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SANNAM holds its meeting in Pretoria
The Southern African Network of Nurses and Midwives (SANNAM) held its two-day meeting in Pretoria on Friday 28 August by member National Nursing Associations (NNAs) where it was expressed that the Network is faced with a bleak future and high prospect of closing as it is experiencing serious financial challenges which impacts negatively on the Network to run its programme of assisting nursing associations on all SADC countries.
"The network is going through tough times. it lost the Executive Director last year in July and could not be replaced because of financial challenges. This meeting must do deep introspection of itself in relation to sustainability and the future," said SANNAM Vice-Chairperson, De Regina Smith.
SANNAM Treasurer, Glan Tshenyego, echoed the same expression of concern, adding that the Network is faced with a challenge where expenditure outstrips the income it is getting, and a challenge of NNAs not able to pay their fees due to financial troubles and dwindling subscription based in their own countries.
The Network is an anchor nursing organisation and comprises of representatives from the 15 countries in the Southern African Development Community (SADC). Tshenyego said high bank charges on the South African front seem to eat into the little that the Network has in furthering its programmes. SANNAM is based in Pretoria at the premises where Democratic Nursing Organisation of South Africa (DENOSA) is based.
The Network is faced with such challenges as a result of drought in foreign donor-funding that member NNAs have to transport themselves,
"We have to do a deep introspection as the network. We need income that will assist us to implement our programmes on a sustainable basis," said Tshenyego.
The meeting deliberated on means of saving the association from closing shop. "We have seen the poverty in our network. At some point some NNAs put in extra, as some are doing now."
Means of sustaining the organisation were deliberated on expressly.
The NNA from DRC has not money in the coffers, and it is unable to pay subscription because members in the country are not paying at all.
Magadascar has very few members as a country, and are just unable to pay because members have to pay out of their own pockets.
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