The APAL in collaboration with the Blue Cross Thaba Bosiu Centre conducted a training workshop on Advocacy for Evidence Based Alcohol Policy for 30 participants in March in Maseru
Participants were drawn from Alcohol Policy Alliance of Lesotho member organizations including Blue Cross; Campaign for Education Forum (CEF), ADAAL, Lesotho National for Visually Impaired Persons, Phelisanang Bophelong, SOS and the Progressive Association of Lesotho Teachers.
The workshop covered a range of topics including:
• Understanding the challenge, global picture;
• Lesotho facts;
• Introduction to the evidence base;
• Evidence based alcohol policies: what works and what does not work;
• Alcohol Industry agenda;
• History and challenges of Lesotho National Policy;
• Introduction to Advocacy;
• Knowledge into practice.
This is the first mobilising activity for the network in 2015. Mphonyane Mofokeng, SAAPA Chairperson and Director, Blue Cross Thaba Bosiu Centre said ‘this workshop strengthens APAL’s advocacy efforts and assists us to reach our collective goal of working with government to legislate tougher policy and implementation thereof.”
The Alcohol Policy Alliance Lesotho was established in 2013 and works with government and other stakeholders to review and revise alcohol policy on Lesotho. Blue Cross Norway supported the training.