Regional Platform HIV & Disability participates in the first meeting of ICASA’ s 2019 organizing Steering Committee and gets a plenary session

Advocacy leads with ASA (African Society Anti AIDS) has paid off during the setting up of regional platform on January 2018. WAFOD and IH each has got a seat to participate in the 3 meetings of ICASA sittiring Committee, which the first took place on 7 and 8 June in Kigali.

As part of regional advocacy activities, funded by Global Fund (2017 to 2019) a team of 2 people went To Kigali to represent the platform. The WAFOD (West African Federation of Disable ) was represented by Mr Yatma Fall president of Federation of disabled people of Sénégal Humanité & Inclusion (the new name of Handicap International) by Sandrine Busière, coordinator of regional project "HIV and Handicap").
The agenda of 2 days workshop aimed at identifying a conference vision that will be held on from 2 to 7 December 2019 in Kigali, the formulation of 5 objectives, logo selection ,validation of searching fund method, validation of communication strategy and themes definition of 5 plenary sessions for each of the 3 programs : Leadership Program, scientific program and community program.
Disabled people’s organizations of Rwanda was represented by Mr François Xavier KARANGWA, executive director of UPHLS an organazation that promotes integration of persons with disabilities in reproductive health and HIV strategies.
Through active participation in exchanges and advocacy in persons with disabilities advantage, it has been possible to get a plenary session on "The importance of taking into account persons with disabilities in HIV strategies : how to foster an inclusive approach ? ".
This session will be organized within the community program and will last 30 minutes in the presence of all participants at ICASA 2019 conference about 7000 to 10.000 people. Representatives of organizations of persons with disabilities also advocaced on the translation Into sign language the closing and opening ceremonies and that a large number of persons with disabilities are represented within the Networking "HIV and Disability" .
It now remains more than one year and half to prepare this plenary session as well as the coordination around the networking area "HIV and Disability". Thus ICASA 2019 conference will be the opportunity to bring advocacy at a high level so that the specific needs of persons with disabilities integrated into national and regional HIV / AIDS strategies.