Services

Outreach Work

The service package offered by VOOV includes outreach work with sex workers to encourage sex workers to take up HIV testing and linking them to testing, care and treatment services. We also offer distribution of commodities such as condoms and lubricants, including to clients. VOOV does outreach work and FHI360 provides the clinical component and a mobile clinic.

Addressing challenges in delivery of health services

VOOV works to address challenges in delivery of health services for sex workers by addressing mistrust of health care system and concerns regarding loss of income as a result of illness and arrests. We create safe spaces for sharing information about sexual behaviour, substance and drug use. Sex workers are fully involved in designing our programmes, in decision making for the organisation and are the ones who lead the implementation.

We promote equal rights

VOOV work to promote equal rights for all, under the human rights for all project funded by the EU civil society programme. VOOV promotes health and human rights, but this is an area where there is a real lack of focus on sex workers’ rights, to be recognised in the country, which is something VOOV is pushing to cover.

We address and advocate for equal access to health services

The main task of the group is to represent the members of the hotspots, bring forward their views on how VOOV should operate, and do the programming of each region, as there are some sex workers from rural areas where the approach is not similar to the urban areas. Their tasks include to give information about the situation of their working conditions, health issues on service delivery, and access to justice whenever needed.

Hotspots

Other tasks for the group are to give feedback to the hotspots peers on what our discussions have been about, to teach others how to prevent violence among sex workers and conduct group discussions on income generation aside from sex work, for sustainability. They also take a lead on service delivery for any kind when Voice of Our Voices visits sex work hotspots. Another task was to accompany sex workers to health facilities, which was done voluntarily by both parties, to avoid illnesses as result of not accessing health services in time.

Advocacy and policy changes

VOOV has trained paralegals who assist sex workers by training them on human rights, assisting them by connecting them to a lawyer who assists should sex workers need a legal expert. Our organisation supports with court hearings, whenever sex workers are arrested for loitering.

We fighting for the decriminilization of sex workers

Community Engagement: Building awareness within the broader community about the rights and needs of sex workers, reducing stigma, and fostering understanding.

About

Voice of Our Voices (VOOV) is an organisation led by sex workers for sex workers in Eswatini, located in the Southern part of Africa. Our priority areas are to advocate for social change and the protection of sex workers, linking sex workers with service providers, and distribution of health commodities to sex workers. We also advocate for law reform that accommodates everyone.

Contacts