The Middle East and North Africa Harm Reduction Association (MENAHRA), organized two-day advocacy training workshop in Egypt. The training was held at the Pyramisa Suites Hotel in Cairo, Egypt, from Wednesday the 8th to Thursday the 9th of May, 2024. Participants attending the workshop included 15 participants (10 males and 5 females) from civil society organizations and networks based in Alexandria and Cairo including MENA Rosa, Menapud, Freedom NGO and Bareeq network.
The workshop focused on the importance of advocacy to overcome challenges faced by people living with HIV (PLHIV) and people who use drugs (PWUDs). The sessions included the basics of advocacy including selection of the topic and rationale for that selection, objectives, target audience, approach, work plan, funding, monitoring and evaluation in addition to the importance of alliances and networking. The role of media and social media was also discussed. The workshop adopted participatory approach including brainstorming, case study and working groups.
The evaluation of the workshop was not based on knowledge gain, but rather participants’ interaction throughout the different sessions of advocacy and presentation of their proposals on day 2 of the workshop.
To further build the capacity of the participants to advocate for the changes needed among PWUDs and PLHIV to address the challenges they face, MENAHRA representatives announced that grants will be offered to implement advocacy proposals that participants will develop based on what they learned during the workshop. Linking the workshop to grants is an invaluable opportunity to master the skills of advocacy.
