ASWA Sub-granted 25 countries In 2020

One of the impact of COVID-19 is that physical meeting could not be held and so the Sex Worker’s Academy, Africa (SWAA) could not be held as well due to the COVID-19 safety protocols.

ASWA brought the different regional groups together via online calls during the COVID 19 pandemic and conferencing with translators in place – Anglophone, Francophone, Lusophone – with one voice to see how best to respond to the crisis and build capacity of sex workers to respond to COVID-19. The fund that was meant to hold SWAA was therefore diverted to sub-grant 25 countries in Africa to help them respond to the COVID-19 crisis.

Activities conducted were:

• Trainings on COVID-19 preventive measures, as well as economic empowerment of sex worker’s example: trainings on making sanitizers and mouth masks.
• Virtual meetings on Universal Health Coverage, easy and equitable access to health care during the covid-19 pandemic.
•  Sensitizing sex Workers on human rights, stigma &discrimination, proper use of condom and lubricant, gender based violence prevention messages.
• Holding of sensitization meetings with law enforcers and sex workers across the different countries and for the advocacy of the recognition of sex work as work
• Organizational capacity building of sex workers led organizations in the regions and Capacity building training for sex workers leaders and staff.
• Sex Workers record and document human rights violations in order to keep track and know how to deal with the issues.