Image caption: Dr Minerva Pinelo conducting a capacity building session in Belize

The Caribbean Regional Network of People Living with HIV and AIDS (CRN+) has received a grant from the Caribbean Vulnerable Communities Coalition (CVC) for a project titled “CVC/COIN Challenging Stigma and Discrimination to Improve Access to and Quality of HIV Services in the Caribbean”.

Under output 3 of the grant, CRN+ is focusing on strengthening of community systems and key population networks to use effective advocacy strategies to obtain social accountability mechanisms and scale-up of best practice interventions by national programmes.

CRN+ conducted capacity building training from 15 July to 5 August 2019 in Belize, Dominican Republic, Suriname and the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. The training activities involved over seventy (70) representatives from CRN+ networks, National AIDS Programmes and other key population networks that collaborate with CRN+.

The training focused on three key topic areas including finance essentials and accountability, monitoring and evaluation systems and fundraising essentials.

The fundamental purpose of the capacity building training was to contribute to strengthening the CRN+ networks and increasing the capacity of members to be more effective partners in their national HIV response.

The series of capacity building training provided opportunities for CRN+ to convene additional meetings with representatives of National AIDS Programmes, Ministry of Industry and Commerce and other organisations, to discuss opportunities for improving collaboration with CRN+ national affiliates and leveraging technical and financial support for income generation and other sustainability activities.