In 2007, Namibia’s HIV/AIDS prevalence was around 13%, which at the time was among the highest in the world. The National AIDS Council (NAC) for Namibia required a review of its mid-term plan to tackle HIV/AIDS nationally.
The aim of the study
The objective of this study was to provide insights into the performance of the national AIDS strategy to date and, specifically, to provide recommendations to help stakeholders in Namibia together define the most effective way forward. A major objective of the evaluation was to assess the involvement of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) and of the impact of the response on those affected by HIV/AIDS, vulnerable groups, communities and civil society, especially at the regional level.
The approach
Itad adopted an innovative approach to this work that was dynamic, future-oriented and participatory. This key innovation was the facilitation of a ‘scenario planning’ process as part of the review, which enabled policymakers and other stakeholders to use the findings to identify potential courses of action and come to an agreement on the most effective way forward. The scenario planning served as a means to disentangle people’s expectations of the future landscape for HIV/AIDS in Namibia by creating a range of future options. This provided two functions; it allowed a reflection of the current achievements of the MTPIII and a projection of future directions.
The inclusion of the scenario planning technique allowed the involvement of a wide variety of stakeholders, plus wider civil society and the private sector and ensured the active participation of PLWHA and vulnerable groups.
Image © Katima Mulilo Market. Photo Credit: Eugen Zibiso (shared under CC BY 2.0 license)