The Associação Nacional dos Enfermeiros de
Moçambique (ANEMO) — the Mozambican National Nurses Association — collaborated with the African Palliative Care Association (APCA) based in Kampala, Uganda to strengthen ANEMO’s expertise and capacity to implement, monitor, and evaluate programs that mitigate the spread of HIV and improve the ability of nurses in Mozambique to provide quality patient care.
This south-south partnership graduated from the HIV/AIDS Twinning Center's technical assistance program in December 2008.
The overall goal of the partnership was to strengthen ANEMO’s human and institutional capacity to effectively contribute to the fight against HIV/AIDS in Mozambique by developing its organizational capacity.
At the partnership's close, the Twinning Center reported that the ANEMO/APCA alliance exceeded its target results for all indicators, training 196 individuals in HIV/AIDS policy development and providing related technical assistance to 24 local organizations. Partners also trained 181 people in HIV/AIDS institutional capacity building and provided related technical assistance to 20 local organizations.
Partners jointly reviewed ANEMO’s governance structure, including the existing councils, and identified areas of improvement at both the governance and secretarial level. Human resource and financial policies were also reviewed and recommendations were given to best serve ANEMO’s needs. A new governance structure was developed, which allowed for easier operating procedures for ANEMO. This allowed for the beginning of the strategic planning meetings and a clear vision and mission for ANEMO. During the partnership, partners jointly ratified ANEMO’s constitution, translated it into Portuguese, and presented it to ANEMO’s board.
Partners conducted strategic planning workshop for ANEMO board members, which assisted Board members and ANEMO staff to better understand the organization’s strategic direction. Additionally, it allowed ANEMO to implement objectives, measure the Board’s competencies, and to better understand the organization’s overall structure. Strategic planning workshops were also conducted for ANEMO’s provincial members and the General Assembly, to determine how to best execute ANEMO’s activities to maximize the outcomes for ongoing and future activities.
Throughout the course of the partnership, partners planned and conducted professional exchanges and study tours to learn about palliative care initiatives in Uganda. ANEMO representatives gained practical exposure to palliative care delivery services through home-based care to integrate this within trainings offered in Mozambique. While in Uganda, partners visited palliative care associations and hospices to learn about activities that could be adapted and mirrored in their own settings.
In accordance with ANEMO's objective of expanding its services beyond Maputo, partners conducted monitoring and capacity-building visits to provincial delegations to provide support to local authorities and strengthen membership recruitment. They implemented trainings of provincial trainers on various topics related to home-based care, including technical support, WHO self-awareness checklists, and the development of a national action plan for ANEMO.
Partners identified strategies to improve access to essential pain medicines in Mozambique. They jointly reviewed draft strategies, carried-out assessment of contributing factors to the current opioids situation in Mozambique, identified reasons for unavailability and/or lack of accessibility of opioids in Mozambique, identified possible solutions to roll-out barriers, and potential funding sources. They also formed three groups to examine the current status of the WHO pillars for a palliative care program — policy, education, and training — as well as drug availability. Task force members drafted and finalized an action plan, which was shared with the Mozambican Ministry of Health and development partners.
With the overall goal of increasing the sustainability of ANEMO, the partners developed clear strategies to increase the organization’s visibility throughout Mozambique. Meetings were conducted with ANEMO staff, including those in the provinces, to determine the best methods of successfully rolling out effective communication messages. An ANEMO newsletter was developed, which assisted with bolstering membership. Partners also hired a consultant to begin work on the official ANEMO Web site. At the conclusion of the partnership, the site was operational, allowing for increased communication between ANEMO and the organizations with which it partners.
As this partnership with APCA was approaching its end in late 2008 the Twinning Center launched a second partnership with ANEMO, pairing the organization with St. Luke's Hospital School of Nursing at Moravian Collage in Pennsylvania. To learn more about the activities of this partnership, please click here.
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