Ms Yolanda Simon

The year 2004 marked CRN+'s 8 th year of promoting the notion that people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) are not the problem but part of the solution.

This we have actively demonstrated through our programmes of advocacy, capacity-building of the PLWHA community and the development of national PLWHA networks, the most significant result being the recognition of CRN+ as the authentic voice of PLWHA in the Caribbean region.

This has enabled the network to attract significant financial and technical resources and to reposition itself to emerge as one of the leading regional institutions in the collaborative fight against HIV/AIDS. It is important to mention that before the vision of a regional network - a collective voice - there were individual voices who supported and who continue to support HIV/AIDS programmes at the national, regional and international levels.

As we move towards the close of 2004, we can reflect that this has turned out to be a phenomenal year for CRN+. We have seen rapid growth and expansion at both the regional and national levels, as well as global recognition as the only Civil Society Organization to have its funding proposal to the Global Fund for AIDS Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM) approved.

It is therefore fitting that this first edition of our Annual Report affords us the opportunity to highlight the work and some of the achievements of the network thus far as well as to share future directions and to thank the individuals and organizations who continue to make it possible.

CRN+ 5-year Strategic Plan and 2-year Operational Plan

In 2002 CRN+ received financial and technical support under the SIRHASC project to develop a two-year operational plan (2003-2004) and a five-year strategic plan (2003-2007).

These plans have been the key to unlocking $$$ doors that had been formerly closed to the network. Subsequently CRN+ has been successful in attracting funding support from the International HIV/AIDS Alliance and the Center for Disease Control.

In addition we are very pleased that after two years of negotiations we will soon be accessing a grant from the World Bank. Still more remarkable is our success with the GFATM, which we hope to finalize early in 2005.

What this has allowed us to do is some strategic modeling in the context of how we prepare the network to respond to the new and exciting challenges ahead.

Future Directions

With the Secretariat now operating from a position of strength, this phase sees the shifting of focus from the regional Secretariat to the strengthening of national networks as well as the development of a cadre of knowledgeable advocates. To this end we continue to play a pivotal role in influencing policy and programmes as well as supporting our strategic partners in the execution and service delivery of their activities.

We continue to be engaged in an organizational development exercise as we seek to strengthen the position of PLWHA and give true meaning to the GIPA (greater involvement of people infected with HIV/AIDS) principle. In 2005 we will unveil our regional advocacy agenda, which addresses the following issues:

• Access to Care Treatment and Support
• Stigma and Discrimination
• GIPA

Acknowledgements

I would like to take this opportunity to thank:

• the Board and members of the network for the confidence they continue to place in the Secretariat
• The staff and volunteers at both the Secretariat and the national networks
• All our supporters, well wishers and strategic partners for their continued support

Special mention must be made of:

• the European Union through the PIU/CARICOM for their commitment and support to the development of CRN+ and for unlocking the doors, through which others have followed
• the Caribbean Epidemiology Center (CAREC) - who gave birth to CRN+ - for yet another year of sterling contribution and unwavering support.

Finally, we would like to acknowledge Ms Claudette Francis, Clinical Psychologist and a phenomenal woman, whose creativity, wisdom and understanding of human behavior championed the PLWHA community. She has been the single, most influential person in the creation and design of our network as well as the strengthening of the “voices” which have now been transformed into the vibrant CRN+.