donor levels. SAT country programmes, however, continue to make a deliberate effort to align and harmonize M&E requirements. Partners are encouraged to report data to government bodies such as the NAC, Ministry of Health and other departments. Partners are capacitated to identify their own data needs beyond those of SAT, donors and national M&E systems.