by Nigel Marsh - Hope Communications

BARCELONA, July 13, 2002

Richard Wamimbi
The nature and content of the presentations was really very informative and educative for me, especially to help us implement our Models of Learning programme in the partnership. We were looking for best practices, and it was an opportunity for me to identify specific areas which could be of interest in programming.

What was interesting about orphans and vulnerable children in the presentations I attended was that we are already doing in World Vision many of the things that I heard presented as best practices; and the things I heard presented as new ideas we are often doing more. There were suggestions about finding indicators that were new ideas.

I was presenting a poster, and there were a number of other posters by faith based organisations. But in the plenary sessions the role of the FBOs was not articulated. In future, maybe at the Bangkok conference, the church must have a very strong strategy for our presence to be known. They have underestimated the role of the church. Yet I know that in Uganda, before the government came on the scene, the church was already caring for the people.

Princess Elizabeth Katune
Some of the best news in this conference was that Brazil announced it would make its generic [anti-retroviral] drugs available to every country. But it was also good to see women are being considered in the light of HIV. I think that is great. It's good to see the leadership coming together, though that is just the beginning - hopefully they can work together to implement what they've talked about. It's all about action, not about gathering together.

There aren't really enough Africans here. I don't know how many qualified for the scholarships - it was hard, and most of the people who have come here were those who could afford to come.

The youth should be here, but they aren't properly represented, especially the black youth. Maybe the residents of this place are here - you do see white youths - but they can't really speak for us. We really feel used - everyone wants to make a programme for us and say things on our behalf. We are just left to implement what they say. They say we are the future, but we aren't - we are the present.

The older people should nurture the young to succeed them. I would love to be nurturing somebody as I grow up, so that when I pass away, from AIDS or death, there will be a successor. There's no success without a successor.