Brief History
Stigma and discrimination against people who use drugs are pervasive in South African communities. Politicians, the press and the general population, describe drugs and people who use drugs as the source of multiple harms and social ills in South Africa. People who use drugs suffer regular human rights violations, lack access to appropriate services and experience harms caused by current drug policy. SANPUD fills a critical gap by advocating for the rights of people who use drugs and ensuring a coordinated advocacy effort to ensure that drug policies align with the constitution.
In 2014 TB HIV Care and OUT Wellbeing started delivering HIV prevention services to people who inject drugs in three cities. We held community advisory group meetings and a national meeting of people who inject drugs and identified the need for peer-led representative networks. In 2015, initial meetings were held in Cape Town and Pretoria to establish local networks of peers. In 2016, the Deputy Minister of Social Development called for the inclusion of people who use drugs in the consultation process ahead of the development of the National Drug Masterplan.
We recognised that South Africa would not reach their international commitments and sustainable development goals unless the response to people who use drugs changed. South Africa’s drug policies need to align with the constitution and the principles of the National Drug Master Plan 2019-2024.
The initial networks were under-resourced and inexperienced and the effects of stigma, criminalisation, and exclusion stunted their development. We recognised the need to support, coordinate, document and mentor the networks of people who use drugs.
SANPUD was established to attract international funds, coordinate the efforts and messages of networks, and ensure that people communities are capacitated. We want to support networks to participate in all policy, legislative and research processes that impact the rights and wellbeing of people who use drugs.
In 2014 TB HIV Care and OUT Wellbeing started delivering HIV prevention services to people who inject drugs in three cities. We held community advisory group meetings and a national meeting of people who inject drugs and identified the need for peer-led representative networks. In 2015, initial meetings were held in Cape Town and Pretoria to establish local networks of peers. In 2016, the Deputy Minister of Social Development called for the inclusion of people who use drugs in the consultation process ahead of the development of the National Drug Masterplan.
We recognised that South Africa would not reach their international commitments and sustainable development goals unless the response to people who use drugs changed. South Africa’s drug policies need to align with the constitution and the principles of the National Drug Master Plan 2019-2024.
The initial networks were under-resourced and inexperienced and the effects of stigma, criminalisation, and exclusion stunted their development. We recognised the need to support, coordinate, document and mentor the networks of people who use drugs.
SANPUD was established to attract international funds, coordinate the efforts and messages of networks, and ensure that people communities are capacitated. We want to support networks to participate in all policy, legislative and research processes that impact the rights and wellbeing of people who use drugs.
Our Principles
- Change by example. We create the behaviours, changes, policies and principles we would like to see in the world through example, not by criticism or judgement.
- Respect and right to dignity for all: People have the right to determine how best to meet and report their responsibilities, resolve their problems, make mistakes and participate in all decisions that affect them.
- Devolved power and decision making: All team members and partners have the ability to make and implement decisions based on the organisational framework, budget, principles and theory of change.
- Freedom of information: All information available to enable people to form opinions and make decisions. Information and knowledge is shared between all teams and partners, and no information or data is withheld.
- Collaboration without competition: Partnerships and collaborations with and between all stakeholders, communities and service providers are critical. We learn from them, empower, support and capacitate them without fear of competition.
- The primacy of relationships: Understanding, compassion and support depend on knowing individuals. Regular meetings, structured communication and compromise are essential.
- Personal accountability & responsibility: We all have a responsibility towards the community and team members. Honest reflection, evaluation and monitoring depends on creating the space to reflect on failures without fear.
Our Theory of Change
What We Want to Do.
How we see running an organisation.
From the beginning SANPUD worked with the future in mind, while focusing on the realities of the here and now. We set up strong principles that are the bedrock of all our work and are applicable despite the context. We developed strategies to use according to the context that align with the principles. We focused on organizational structure, purpose and modeled the word we would like to live in.
NGOs are encouraged to run like businesses:
Big business is modelled on the military:
We are not fighting conventional wars. They are under-resourced, under-appreciated and under-funded. Yet they are catalysts for change and essential. At SANPUD we:
NGOs are encouraged to run like businesses:
Big business is modelled on the military:
- Decisions are top-down
- Orders are given
- Information is withheld and classified secret
- People are sacrificed
- Planning is highly detailed
- Procedures, policies, regulations and restrictions rule activities
- Efficiency is given priority
We are not fighting conventional wars. They are under-resourced, under-appreciated and under-funded. Yet they are catalysts for change and essential. At SANPUD we:
- Prioritise people over efficiency
- Be measured qualitatively not only quantitatively
- Be non-hierarchical and organic
- Be responsive with flexibility
- Be informed by the needs of the people, not the vision and mission of the funder
How SANPUD is Structured.
We run our organisation differently to most. We use a flat structure that describes what people do, not their heirarchy.
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- Mentors help develop and implement the organisational strategies by sharing experience, guidance, support and the transfer of knowledge and power to the Coordinators.
- Coordinators ensure that resources are available and are used effectively achieve the desired outcomes. They also facilitate the sharing of resources and knowledge internally and externally.
- Facilitators ensure that things run smoothly. They support the coordinators and implementers by taking care of the logistics and administrative needs.
- Implementers are on the ground and make things happen as planned.
- The community holds SANPUD accountable to the mandate, provides guidance on needs and performance.
- Partners are the organisations that SANPUD intentionally collaborates with. This includes networks, Civil Society and Government.
What does this mean in practice?
What should mentors and coordinators do?
1.Help others solve problems: The manager should coach, facilitate and advise without actually making the decision. For instance, ask, “How would you solve this problem if it were your organisation?”’
2.Foster confidence: Provide psychological safety and confidence by working clearly and step-by-step on the team’s development and autonomy. Help the team determine goals, roles and work arrangements.
3.Stay in conversation: Avoid misunderstandings by keeping the conversation with the team alive. Make their vision and interpretation as tangible as possible. Don’t refer to ISO manuals, but instead use anecdotes of others who made similar mistakes and talk about the measures they took to fix the problem. Remember, a good discussion can really push boundaries.
What should managers no longer do?
1.Don’t solve other people’s problems: Don’t put out fires or for example discuss things with another department on behalf of a team member. Before you know it, the team will go back to a “wait-and-watch” approach and all action will once again center around the manager.
2.Stop checking: Workflows such as invoicing, billing or quotations are often run by the manager in conventional set-ups. Try to reverse this as much as possible. For instance, work with a budget or a mandate so that you appeal to the responsibility and moral compass of your people.
3.Do not intervene: Even when difficult subjects or situations come up, resist the temptation to step-in and take over. These are the moments when managers have to place real trust in the team and believe they can resolve the issues themselves.
1.Help others solve problems: The manager should coach, facilitate and advise without actually making the decision. For instance, ask, “How would you solve this problem if it were your organisation?”’
2.Foster confidence: Provide psychological safety and confidence by working clearly and step-by-step on the team’s development and autonomy. Help the team determine goals, roles and work arrangements.
3.Stay in conversation: Avoid misunderstandings by keeping the conversation with the team alive. Make their vision and interpretation as tangible as possible. Don’t refer to ISO manuals, but instead use anecdotes of others who made similar mistakes and talk about the measures they took to fix the problem. Remember, a good discussion can really push boundaries.
What should managers no longer do?
1.Don’t solve other people’s problems: Don’t put out fires or for example discuss things with another department on behalf of a team member. Before you know it, the team will go back to a “wait-and-watch” approach and all action will once again center around the manager.
2.Stop checking: Workflows such as invoicing, billing or quotations are often run by the manager in conventional set-ups. Try to reverse this as much as possible. For instance, work with a budget or a mandate so that you appeal to the responsibility and moral compass of your people.
3.Do not intervene: Even when difficult subjects or situations come up, resist the temptation to step-in and take over. These are the moments when managers have to place real trust in the team and believe they can resolve the issues themselves.
In the beginning
The timeline from 2014 to 2016. Pre-SANPUD and establishing early networks.
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Before SANPUD was formed, a lot of groundwork was done to ensure that SANPUD would be accepted by various stakeholders. The investment of funding by Open Society Foundations and the flexibility of TB HIV Care enabled a small group of people to create the initial SANPUD concept and early versions of the organisation. In 2014, working with AIDSfonds and Mainline, a theory of change was developed to map out the future of the policy landscape for people who use drugs. For the next four years, this was the blueprint for the TB HIV Care Drug Policy Unit and SANPUD. The early stages of preparing the ground culminated in the SA Drug Policy Week, ahead of the 59th meeting of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs, where South Africa made an historic statement committing to more progressive and rights affirming drug policies.
The Harm Reduction Stand run by early network members at AIDS2016.
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Several reports were published. The Q4 report from 2015 was released at a press conference at the RUN2016 SA Drug Policy Week and received press coverage.
We are planning to expand and improve the process going forward. These reports have helped the PWUD population feel heard, and have proven to be valuable advocacy tools. Two poster presentations have been done on this work and a peer reviewed paper is due for release late 2016, with further article being planned. |
Human rights abuse reportingOne of the first things that networks got involved in was reporting huma rights abuses. This is an extract from the 2016 report:
There is a need to record and work towards reducing the human rights abuses suffered by this population. Current human rights abuses contribute to HIV risk and present a significant barrier to accessing health and HIV related services. THCA has secured funding from Mainline and the American Foundation for AIDS Research (AmfAR) in order to examine these issues. There are two components to this initiative: 1. Documentation of human rights violations: On-going recording of human rights abuses in order to gather data which can be used to advocate for the promotion of the rights of drug users. 2. Project ACE (Advocacy, Communication, Education): Using the data collected to advocate for the human rights of PWUD and sensitise organisations and institutions such as law enforcement agencies and health service providers to the needs of PWUD, while promoting integration between these stakeholders. |