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September 2020

Open letter: Donors and supporters must act to ensure civil society resilience against COVID-19 pandemic

Dear civil society donors and supporters,

As the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic unfolds, civil society organizations across the world are taking proactive measures to protect the health and well-being of their staff and partners. This includes necessary shifts in strategy, reprioritization, and adjustments in programming and outreach. At the same time, civil society infrastructure is under visible and immense financial pressure. Projects have been postponed, deliverables delayed and energies diverted to making alternative plans.  Major events have been cancelled at significant financial loss.

Read More »Open letter: Donors and supporters must act to ensure civil society resilience against COVID-19 pandemic

The Hidden Life of Theories of Change

Theory of Change is thought to be very useful for learning and adaptive management of complex interventions such as advocacy. Nevertheless, the use of Theory of Change is also under critique. One common criticism is that Theory of Change is often used as a framework that fixes agreements rather than as a living, guiding tool that helps reflection and adaptation. However, while such criticism stresses forms of control, little research has looked at the way Theory of Change and advocacy practice relate.Read More »The Hidden Life of Theories of Change

Eswatini is the first African country to achieve 95-95-95 global HIV target

  • HIV, News

Eswatini is the first African country to achieve 95-95-95 global HIV target. This means that 95% of people living with HIV in Eswatini know their status, that 95% of people who know their HIV-positive status are accessing treatment and that 95% of people on treatment have suppressed viral load. Eswatini, a tiny country of just over a million people in southern Africa, has one of the highest HIV prevalence rates in the world: 27% of adults live with the disease.Read More »Eswatini is the first African country to achieve 95-95-95 global HIV target

Carrying out qualitative research under lockdown – Practical and ethical considerations

How can qualitative researchers collect data during social-distancing measures? Adam Jowett outlines several techniques researchers can use to collect data without face-to-face contact with participants. Bringing together a number of previous studies, he also suggests such techniques have their own methodological advantages and disadvantages and that while these techniques may appear particularly apt during the coronavirus crisis, researchers should take time to reflect on ethical issues before re-designing their studies.Read More »Carrying out qualitative research under lockdown – Practical and ethical considerations