IRIN HIV/AIDS Weekly - 64
Africa
01 February 2002


NEWS:

SOUTH AFRICA: Government under pressure to provide AIDS drugs
SOUTH AFRICA: HIV/AIDS vaccine within reach
AFRICA: Global AIDS Fund calls for proposals
ZAMBIA: HIV/AIDS patients turn to supplements

LINKS:

1. International Network of Young Activists to Fight AIDS in Africa
2. Children of the world
3. The Regional AIDS Training Network

CONFERENCES/RESEARCH:

1. Call for Funding applications
2. Slogan for World AIDS Day Campaign 2002
3. Call for African Contributions for Research
4. Immune restoration with antiretroviral drugs

JOB OPPORTUNITIES:

1. HIV/AIDS Programme Co-ordinator - Save the Children
2. National Co-ordinator - The AIDS Legal Network


SOUTH AFRICA: Government under pressure to provide AIDS drugs

Frustrated at the South African government's refusal to provide
antiretroviral treatment in state hospitals, international humanitarian
organisation, Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), and AIDS activist group, the
Treatment Action Campaign (TAC), announced this week that they were
importing generic drugs from Brazil.

This, coupled with the KwaZulu Natal province's recent decision to make
nevirapine available in all state hospitals, has put additional pressure
on the government to rethink its current policy on AIDS drugs.

For more details:
http://www.irinnews.org/AIDSreport.asp?ReportID=1204&SelectRegion=Southern
_Africa&SelectCountry=SOUTH_AFRICA

SOUTH AFRICA: HIV/AIDS vaccine within reach

An affordable and effective HIV vaccine could be developed within seven to
10 years if rich and poor countries cooperated on research and
infrastructure, according to South African researchers.

In this week's issue of the British Medical Journal, scientists from the
Medical Research Council of South Africa reported that successful vaccine
development depended on "a complex interplay of politics, science,
institutions and their organisation, and public-private partnerships".

For more details:
http://www.irinnews.org/AIDSreport.asp?ReportID=1203&SelectRegion=Africa&S
electCountry=AFRICA

AFRICA: Global AIDS Fund calls for proposals

The Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria has issued its
first call for funding proposals from countries hard hit by the epidemics.
Members of the new Board of the Global Fund held their first meeting on
Monday and finalised procedures for the disbursing of funds.

The first round of grants - to be awarded in April - will be the first
made from the Fund initiated by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan last year.

For more details:
http://www.irinnews.org/AIDSreport.asp?ReportID=1202&SelectRegion=Africa&S
electCountry=AFRICA

ZAMBIA: HIV/AIDS patients turn to supplements

Unable to afford antiretroviral drugs, Zambian HIV/AIDS patients are
turning to immune boosters and nutritional supplements, local doctors told
PlusNews.

Speaking at the launch in Zambia of a new range of mineral supplements by
the pharmaceutical company Aid Action International (AAI) last week,
National AIDS Council Director-General Dr Golden Bola, was quoted as
saying that patients and families were so desperate for AIDS drugs that
they would try anything.

For more details:
http://www.irinnews.org/AIDSreport.asp?ReportID=1201&SelectRegion=Southern
_Africa&SelectCountry=ZAMBIA


LINKS:

1. International Network of Young Activists to Fight AIDS in Africa
http://www.yaids.org/otrseries.htm

Youth Against AIDS (YAA) has launched a network for young people who they
feel are "sidelined by governments and the international community, though
they bear the brunt of the disease and have much to contribute".  YAA has
associates in 30 African nations and is supported by chapters at
universities in Europe and the US. To subscribe to YAA's newsletter e-mail
yaa-newsletter-request@yaids.org with the word "subscribe" in the body of
the message.

2. Children of the World - a global children's organisation that has a
programme starting in Kisumu, Kenya for children who are poor and homeless
due to AIDS-related causes. http://www.childrenoftheworld.org/

3. The Regional AIDS Training Network (RATN) is a Network of training
institutions in the Eastern and Southern Africa (ESA) region.
http://www.ratn.org/


CONFERENCES/RESEARCH:

1. Pact's Community REACH - Request for applications

Community REACH is a five-year, USAID funded programme designed to
facilitate the efficient flow of grant funds to organisations playing
valuable roles in the fight against HIV/AIDS. The purpose of the request
for applications is to disseminate information about Pact's Community
REACH Project for the management of HIV/AIDS sub-grants to prospective PVO
and NGO grant recipients in order to provide them with a fair opportunity
to submit applications for funding. Applications will be accepted until 8
March 2002.  For additional information and to download the RFA, please
visit www.pactworld.org/reach http://www.pactworld.org/reach or contact
Polly Mott at reachgrant@pacthq.org. Information will also be available at
USAID Missions, Pact, and its partner, the Futures Group International
field offices.

2. Slogan for World AIDS Day Campaign 2002

The World AIDS Campaign Coordinator is looking for the slogan or signature
line for the World AIDS Campaign 2002. The theme for the campaign is
"Stigma and Discrimination". Messages should appeal/apply to both
HIV-positive and -negative people. When devising a slogan, please think
about translation - what works well in one language often cannot be
translated into another - so be simple. Messages should also offer the
reader an action or make the person think.

Please give your feedback before 6 February directly to: doupea@unaids.org

3. Call for African Contributions for Research for Sex Work No. 5

"Health, HIV and Sex Work: The Influence of Migration and Mobility", the
annual publication for Research for Sex Work seeks contributors for its
next issue, which will be distributed at the Barcelona AIDS Conference in
July. The theme for this fifth issue will be the relationship between sex
work, mobility and health.

African researchers, health care providers, and sex workers are encouraged
to send in their submissions. If you are interested in contributing to the
newsletter, please send an e-mail with a short outline of the article you
would like to write to Nel van Beelen (n.van.beelen@wanadoo.nl). More
information about Research for Sex Work, and online versions of all
articles in previous issues, can be found on the website:
http://www.med.vu.nl/hcc.

4. Immune restoration with antiretroviral drugs

The most commonly used immune boosting therapy is antiretroviral therapy.
If antiretroviral therapy can suppress virus replication, the immune
system has the chance to recover, and may one day develop the capacity to
control HIV much more effectively. Despite the benefits of highly active
antiretroviral therapy (HAART), most experts currently believe that
long-term HIV suppression due to HAART will not result in complete
restoration and normalisation of immune function. For more information:
http://www.aidsmap.com/treatments/ixdata/english/D8543224-A122-46E3-AE5D-7
009E36E8314.htm


JOB OPPORTUNITIES:

1. HIV/AIDS Programme Co-ordinator - Save the Children, Sierra Leone

Deadline date:
17 Feb 2002

Save the Children is currently in the process of broadening its
involvement in Sierra Leone and is looking for a coordinator with
substantial experience in HIV/AIDS programmes for vulnerable children and
families in conflict areas to work with a national staff counterpart in
advising on the development of HIV/AIDS work, and the integration of
HIV/AIDS into existing and planned programmes.

The co-ordinator will be responsible for advising on establishing an
HIV/AIDS programme strategy and developing operational capacity and
programme activities for Save the Children in Sierra Leone, and will also
contribute to the development of Save the Children's programme strategy
for HIV/AIDS in the sub-region.

The candidate should be a qualified health professional with a Masters
degree in Reproductive/Public Health, Community Development or similar,
should have several years experience at a senior level in HIV/AIDS related
work.

Contract: 6 months
Salary: US $22,617 per annum pro rata
Unaccompanied Status

Stating clearly the job title, location and media reference of the post
(SCUK/HIV/SL/AN) you are applying for, please send a comprehensive CV and
a supporting cover letter to:

E-MAIL:             emergencyvacancies@scfuk.org.uk
DEPARTMENT:         HR - Emergencies
ADDRESS:            17 GROVE LANE, LONDON, SE5 8RD
PHONE NUMBER:       + 44 (0) 20 7703 5400
FAX NUMBER:         + 44 (0) 20 7793 7614 (Overseas)

Candidates who wish to apply to this post must ensure that they include
the name of the post they are applying for and the media reference on
their covering letter. Failure to do so may lead to a delay in your
application.

[Please quote AF-AIDS as the source of the ad when applying]

2. National Co-ordinator - The AIDS Legal Network, Cape Town, South Africa

The AIDS Legal Network is a national network of human rights and HIV/AIDS
organisations. It seeks a candidate with organisational strategic
development skills and experience in operational management.
Responsibilities will include overall organisational and financial
management, including:

Project management
Implementation of human resource policies
Fundraising
Liaison with donors, boards and clients
Experience in HIV/AIDS and LAW are not a prerequisite

Applications should be submitted to: Email: aln@kingsley.co.za Fax: +27 21
419 8884
Closing date: 15 February 2002


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

[This Item is Delivered to the "PlusNews" HIV/AIDS Service of the UN's
IRIN humanitarian information unit, but may not necessarily reflect the
views of the United Nations. For further information, free subscriptions,
or to change your keywords, contact e-mail: IRIN@ocha.unon.org or Web:
http://www.irinnews.org . If you re-print, copy, archive or re-post this
item, please retain this credit and disclaimer. Reposting by commercial
sites requires written IRIN permission.]

Copyright (c) UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs 2002


distributed by
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Center for International Disaster Information
Volunteers in Technical Assistance
                                          web: www.cidi.org
                                     listserv: www.cidi.org/listsub.htm
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
HIV-AIDS Weekly Issue                 www.cidi.org/humanitarian/hivaids