• A Steering Committee Workshop for networks of People Living with HIV and AIDS and the Transport Sector was organized by GLIA in Nairobi, Kampala from 3rd to 5th November 2010.
• A Sharing Information Workshop by GLIA on the Health Sector Collaboration was organized in Nairobi, Kenya

The mission of GLIA is currently implemented through the “GLIA Support Project” funded by the World Bank/IDA since 2006, a project that has two development objectives namely: (a) To facilitate the establishment of HIV and AIDS prevention, care and treatment programs for mobile vulnerable populations (refugees, IDPs, long distance truck drivers...) (b) To enhance prospects for coordinated approaches for HIV and AIDS prevention, care and treatment among the GLIA member countries.

GLIA Support Project will close on 31st December 2010. Currently, GLIA is using considerable efforts to mobilise resources and establish new partnerships that will enable it to fully implement its five years Strategic Plan (2008 – 2012). To achieve this, a resource mobilisation strategy and communication strategy and their respective implementation plans are to be developed.

It is in this regard that GLIA is producing a video documentary that will intensify its awareness and advocacy; that documentary will illustrate the impact of GLIA on the population it is providing services and showcase the “added value of GLIA on HIV and AIDS national responses in the Great Lakes Region”.

Populations in mobile occupations (i.e. long distance truck drivers, fishermen and fisherwomen, and the military) are characterized by long periods of separation from their spouses or regular partners and are exposed to conditions that make them engage in higher risk-sexual behavior hence vulnerability to HIV infections. These populations interact with persons such as Commercial Sex Workers (CSWs), their families and sexual partners, and the surrounding communities hence tend to act as bridging populations in the spread of HIV infections.

GLIA has been implementing a World Bank Support Project-1 since 2006; targeting the vulnerable/mobile most at risk population (MARPs) such as the Long distance truck drivers, Refugees, Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), Returnees, etc. It is anticipated that there are lots of information generated over these years by the implementing partners that is worth sharing as well as documenting.

GLIA has organized a sharing information workshop in September in Mombasa to focus on the Long distance Truck Drivers, Commercial Sex Workers (CSWs) and the Surrounding Population.