Supporting community action on AIDS in developing countries

A NEW ACCREDITATION SYSTEM FOR EFFECTIVE COMMUNITY RESPONSES TO HIV

At IPC we are moving towards a more professional structure to deliver quality services in line with our strategic plan for 2008–10. Accreditation was like seeing our reflection in a mirror, and this has helped everyone to accept the need for change and identify what and how to improve.

Who is the International HIV/AIDS Alliance?

Established in 1993, the International HIV/AIDS Alliance (the Alliance) is a global partnership of nationally-based organisations working to support community action on AIDS in developing countries. These national partners help local community groups and other non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to take action on AIDS, and are supported by technical expertise, policy work and fundraising carried out across the Alliance. In addition, the Alliance has extensive regional programmes, representative offices in the USA and Brussels, and works on a range of international activities such as support for South–South cooperation, operations research, training and good practice development, as well as policy analysis and advocacy.

Our mission is to support communities to reduce the spread of HIV and meet the challenges of AIDS. To date we have provided support to organisations from more than 40 developing countries for over 3,000 projects, reaching some of the poorest and most vulnerable communities with HIV prevention, care and support, and improved access to treatment.

accreditation

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Lydia Reine Saloucou Executive Director, Initiative Privée et Communautaire de lutte Contre le VIH/SIDA (IPC), Burkina Faso

Contact for Alliance accreditation

Global Alliance Services Unit

accreditation@aidsalliance.org

www.aidsalliance.org

AC 07/08

INSIGHTS FROM THE FIELD

Graham Smith Executive Director, International HIV/AIDS Alliance, Kunming, China

We were a little apprehensive at the prospect of being ‘assessed’ but our fears were soon allayed. It was an extremely supportive process that highlighted our organisational strengths and some concrete steps we could take to grow and develop further. The opportunities it afforded for horizontal learning from other members of the Alliance family were particularly appreciated.

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Carlos Calica Chairman of the Board, Philippine NGO Support Program (PHANSuP), The Philippines

After nearly 15 years, PHANSuP is going through a deep transformation and dramatic change in the scale and range of programmes linking HIV and sexual and reproductive health and rights. To meet the challenges and ensure this is a successful shift, both at institutional and programmatic levels, we couldn’t dream of a better tool than the new Alliance accreditation system to help us structure our journey!

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Ensuring quality and accountability

Alliance coverage

In order to be accredited to the Alliance, each linking organisation (LO), country office (CO) and the secretariat must meet all 38 standards. A standard is met by meeting all ‘essential’ criteria and a majority of ‘desirable’ criteria in the standard. An organisation seeking to join the Alliance must meet all ‘essential’ criteria.

ACCREDITATION THE STRUCTURE

WHAT IS IT BASED ON?

The components

1 Governance

2 Strategic planning

3 Alliance values

4 Programmes

5 Monitoring and evaluation

6 Policy, advocacy, networking

7 Financial management

8 Resource mobilisation

9 Human resources and security

10 Communication, knowledge sharing, information technology

Criteria are used to measure whether a standard is being met. Criteria are either ‘essential’ or ‘desirable’.

Standards are statements about expected quality. Each standard has a number of criteria.

The Alliance accreditation system is designed to help deliver quality HIV programmes that are supported by well-performing, sustainable and credible civil society organisations.

The system rigorously assesses Alliance members against high institutional and programmatic standards to improve their HIV responses and accountability to the communities they serve. It is also used to assess organisations seeking membership of the Alliance. The system:

• puts into practice the Code of Good Practice for NGOs Responding to HIV/AIDS (www.hivcode.org)

• identifies where an NGO needs support to meet good practice standards

• builds donors’ confidence in Alliance members’ ability to deliver quality HIV programmes

• provides a set of standards applicable across the Alliance, building on a shared mission and vision

• ensures that the meaningful involvement of people with HIV and other marginalised groups, and gender equality are central to the work of all Alliance members

• provides an opportunity for Alliance members to learn from each other.

WHY ACCREDITATION?

ACCREDITATION THE PROCESS

1. SELF-ASSESSMENT 2. FIELD REVIEW 3. DECISION/REPORT

Self-assessment tool and

guidelines

• Diagnosis

• Workplan

Field review tool and

guidelines

Field review report

Self-assessment

exercise

LO, CO or the secretariat

REQUEST

Accreditation Committee

decision

Board of Trustees

Field review visit and feedback

Accreditation Committee

REPORT

UK secretariat support throughout the process from Field Programmes, Global Services and Technical Support Hubs

•Theprocessusespeerreview,withassessmentcarriedoutbyothertrainedandexperiencedAlliancemembers.

•A‘strengtheningplan’accompanieseachaccreditation,tobuildthecapacityofparticipatingNGOs.

•TheCode of Good Practice for NGOs Responding to HIV/AIDSinspiredthedesignofthesystemandoffersadditionalself-assessmenttools,especiallyonprogrammaticissues.

Top: Staff from the Ecuadorian coalition of people living with HIV, Quito, Ecuador. © 2006 Marcela Nievas/International HIV/AIDS Alliance

Bottom: A peer educator leads a discussion on condom use and sexual health in Kalungu Village, Chipata, Zambia. © 2006 Nell Freeman/International HIV/AIDS Alliance

Female sex worker drop-in centre, Garladinne, Anantapur district, India. © 2006 Jenny Matthews/International HIV/AIDS Alliance

COMPONENTS

STANDARDS

CRITERIA

157

38

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