OAFLA is an initiative of Africa’s First Ladies in an attempt to respond to the HIV/AIDS crisis, in recognition of its grave impact on African people. The organization was initiated in Geneva in July 2003 after a series of consultations of African First ladies.
During this meeting, 37 First Ladies and their representatives signed the OAFLA framework of action to combat HIV/AIDS. The framework defined the goals, guiding principles, beneficiaries, objectives, strategies and structures of OAFLA.
OAFLA aims to advocate for increased awareness and to mobilize resources for the development of leadership, policies and strategies. The organization re-enforces the capacities of First Ladies to respond effectively to the challenges presented by HIV/AIDS.
Uganda Chapter:
This is part of the OAFLA programme, with the major objective of strengthening and scaling up the efforts of the office of the First Lady of Uganda to respond more effectively to HIV/AIDS.
It is recognized that the First Lady of the Republic of Uganda, Hon. Janet Kataaha Museveni, has been at the forefront of fighting HIV/ AIDS since 1987, becoming part of the open and aggressive response to the epidemic catalyzed by the steadfast personal involvement of President Yoweri Museveni, government and other agencies, community groups, private sector and many others.
She has since initiated a number of HIV/AIDS interventions that which have mainly addressed the plight of orphans, young people and women, building on the country’s ABC approach to HIV/AIDS prevention:
A – Abstinence from premarital sex
B – Faithfulness among married couples
C – Condom use.
The OAFLA Uganda HIV/AIDS Programme is an effort to scale-up these efforts through provision of the necessary technical and financial resources.
The HIV/AIDS Secretariat
OAFLA Uganda has led to the establishment of an HIV/AIDS secretariat in the Office of the First Lady responsible for coordinating the development and implementation of her HIV/AIDS Programmes.
It comprises of the Focal Point Person i.e. the Director, Program Assistant and Administrative/Finance Assistant.
OAFLA Uganda HIV/AIDS Programme Steering Committee
The OAFLA Uganda Programme has a Steering Committee that provides overall technical guidance to the First Lady’s office to ensure that the HIV/AIDS Programme objectives are achieved. Its creation was in response to earlier efforts in Office of the First Lady to respond to the HIV/AIDS crisis.
The committee comprises of representatives from the Uganda AIDS Commission (UAC), UNAIDS, Ministry of Health (MOH), Centre for Disease Control (CDC), National Advisory Committee for eMTCT (NAC), Office of the First Lady, Health Services Commission (HSC), Dr. Diana.