In September 2007, IOM entered into a partnership with Walvis Bay Multi-Purpose Centre, to develop a project to reduce HIV vulnerability of foreign and local fishermen working and residing in the Walvis Bay area. The Mission to Seafarers (Namibia) and the Namibia Maritime & Fisheries Institute are also involved as partners in this project.   Walvis Bay is Namibia’s only deep water port and is the focus point of a very large commercial fishing industry. The lucrative fishing industry means that Walvis Bay is frequented by large number of foreign fishermen working for international vessels, as well as local fishermen. These foreign fishermen arrive on a regular basis mainly from Europe (Spain, Russia) and Asia (China). Foreign fishermen, through their contact with local sex workers, link high HIV prevalence areas to low HIV prevalence areas, with truly global implications for the ever increasing pandemic. Walvis Bay Multi-Purpose Centre provides information, education and communication to inform local communities about HIV and AIDS. The centre also provides care and support to community members affected by the disease, and facilitates condom distribution. However, the Centre has not, as of 2007, extended special services to the fishing industry nor provided services to the port area of Walvis Bay. The partnership project with IOM, the Mission to Seafarers (Namibia) and the Namibia Maritime & Fisheries Institute changes this, and undertakes the following activities:

·         Strengthening HIV workplace programmes within shipping and fishing companies;

·         Facilitating development of IEC material - print, audiovisual etc- in different languages, targeting the fishing sector, including a directory of services for people entering Walvis Bay;

·         Increasing access to condoms for targeted groups;

·         Increasing access to recreational activities for both foreign and local fishermen while on shore leave; and

·         Integrating life-skills programmes such as financial literacy, gender, in particular “men as partners” approaches in the curriculum of the Namibian Fishing Institute (NAMFI).The interventions is informed by pre-implementation baseline assessment which looks at the HIV related knowledge and attitudes of the local and fore