IRIN HIV/AIDS Weekly - 77
Africa
03 May 2002


NEWS:

ZAMBIA: World Bank to support HIV/AIDS programme
AFRICA: HIV-related deaths among teachers alarming
SOUTHERN AFRICA: Food aid for HIV/AIDS affected families
SOUTH AFRICA: Global Fund boost for HIV/AIDS programme
LESOTHO: Country battles pandemic

LINKS:

1. HIV/AIDS portal for South & North East Asia
2. Student Global AIDS Campaign
3. Hope for African Children Initiative

CONFERENCES/RESEARCH:

1. Women@Barcelona - Special Email Discussion
2. Third Counselling Conference
3. Reporting on HIV/AIDS for women radio journalists
4. Information pack on HIV/AIDS and gender
5. Call for proposals

JOB OPPORTUNITIES:

1. HIV/AIDS Fieldworker, Catholic Institute of Education (CIE), South
Africa

ZAMBIA: World Bank to support HIV/AIDS programme

The World Bank has pledged US $42 million to help Zambia's anti-AIDS
campaign, but disbursement of the funds will hinge on the response of an
unpredictable parliament to a proposed new national HIV/AIDS policy.

The Zambian government and the World Bank reached agreement late last
month on a programme under which the Bank would provide the funds to the
Zambia National Response to HIV/AIDS (ZANARA) project. However, this
depends on the passing of legislation that guarantees the provision of
antiretroviral drugs to people who need them.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/AIDSreport.asp?ReportID=1290

AFRICA: HIV-related deaths among teachers alarming

Central and Eastern African countries, whose education systems are already
threatened by HIV/AIDS, need to take concrete steps to minimise the impact
of the pandemic, a regional forum in Yaounde, Cameroon, has concluded.

The sub-regional forum on UNESCO's 'Education For All' (EFA) programme,
held on 22-25 April, highlighted the alarming death rate among teachers
who the 100 participants said, constitute high-risk groups in several
countries. The high mortality rate among educators, the forum noted, could
be an obstacle to achieving the objectives of EFA.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/AIDSreport.asp?ReportID=1289

SOUTHERN AFRICA: Food aid for HIV/AIDS affected families

The International Red Cross launched an appeal this week for more than
four million dollars to provide support for HIV/AIDS families threatened
by southern Africa's worsening food crisis.

Following  an  assessment of needs in three of the most drought-affected
countries in southern Africa, the International Federation of Red Cross
and Red Crescent Societies called for funds to assist 450,000 people in
Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe over the next twelve months.

"We expect that the situation will get worse in the coming months. The
nutritional status is already very bad for many people particularly young
children orphaned because of HIV/AIDS and the high numbers of adults who
are infected with the virus," Dr Guy Zimmermann, a Federation nutritional
expert who was part of the Federation's assessment team, said in a press
release.

The Red Cross intervention would mainly target HIV/AIDS affected families
and orphans, providing bulk food distribution and supplementary feeding at
communal kitchens, the release added.

SOUTH AFRICA: Global Fund boost for HIV/AIDS programme

South Africa's HIV/AIDS programme received a boost last week with the
announcement of a US $165.2 million grant from the Global Fund to fight
AIDS, Tuberculosis (TB) and Malaria.

South Africa's grant awards cover two proposals, focusing on treatment,
care, and support of people with TB and HIV. The Fund awarded almost US
$93 million to the country's coordinating mechanism, the South African
National AIDS Council.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/AIDSreport.asp?ReportID=1288

LESOTHO: Country battles pandemic

Lesotho has one of the highest HIV/AIDS infection rates in the world, yet
prevention and treatment programmes are only just getting off the ground.

UNAIDS associate country programme advisor Ludo Bok told PlusNews the
impoverished mountain kingdom was still in the early stages of responding
to the pandemic, but had a prevalence rate of between 31 and 34 percent.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/AIDSreport.asp?ReportID=1286


LINKS:

1. YouandAIDS is an HIV/AIDS portal for South and North East Asia. The
portal has become an important one-stop site and for an array of
information and services in the region. The portal also acts as a window
for many initiatives planned in the HIV/AIDS sector using Information and
Communication Technologies. www.youandaids.org

2. The Student Global AIDS Campaign is a network of students at more than
250 high schools, colleges, and graduate schools fighting global AIDS
through education, leadership training, informed advocacy and direct
action. In partnership with AIDS activists internationally, the SGAC is
building a movement.
http://www.fightglobalaids.org/

3. The Hope for African Children Initiative is a community-based,
pan-African effort created to address the challenges faced by children who
have been orphaned by the AIDS pandemic in Africa and those whose parents
are sick or dying of AIDS-related illnesses.
http://www.hopeforafricanchildren.org/


CONFERENCES/RESEARCH:

1. Special e-mail Discussion towards the Women At Barcelona pre-conference
Satellite

Health & Development Networks (HDN), the United Nations Development Fund
for Women (UNIFEM) and the International AIDS Society's Women's Caucus are
hosting a special e-mail discussion on the Gender-AIDS forum focusing on
women and HIV/AIDS. The on-line forum will also inform the discussion on
women's issues at conference activities and in the community forums.

The key areas identified for discussion on the forum are: Research and
Treatment; Advocacy and Policy; and Care Economy.

If you would like to be part of this discussion forum, send an e-mail to:
Join-gender-aids@healthdev.net
For more information about this project:
http://www.hdnet.org/ or http://www.womenatbarcelona.net

2. Third Counselling Conference - "Challenges & Meaning for VCT
Counsellors" 3-5 September 2002.

The conference will be held at the Safari Park Hotel, Nairobi,Kenya. The
deadline for abstract submission is 30 June 2002.

For more information:
The Conference Secretary - Anne Kamau
Tel: 254-2-786310,
Email: nairobi@kapc.or ke
http://www.kapc.or.ke

3. Training: Reporting on HIV/AIDS for women radio journalists

Women radio journalists from southern Africa are invited to apply for a
10-day training programme on reporting on HIV/AIDS. Organised by the
African Women Media Centre (AWMC) the programme will be held in
Johannesburg, South Africa from 18 -29 June 2002.

The training will cover information that is vital to covering HIV/AIDS,
provide an overview on the basics of journalism and offer an opportunity
for hands-on training in radio production.

The AWMC will select 20 entry-to mid-level women radio journalists and
will cover costs for attending the programme. In addition, other
journalists will be invited to participate in panel discussions and
presentations. Applicants must have a minimum of two years experience
working in radio and strong interest in the issues surrounding HIV/AIDS.
English proficiency is required.

Interested candidates should fill out the attached application and return
it to:
Fax: 27 11 327 0242
Email Gifti Nadi, Project Manager gnadi@iwmf.org.
Applications are available on the AWMC website at www.awmc.com. The
application deadline is Friday, May 24, 2002.

4. BRIDGE, gender and development information unit at the Institute of
Development Studies, University of Sussex is putting together an
information pack on gender and HIV/AIDS and would like to hear about
organisations doing innovative work in this field. They are interested in
any area of work that involves a focus on gender relations and HIV/AIDS.

Some examples include:
- working with men
- programmes run by women living with HIV/AIDS
- institutional change
- advocacy work
- multisectoral responses

If you can help please email contact details and a short write-up.
Emma Bell
BRIDGE (development-gender)
The Institute of Development Studies
University of Sussex
Brighton BN1 9RE
UK
Tel: +44 (0) 1273 678491
Fax: +44 (0) 1273 621202
Email: E.Bell@ids.ac.uk
Web: http://www.ids.ac.uk/bridge/

Source: GENDER-AIDS

5. The South African Medical Research Council (MRC), in collaboration with
several partners, are establishing an Internet information portal on
HIV/AIDS for southern Africa. The proposed portal will provide a knowledge
resource to facilitate collaboration and knowledge sharing among
institutions involved in the prevention of HIV/AIDS in this region.

The initial target audience includes health researchers and professional
health care workers, people living with HIV/AIDS, NGOs and community-based
organisations in the field and policy makers.

This is an invitation to stakeholders, involved in generating quality
HIV/AIDS information, to make their information resources available via
the AfroAidsInfo portal. Submissions covering the following areas are
encouraged:

- Research in: HIV virology, Immunology, Disease complications (HIV & TB
etc) and Vaccines.
- Therapy (drug and holistic/alternative)
- Disease Management
- Behavioural Research
- Traditional Medicine
- Epidemiology
- Health Communication
- Publications (peer reviewed)


Submissions could be in the form of setting up new agreements to establish
a formal information channel for the flow of information currently on your
own web server; a proposal to build small-scale systems to make previously
unpublished information electronically available on the MRC's server; and,
it may also be in the form of building a subject index of existing
valuable information sources in your area of expertise, which the portal
will then hyperlink to. Providing journalistic expertise in the
translation of health research for non-professionals.

PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS IS A SECOND CALL FOR PROPOSALS. ORGANISATIONS THAT
HAVE PREVIOUSLY SUBMITTED PROPOSALS NEED NOT DO SO AGAIN.

The deadline for proposals is 20 May 2002
For more information:

The Project Manager, AfroAidsInfo Portal Informatics and Knowledge
Management
MRC PO Box 19070 Tygerberg, 7505
Tel: +27 21 938 0526
Email: Afroaidsinfo@mrc.ac.za
http://www.afroaidsinfo.org


JOB OPPORTUNITIES:

1. HIV/AIDS Fieldworker, Catholic Institute of Education (CIE), South
Africa

The CIE is an associate body of the Southern African Catholic Bishops'
Conference. It is a service, research, coordinating and policy shaping
body committed to Christian education in the Catholic tradition.

The CIE is looking for a national fieldworker, willing to travel
extensively, who will be responsible for implementing, monitoring and
evaluating the CIE's HIV/AIDS prevention programme in Catholic primary
schools.

REQUIREMENTS:

- Minimum academic qualification of a Degree and teaching diploma
- Enthusiastic interest in working for the prevention of HIV/AIDS
  infection among the youth
- Commitment to the vision and mission of the CIE and Catholic education
- Understanding of and ability to represent the position of the Catholic
  church
- Extensive experience in planning and initiating programmes
- Computer literacy (MS Word)
- Ability to work in a consultative and collaborative manner
- Ability to work independently
- Ability to prioritise and manage time
- Ability to communicate fluently in English. Fluency in Afrikaans and
  another African language will be a recommendation
- Ability to record and share information in an accurate and easily
  understandable manner
- Experience of public speaking
- Excellent writing skills
- Excellent adult teaching skills; facilitation skills
- Unendorsed Code 8 driver's license
- Willingness to travel extensively throughout South Africa

RESPONSIBILITIES:

- Train educators to implement the CIE's HIV/AIDS prevention programme
- Monitor implementation of the programme
- Evaluate how the programme is progressing
- Speak to educators, parents and learners when required
- Network with other service providers to assist Catholic schools to deal
  with problems associated with HIV/AIDS

REMUNERATION
The CIE offers a competitive and negotiable remuneration
Please send a comprehensive curriculum vitae, application letter,
certified copies of certificates, names addresses and contact addresses of
three referees on or before 8 May 2002 to:
The Unit Leader, HIV/AIDS & Gender Unit, The Catholic Institute of
Education, P.O.Box 2083, Southdale 2135


IRIN-SA
Tel: +27 11 880-4633
Fax: +27 11 447-5472
Email: IRIN-SA@irin.org.za

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