How did NDI become involved in HIV/AIDS issues in Southern Africa?
NDI’s work began in 2001 in Malawi, where we had a parliamentary program aimed at connecting legislators and constituents around issues that most deeply affected citizens. NDI helped organize a dialogue between legislators and constituents around how the government could deliver better HIV/AIDS services. The program also focused on monitoring budgets that were allocated to provide anti-retroviral treatment for people living with HIV. As a result of NDI’s assistance, civic groups lobbied parliament to protect funding in the national budget to provide these necessary drugs to HIV patients. • How has the program progressed since then? The program has expanded to several other countries, focusing on the important role of parliamentarians as advocates for constituents who are heavily affected by HIV and AIDS. NDI has worked in Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria and Zambia on HIV/AIDS. The programs have been influential in pioneering strategies for other countries in the Southern African
