Call for Nominees to serve on the Regional Grant Committee Southern Africa. APPLY NOW!

Call for Nominees to serve on the Regional Grant Committee Southern Africa

The AIDS and Rights Alliance for Southern Africa (ARASA) is looking for nine (9) members to serve on the Regional Grant Committee as part of ARASA’S Participatory Grant Making in Southern Africa (South Africa, Zimbabwe and Mozambique), under the Love Alliance partnership. Call for Nominees to serve on the Regional Grant Committee Southern Africa.

ARASA was established in 2003 as a partnership of like-minded, progressive civil society organisations to galvanise a movement of civil society actors to advance a human rights-based response to HIV in Southern Africa. Since 2019, the partnership has been working to promote respect for and the protection of the rights to bodily autonomy and integrity (BAI) for all to reduce inequality, especially gender inequality, and to promote health, dignity, and wellbeing in East and Southern Africa (ESA). The organisation has grown immensely commencing from five partner organizations at inception and currently works with 115 partners within 18 countries in East and Southern Africa (ESA). ARASA aims to strengthen and build a strong voice regarding Health Financing, HIV and TB prevention and Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) for the marginalised groups (in their diversities) mainly women, adolescent girls and young women and key populations in their diversities. For more information see: www.arasa.info.

Love Alliance

The Love Alliance works to improve the health and rights of sex workers, people who use drugs, LGBTIQ+ people and people living with HIV in Africa. Together, the alliance works towards a significant reduction in HIV incidence by influencing policies, organising communities and raising awareness on rights and health in ten countries. The alliance brings together organisations led by communities most affected by HIV and AIDS. From across Africa thought leaders (GALZ, SANPUD, Sisonke), grant makers (UHAI EASHRI, AFE, ISDAO, Aidsfonds and ARASA) and the global network of people living with HIV (GNP+) have joined forces. ARASA is the grant maker for Zimbabwe, Mozambique and South Africa.

Participatory Grant Making

Grantmaking in the Love Alliance is done through a participatory approach, to ensure that communities are at the centre of grantmaking. With communities affected influencing decision making, funding 1) addresses the needs identified at community level, 2) contributes to real and relevant social and policy change and 3) contributes to movement growth. The Love Alliance’ participatory grantmaking approach will ensure to be inclusive and gender transformative at all steps of the process.

An essential part of participatory grantmaking is setting up a regional grant committee. The regional grant committee will have the key role of advising on the selection of the national and sub-regional advocacy partners (grant recipients) for Southern Africa, by reviewing submitted grant applications.

Love Alliance Regional Grant Committee (RGC) Southern Africa

Composition of Call for Nominees to serve on the Regional Grant Committee Southern Africa.

The RGC will consist of (up to) nine community advocates/activists. RGC members are selected based on their experience in advocacy. Two members will be available as replacement reviewers, in case other members are not available. The committee will reflect the diversity of the different communities the Love Alliance is serving, including young (aged 18-24 and 25-29) LGBTQI+, sex workers and people who use drugs representatives as well as people living with HIV.

Roles and Responsibilities

The RGC will be responsible for the selection of applications received from local, national and sub-regional advocacy partners led by and serving LGBTQI+, sex workers, people who use drugs, including people living with HIV communities. These partners will receive grants and/or non-financial support2, and engage in coordinated advocacy at country, (sub)regional and/or global level.

On a regular basis the RGC will review and update country and regional advocacy priorities3, and directly review competitive grant applications from LGBTQI+, sex workers and people who use drugs-led organisations, including people living with HIV, so as to advise on those that shall be funded.

Membership selection process and criteria of Call for Nominees to serve on the Regional Grant Committee Southern Africa. APPLY NOW!

Members of the RGC will be nominated through this open call for nominations. The nominations will be reviewed and comparatively scored by a subcommittee of members of the ARASA team and Love Alliance Thought Leaders – SANPUD, GALZ and Sisonke, who decide on a final list of RGC members. The Chair and Vice-Chair of the RGC will be nominated by consensus by the RGC at the beginning of each two-year governing term.

The selection of RGC members will be based on the following evaluation criteria:

• Members are able and willing to review and score grant proposals objectively, discuss them in English/Portuguese, and offer perspectives about how international funding can support activities and organizational capacity towards national civil society and community organisations of LGBTQI+, sex workers, people who use drugs, including people living with HIV and Southern African regional networks.
• Preferably have experience with or have been exposed to grantmaking and/or technical assistance, with working with key populations, and with project development, budgeting, implementation, monitoring and evaluation.
• Reflect gender and geographical balance. At least one of the members is openly living with HIV and the totality of the members are part of key populations, including people living with HIV.
• Remain objective and not demonstrate bias towards certain proposals based on their personal experience, expertise and who they represent, but rather evaluate proposals that are most likely to achieve the objectives of the Love Alliance.
• Are not a member of grant recipient organisations under the call for proposals.
• Originate from the three countries eligible: Zimbabwe, Mozambique, South Africa
• Indicate national and regional priorities in the framework of the Love Alliance based on the information provided in the Love Alliance Theory of Change4 and the call for proposals.
• Will commit to a time investment to attend preparatory meetings and review meeting.
• Will sign ARASAs’ Conflict of Interest policy.

RGC Membership is (at least) a two-year commitment

The term of membership of the RGC is two years. For the sake of effectiveness and continuity, at least one third of the members are asked to continue to serve a second term, or until the end of the Love Alliance partnership.

Who can apply?

ARASA is seeking experts

ARASA strives for a range of expertise to be represented on the RGC. This includes expertise related to community responses to HIV; expertise on key populations’ priorities and needs; expert views on how funding and non-financial support can best contribute to the reduction of HIV; experience with grantmaking; and experience with technical assistance for organizations and networks that may be operating with limited resources, experience, capacity, and/or constraints due to stigma and discrimination.

ARASA is striving for diversity

• RGC members reflect diversity of gender, age, language, nationality, ethnic/racial background, and socio-economic background.
• RGC members come from civil society and are not employed by government agencies.

• All members of the RGC are self-identified as being part of, and/or as having long experience in working with, one or more key populations with a focus on advocacy for key populations’ health and rights.
• At least one member, if not more, of the RGC are openly living with HIV.
• At least two members, if not more, of the RGC are young community members (18-24 years).

RGC Members are volunteers

• A small stipend will be provided to RGC members to defray the expenses incurred in their voluntary work.
• RGC members are expected to be available during the annual Call for Proposals for at least 5 days in reading, reviewing, and scoring proposals, at least 2 days in meeting with other RGC members to discuss and finalize reviews (usually 2 consecutive days and currently these are most likely in the form of online meetings), and yearly up to 6 additional teleconferences with ARASA and possibly other Love Alliance grant makers and thought leaders to discuss grantmaking recommendations and processes.
• The roles of the Chair and Vice-Chair of the RGC include additional responsibilities resulting in approximately 12 days.
• A full Terms of Reference will be shared with selected members.

Are you interested in becoming a member of the ARASA Regional Grant Committee for Southern Africa? Please complete the application form by 22 December 2023 on this link:

CLICK BELOW TO APPLY

 https://forms.office.com/r/r6QURnkSZ5

Call for Nominees Regional Grant Committee Southern Africa – ARASA

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