Implementing Comprehensive HIV/STI Programmes with Sex Workers Implementing Comprehensive HIV/STI Programmes with | Page 187

6 Programme Management and Organizational Capacity-building

• financial reports/audit reports
• organizational resources
• organizational chart/staffing plan (and human resources manual, if available)
• board of directors and rules and regulations governing the board (board endorsement of registration
is also needed)
• letters of support from key partners.
Some of these documents may not be available for organizations just starting up and may need to
be developed. If the organization finds the requirements too complex or difficult to meet, it may be
possible to register as a member of a network. This may be an appropriate intermediate step for a
nascent organization on its way to registration, giving it the protection and support of the network
as it grows and develops the materials needed for individual registration. The Global Network of
Sex Work Projects (NSWP) does not require sex worker-led groups to be legally registered before
applying for network membership and can provide links to other members who can provide support
in building organizational capacity.11

6.7 Organizational capacity-building
Capacity-building for sex worker organizations presents specific challenges:
• The stigma and issues around the legality of sex work.
• Sex worker organizations, if staffed exclusively by sex workers, may initially lack the full range of
technical skills needed to function optimally.
• Staff members who continue to engage in sex work for economic or other reasons may not have
enough time to prioritize their work for the organization.
• The mobility of sex workers may make it difficult to retain staff and maintain consistency within
the organization.
To deal with missing skills, some organizations outsource certain functions, such as financial
management, to businesses that provide this service. One way to mitigate the loss of staff is to have
more people involved in organizational activities, so that there is a larger number with institutional
memory. This is especially important for mentoring leadership to facilitate smooth transitions.
Organizations can also build their capacities in certain areas. A best practice is for an organization to
undergo a capacity assessment. There are many tools for this, including self-assessments, although
a good facilitated assessment helps an organization bring out issues it might not identify itself. The
assessment provides the organization with a capacity-building plan to address the identified areas
for improvement. Chapter 1, Section 1.2.6 describes issues of leadership and financial management,
while Sections 6.2.2 and 6.2.3 above describe data monitoring and programme evaluation. Other areas
that are also generally explored in an assessment and that are the most important for organizations
to build capacity are discussed here.

11 www.nswp.org

165