In order for palliative care to develop and be effectively coordinated in Namibia, it will be necessary to create a national palliative care association. It is anticipated this may happen in August 2005, with Catholic Aids Action taking a leading role in its development.⁸

The following organisations feature prominently in Namibia:

Global Fund ⁹

A portfolio of Global Fund Round 2 grants to Namibia includes specific funding for HIV/AIDS: Scaling up the Fight Against HIV/AIDS in Namibia. Signed on 23 November 2004 the 2 year agreement provides US $26,082,802.00 to be disbursed through the Ministry of Health and Social Services. The agreement is part of a 5-year proposal covering prevention, care and support. Youth education, condom promotion and distribution, increased access to voluntary counselling and testing and prevention of mother to child transmission intervention, as well as antiretroviral treatment and prophylaxis and treatment of opportunistic infections are proposed.

President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) ¹⁰

During his State of the Union address in 2003, President Bush announced his PEPFAR initiative; this groundbreaking intervention encompasses HIV/AIDS activities in more than 75 countries and focuses on 15 countries worldwide – of which Namibia is one of 12 in Africa – to develop integrated care and treatment programmes (Table 5). Over the next 5 years, PEPFAR is donating a total of US $15billion, of which 15% is earmarked funding for palliative care. This has dramatically changed the palliative care landscape in Africa, as bids for new initiatives are attracting the funding for implementation. Four main areas are targeted:

• prevention of HIV transmission
• treatment of AIDS and associated conditions
• palliative care for HIV infected individuals
• care for AIDS orphans and other vulnerable children