Who is TALC?
TALC is the Treatment Advocacy Literacy Campaign, a group of member organisations formed to lobby for equitable and sustainable access to affordable, quality HIV treatment, support and care in Zambia.
The mandate of TALC is to ensure that people living with HIV and AIDS (PLHA) are empowered to advocate for access to comprehensive treatment, support, care and respect for their rights.
TALC also advocates for the GIPA and MIPA principles to be upheld.
GIPA = Greater Involvement of people living with HIV and AIDS.
MIPA = Meaningful Involvement of PLHA.
Together the GIPA and MIPA principles means that PLHA should be involved in a strong and significant way in making decisions about the things that affect them. These are important principles that should be adopted by Government, NGOs and other organisations in Zambia.
TALC also believes this involvement should not be tokenistic. This means PLHA should not just be sitting in a meeting because they are a PLHA, they should be listened to and their ideas recognised as they have a "constituency" to represent.
Having identified the need for treatment literacy and advocacy programmes in various communities in Zambia, especially in rural areas, TALC was formed in June 2004 and registered as an NGO in August 2005.
Other activities central to the organisation include emphasis on positive living and care and support for people living with HIV and AIDS.
Currently, PLHA do not have access to enough information on treatment, and lack the capacity to advocate for access to information and treatment itself.
Since its inception, TALC has been working hard to advance treatment advocacy and literacy in Zambia. The organization has made remarkable progress, and some of its key achievements in 2005 include:
- Establishing Advocacy Resource Centre hubs in Kapiri Mposhi and Mongu with plans for more in Chipata, Livingstone and Lusaka
- Training 90 participants from Lusaka, Mongu and Kapiri Mposhi in basic advocacy skills
- Publishing three newsletters
- Supporting the training of support groups of PLHA in Proposal Writing skills
- Participating in the development and publication of the first Handbook on Positive Living in Zambia
- Participation in the development of a Zambia focused treatment advocacy toolkit
In all our work we are ultimately guided by our Vision and Mission:
In the vision, TALC intentionally extends beyond PLHA, recognizing that the benefits of treatment advocacy and literacy also impact the livelihoods of families and communities affected by HIV/AIDS, and reflecting TALC’s concern for the welfare of all Zambians. The mission statement portrays how TALC will contribute to its vision. It was agreed that this mission should reflect a commitment to the empowerment of treatment literate PLHA to advocate for their right to treatment.Vision: A Zambia where people have what they require to live meaningful, productive and quality lives.
Mission: To ensure informed and empowered PLHA are able to advocate for access to comprehensive treatment and support and respect for their rights.