The Rainbow Project (trp) is a Namibian LGBTI non governmental organisation, registered as a trust (registration number T418/05) which has been advocating for the equal rights of sexual minorities in all spheres of Namibian society for the past decade.

Since 1997, the rainbow project has championed the rights of sexual minorities in Namibia in the face of anti-homosexual government rhetoric. Initially it delivered human rights training to the LGBTI community and organised public protests particularly in Windhoek focussing on the needs of the LGBTI youth. In 2003, the project expanded its operations to other regions outside of the urban Windhoek region. In 2005 the project opened a satellite office in Ongwediva to care for the needs of LGBTI people in the four Northern O-regions. Till 2007 the rainbow project was mainly known as an advocacy organisation dealing primarily with legal and policy reform, despite the fact that there was always been a need within the organisation to provide programming in the area of prevention, healthcare and support in the field of HIV, AIDS and STI for the LGBTI community. Part of the rainbow project’s strategy has been to get mainstream HIV organisations to provide friendly and sensitive services to LGBTI persons in Namibia. This process however, has been very slow and the increase in the number of deaths amongst LGBTI due to HIV related deceases pointed towards an impending crisis, which needed urgent attention.

In an effort to address the health needs of the LGBTI Namibian, the Dutch development organisation, Schorer, funded the rainbow project for a 3 year period (2007-2010) to initiate a project for the much needed health component of its work. This project known as Prevention & Research Initiatives for Sexual Minorities Project (PRISM) is a regional project that targets the health needs of sexual minorities in southern Africa. It includes six partner organsiations from four southern African countries including Namibia.

With the addition of the aforementioned health component the rainbow project in collaboration with key stakeholders in the arena of HIV/AIDS prevention, care and support, aspires to reduce the HIV incidence amongst LGBTI community, achieve a healthy LGBTI community that is resilient to homophobia and that has a sustainable future.

In order to effectively understand and address the healthcare needs amongst the LGBTI community and in order to develop an evidence based programme, a needs assessment study was conducted in the period September– December 2007. The needs assessment study results were further supplemented with the HIV prevalence probe among MSM in the Windhoek which was conducted in January. After the research phase was completed, a project proposal was developed based on the results of the needs assessment. Currently the project has moved into the implementation phase.

The Rainbow Project (trp) is a Namibian LGBTI non governmental organisation, registered as a trust (registration number T418/05) which has been advocating for the equal rights of sexual minorities in all spheres of Namibian society for the past decade.

Since 1997, the rainbow project has championed the rights of sexual minorities in Namibia in the face of anti-homosexual government rhetoric. Initially it delivered human rights training to the LGBTI community and organised public protests particularly in Windhoek focussing on the needs of the LGBTI youth. In 2003, the project expanded its operations to other regions outside of the urban Windhoek region. In 2005 the project opened a satellite office in Ongwediva to care for the needs of LGBTI people in the four Northern O-regions. Till 2007 the rainbow project was mainly known as an advocacy organisation dealing primarily with legal and policy reform, despite the fact that there was always been a need within the organisation to provide programming in the area of prevention, healthcare and support in the field of HIV, AIDS and STI for the LGBTI community. Part of the rainbow project’s strategy has been to get mainstream HIV organisations to provide friendly and sensitive services to LGBTI persons in Namibia. This process however, has been very slow and the increase in the number of deaths amongst LGBTI due to HIV related deceases pointed towards an impending crisis, which needed urgent attention.

In an effort to address the health needs of the LGBTI Namibian, the Dutch development organisation, Schorer, funded the rainbow project for a 3 year period (2007-2010) to initiate a project for the much needed health component of its work. This project known as Prevention & Research Initiatives for Sexual Minorities Project (PRISM) is a regional project that targets the health needs of sexual minorities in southern Africa. It includes six partner organsiations from four southern African countries including Namibia.

With the addition of the aforementioned health component the rainbow project in collaboration with key stakeholders in the arena of HIV/AIDS prevention, care and support, aspires to reduce the HIV incidence amongst LGBTI community, achieve a healthy LGBTI community that is resilient to homophobia and that has a sustainable future.

In order to effectively understand and address the healthcare needs amongst the LGBTI community and in order to develop an evidence based programme, a needs assessment study was conducted in the period September– December 2007. The needs assessment study results were further supplemented with the HIV prevalence probe among MSM in the Windhoek which was conducted in January. After the research phase was completed, a project proposal was developed based on the results of the needs assessment. Currently the project has moved into the implementation phase.