Tanzania
Tanzania Key and Vulnerable Population’s Forum (KVPF) was formed in October 2018 to support the efforts of the KVP Technical Working Groups (KVP-TWGs) to advance HIV gains and assist the KP community to articulate one voice. The forum’s registration attempts have not been successful but its secretariat is hosted by registered KP organizations from time to time. Despite this, the government recognises it as the official entity that is mandated to represent all the KVPs in Tanzania.
KVPF membership consists of both networks, coalitions and individual organizations. Its programmatic focus areas include advocacy, movement strengthening, Capacity building, technological innovation, research and documentation and supporting KVP emergency response. The KVPF sees the KPTNC as a body that can fast track the decriminalization of KPs in Sub-Saharan Africa through technical assistance in using data to drive advocacy, strengthening the advocacy strategies for its membership, amplifying country and regional channels and capacity strengthening. More information about the KVPF of Tanzania X account is here
Zambia
The Zambia Key Population Consortium (Zam-KPC) was founded in 2019 to strengthen coordination, collaboration and representation of KP led organizations for improved and rights based HIV service delivery. It was finally registered in 2021 as an NGO. The Consortium leverages resources and opportunities for increased access to health services that are inclusive, non- discriminatory and affirming to all key populations.
Key interventions by the Zam-KPC includes advocacy, Coordination of KP interventions, resource mobilization, capacity strengthening, monitoring of KP services and offering strategic and systemic guidance to key partners and stakeholders within the National HIV response. The consortium also supports KP related emergency response efforts. The consortium benefits from the KP-TNC through learning about best practices from other countries; link their country work regionally and promote the exchange of skills, experiences and expertise.
Kenya
The KP Consortium of Kenya (KPC) founded in 2014 as a loose coalition that was finally registered as a Community Based Organization (CBO) in the year 2019. The KPC was established to act as a voice of the KP community in Kenya with respect to bettering human rights and quality of services. It has had great successes in mobilizing resources for CLM, service delivery and capacity building of KP programs in Kenya.
The Kenya Key Population Consortium (KPC) promotes great relationships between the KP community and various governmental ministries, departments and agencies. Through KP-TNC, the KPC has expanded its regional networking, learning and experiential platforms. Part of the challenges the consortium has had to deal with includes deepening criminalization, bringing together different KP typologies into one umbrella and inadequate funding. Find more about the Kenya Key Population Consortium Facebook account here , as well as X account here.
Ghana
The Ghana Key Populations Consortium (KPC) was formed to address the disproportionate challenges faced by KPs in accessing HIV services and care. It was created in August 2023 with a mandate to coordinate and provide oversight for key populations’ HIV response in Ghana, advocate for key population-related issues, and ensure participation of key populations in the national process and programs.
The consortium brings together representatives of Key Populations to collectively define and advocate for issues of common concern such as health and human rights, shrinking resources and spaces for KP-led organizations. It also serves as an advocacy platform coordinating strategic actions and supporting systems and strengthening the structure of KP organizing. Its membership comprises of national KP-led organizations and affiliate members include KP-focused competent organizations and other relevant national organizations working in the field of HIV, TB, and Malaria. To the Ghana KP consortium, the KP-TNC is an important space to amplify KP voices to global spaces and for creating an inter-country strategy and learning platform.
Nigeria
The Nigeria KPC was originally known as Key Affected Populations (KAP) and later changed its name to Nigeria Key Population and Rights Network (NKPRN). It is a formal Coalition formed in 2016 and later registered in 2019 to advance advocacy for more funding, better rights and quality HIV and health services for the Nigerian KP community. The NKPRN conducts elections every three years. The platform is currently operating in 19 states of Nigeria with the support from the Global Fund.
The network has had successes in facilitating a successful transition from the national to state levels. In 2024 however, it experienced a tragedy of losing its national chair through sudden death. Despite this and many challenges, it plans to complete its strategic plan, strengthen its presence in CCM and TWGs, and strengthen its structures at the sub-national levels. The benefits of KP-TNC to the NKPRN include solidarity, bettering its regional perspectives, widening of networks and experiences. More information about the NKPRN Facebook is here
Zanzibar
The establishment of KVP Forum Zanzibar was initiated in 2021 after deriving lessons learnt from the establishment of the KVP Forum in Mainland Tanzania. The Forum was later registered in August 2023. The new Forum’s main mandate is to complement governmental efforts in the development of a comprehensive guideline for KPs and to support key populations in organizing and advocating for access to health services, inclusion in programming as well as implementation and monitoring and evaluation of KVP interventions. KVPF’s work is meant to complement government efforts to end HIV as a public threat by the end of 2030.
The forum ensures meaningful engagement of KVPs in policy spaces and programs designed to improve their health and social well-being through advocacy, capacity building, coordination and dissemination of HIV and other health-related information. Its current scope of work includes enhancing collaboration, sharing data driven information, analysis and discussions around HIV and AIDS and coordinating advocacy issues. It also works to improve stakeholder engagement, monitoring the effectiveness of KP HIV service delivery as well as capacity strengthening and demand creation. The forum foresees the KP-TNC as a body that will represent and amplify regional interests, sharing of experiences and best practices as well as drive the learning and advocacy agenda of KP consortia in the region. More information about the Zanzibar KVPF is on Instagram here and their X account here.
South Sudan
Key and Vulnerable Population Empowerment and Advocacy Network (KEANet) was formed in 2021 as the official national representative body for KPs in South Sudan. It advocates for issues of common concern including shrinking resources and other spaces for KP-led organizations. Its membership comprises national KP-led CSOs. KEANet partners with CSOs, CBOs, SSAC, Parliamentarians, Ministry officials, County health officers, legal and finance bodies, research and training institutes, and other community groups—to advance gains in health and HIV response within the KP community.
KEANet also engages with regional and global health and human rights organizations in its work. It sees itself as an advocacy platform coordinating strategic actions for the KP community in South Sudan. It works to ensure that the KP community is socially, politically, legally and economically included in the society. This, it hopes to achieve through voice amplification, reaching to the most at risk and through better coordination and communication of the consortium. Through KP-TNC, KEANet has benefitted through widening its networking at regional levels, strengthened its advocacy capacities and basks in the warmth of regional solidarity.
Malawi
Diversity Forum was established in 2018 as the apex body for the KP led CSOs in Malawi. Its primary mandate was to bring all the KP Led CSO together enabling them to create a unified voice. The Diversity Forum collaborates closely with the government through NAC and the MOH to advance gains in HIV response within the KP community.
Over the years, the Diversity Forum has become an important instrument to facilitate coordination of Key Populations towards the realization of their health, human rights and socio-economic justice. It plays a key role of being a catalyst of HIV prevention and treatment within the KP spaces in the country by its representation, capacity building and advocacy mandates in various policy fora in the country.
It has also contributed to better coordination, information sharing and improved representation of the Malawian KP community in the important policy spaces in the country. To the Diversity Forum, KP-TNC is an important regional platform that will enable the bridging of experiences and expertise to better local action. Moreover, KP-TNC being at a regional level, could facilitate amplifying of local voices where they are suppressed.
