IRIN HIV/AIDS Weekly - 156
Africa
21 November 2003


NEWS:

SOUTH AFRICA: Green light for national treatment plan
SOUTHERN AFRICA: Interview with UNAIDS Prevention and Vulnerability
Advisor
WEST AFRICA: World Bank gives $16 m for cross-border HIV/AIDS initiative
BURUNDI: PWAs may get free drugs by December

LINKS

1. Higher Education HIV/AIDS programme
2. POWA
3. Positive and Proud

CONFERENCES/EVENTS/RESEARCH RESOURCES

1. Round-up of global World AIDS Day events
2. UNAIDS Director on "Ask the Expert"
3. Social and Economic Impact of a Pandemic
4. eForum discussion on self-stigma and HIV/AIDS
5. Home and Community Care Conference
6. Call for proposals

VACANCIES

1. HIV/AIDS Programme Coordinator - Mozambique


NEWS

SOUTH AFRICA: Green light for national treatment plan

The South African cabinet's approval of a plan to start a national
antiretroviral (ARV) programme could mean that within a year, ARVs will be
available in at least one service point in all of the country's 56 health
districts.

The government's treatment plan envisages that all HIV-positive South
Africans requiring ARVs will be able to get the drugs from a facility in
their local municipality within five years.

Details of the final draft plan drawn up by a department of health task
team remain unclear, but an estimated 53,000 people are set to receive
treatment by the end of the current financial year. This would grow to
188,000 by 2004/05, and close to a million by 2007/08, health officials
said.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/AIDSreport.asp?ReportID=2755

SOUTHERN AFRICA: Interview with UNAIDS Prevention and Vulnerability
Advisor

As a prevention and vulnerability advisor, Aurorita Mendoza is responsible
for addressing the prevention needs of some of the population groups
hardest-hit by the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Young people, who account for half
of all new adult infections, were the focus of Mendoza's recent trip to
Southern Africa, where she attended a consultative meeting on the Southern
African Youth (SAY) on AIDS initiatives. During her visit she spoke to
PlusNews about the crippling impact of HIV/AIDS on youth, particularly
young girls, and how prevention campaigns such as SAY can make a
difference.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/AIDSreport.asp?ReportID=2749

WEST AFRICA: World Bank gives $16 m for cross-border HIV/AIDS initiative

The World Bank has approved a US $16 million grant to combat HIV/AIDS
along the heavily travelled coastal corridor between Abidjan, Cote
d'Ivoire, and Lagos in Nigeria.

Dubbed the HIV/AIDS Abidjan-Lagos Transport Corridor project, the project
aims to reduce the spread of HIV/AIDS among transport workers, migrants,
commercial sex workers and local people living and working along the
corridor, the Bank said in a press release on Thursday.

It will complement national AIDS programmes in Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana,
Benin, Togo and Nigeria, and will focus on HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment
and care services in border towns and communities in this sub-region of
western Africa.

"The Abidjan-Lagos Transport Corridor project aims to fill a much-needed
gap, and will help to accelerate the implementation of national AIDS
programmes in the five countries along the corridor," Keith Hansen of the
AIDS Campaign Team for Africa said.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/AIDSreport.asp?ReportID=2742

BURUNDI: PWAs may get free drugs by December

Plans are underway to provide HIV-positive people in Burundi with
antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) free of charge by December, an official of the
national AIDS body, the Conseil National de lutte contre le Sida, told
PlusNews.

"Some of our donors have allowed us to buy ARV medicine. Now, with the
permission of the World Fund against AIDS, we will put all HIV/AIDS
patients under ARV treatment," said Dr Tharcisse Barihuta, an official of
the AIDS council.

Previously, he said, the council had difficulties convincing donors to
provide money for the purchase of ARV drugs.

Barihuta made the remarks after he recently attended the first national
youth conference on AIDS in the Burundian capital, Bujumbura. Participants
in the conference were drawn from youth across the country. They committed
themselves to fight against HIV/AIDS.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/AIDSreport.asp?ReportID=2740


LINKS

1. The Higher Education HIV/AIDS (HEAIDS) programme has launched a new
website for universities, containing training manuals and resources for
staff and students on how to combat the disease.

The website is designed to promote the sharing of research, knowledge,
training and best practice methods to stop HIV infection among young
people and university staff. The HEAIDS project was launched in late 2001
by the South African Universities Vice-Chancellors Association, the
Committee of Technikon Principals and the National Department of
Education. It provides support to all tertiary institutions in South
Africa and the Southern African Development Community.
http://www.heaids.org.za

2. People Opposing Women Abuse (POWA) was established in response to the
high levels of violence against women experienced in South Africa. For the
past 23 years POWA has offered services to women who had experienced
domestic violence, sexual harassment, rape, and were adult survivors of
incest. Based in Johannesburg, the NGO seeks to empower women through
counselling, education, advocacy and lobbying. The website has a useful
section on the links between HIV/AIDS and violence against women.
http://www.powa.co.za/

3. The African Women's Media Centre (AWMC) has produced a CD, with
assistance from a radio production NGO. "Positive and Proud" features six
stories for radio, celebrating the courage of people living with HIV/AIDS.
Produced in March 2003 during a workshop in Johannesburg for six Southern
African women radio journalists, each story challenges the "AIDS victim"
stereotype from a different perspective. Click the link for more about
AWMC, or to order copies of the CD.
http://www.awmc.com/


CONFERENCES/EVENTS/RESEARCH RESOURCES

1. The theme of the World AIDS Campaign 2002-03 is "Live and let live" and
focuses on eliminating HIV and AIDS-related stigma and discrimination –
key obstacles to effective HIV prevention and AIDS care.

World AIDS Day has been commemorated globally on 1 December since 1988.
Around the world a number of activities are again planned for World AIDS
Day this year. Many events are summarised on the UNAIDS website. All
events on the site include links or contact details.
www.unaids.org/EN/events/world+aids+day+2003.asp

2. UNAIDS Executive Director Peter Piot answered questions about the state
of the global HIV/AIDS epidemic on Kaisernetwork.org's live "Ask the
Experts" programme on 18 November 2003. The 30-minute archived webcast of
this programme is now available. During this webcast, Peter Piot also
addressed recent efforts to expand access to treatment, lower drug costs
and step up prevention activities.
http://www.kaisernetwork.org/health_cast/hcast_index.cfm?display=detail&hc=1017

The programme is a new Kaisernetwork.org feature that invites the public
to call in and pose health policy-related questions to guest panellists.

3. The new Gateway Cross-Topic Special "HIV/AIDS: The Social and Economic
Impact of a Pandemic," - launched to coincide with World AIDS Day on 1
December - looks at the epidemic through the perspective of 12 topic
pages.

Resources on diminished workforce, reduced household income, strained
government health budgets and weakened healthcare delivery systems are
presented, as well as the impact of the disease on vulnerable groups such
as orphans, farm workers, women, youth, and people living in post-conflict
societies. A key resource in the special is an article by UNAIDS Advisor
for the Greater Involvement of People Living with or affected by HIV and
AIDS (GIPA), Salvator Niyonzima, who defines HIV-related stigma and its
manifestations and proposes actions to address it.
http://www.developmentgateway.org/node/130685/special/hiv/

4. Health and Development Networks (HDN) are working together with the
International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent (IFRC), the
Global Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS (GNP+) and UNAIDS on the
3-year IFRC Global Campaign against HIV/AIDS-related stigma and
discrimination 'The truth About AIDS. Pass it on...'.

As part of this project, the Stigma-AIDS eForum is currently hosting a
series of structured discussions on various issues around stigma and
HIV/AIDS. The first discussion on stigma, HIV/AIDS and drug use has
already been completed (summary of these discussions:
http://archives.healthdev.net/stigma-aids/msg00043.html)

The second discussion will focus on aspects of internal or self-stigma and
HIV/AIDS and will run through World AIDS Day. Key Resource People will
provide invited contributions to launch, frame and inform the discussion,
and background papers will be made available to support the discussion.

Following each discussion, a document capturing the highlights will be
published in hard copy and on the web. To join this forum, send an email
to: join-stigma-aids@healthdev.net or visit the website at:
http://www.hdnet.org.

5. The Sixth International Home and Community Care Conference for People
living with HIV/AIDS will be held in Dakar, Senegal from 8 to 11 December
2003. A series of activities will take place in Dakar just before the
conference:

- 2 - 6 December: Thematic workshops of African Network 2000/AIDS
International
- 5 - 6 December: Meeting of African jurists working on HIV/AIDS texts
- 6 - 7 December: Meeting on Sex-Work - organised by the UNAIDS
Inter-country Team
- 7 December: Official launch of the Bush Initiative for Africa
- 7 December: March against stigma and discrimination organised by the
Society of Women Against AIDS

To date in excess of 1,000 registrations have been received. Further
registrations are welcome. Registration prices:

- International Participant US $500
- Local Participants US $250
- Accompanying Persons US $150

Media registration is free of charge. Scholarship applications are
currently being screened. Details of the process will soon be posted on
the conference website. http://www.dakarvih2003.sn/anglais/apatronat.html

For more information, email: cipeccvihdak@sentoo.sn or cipecdak1@sentoo.sn
or cipecdak2@sentoo.sn

6. The Southern African Development Community (SADC), with support from
the UK's Department for International Development (DFID), is inviting
capable regional organisations and institutions to submit proposals for
implementing a regional HIV/AIDS/STI pilot project targeting selected High
Transmission Areas (HTAs), in particular, Cross Border Sites and High
Transit Sites (CBS/HTS) in Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia and Swaziland (BLNS
countries), as part of the implementation of the SADC/DFID Regional
HIV/AIDS/STI project. Implementation period will be for two and half years
ending 30 June 2006.

Interested applicants may apply, as single organisations/institutions or
in partnership, for one or both of the following project outputs which are
available for tender:

- Syndromic management of STIs & increased use of quality STI services in
the selected CBS/HTS
- Youth-centred, gender-sensitive, behaviour change communication
interventions established or enhanced in the selected CBS/HTS.

The following project outputs are also part of the overall SADC/DFID
Regional HIV and AIDS/STI project:

- Socially Marketed Condom programmes established or enhanced in BLNS
(including the selected CBS/HTS)
- Competencies, systems, equipment increased within BLNS National AIDS
Programmes and selected CBS/HTS
- Improved capability and service delivery for people living with HIV and
AIDS (PLWHA)

The closing date for submission of proposals is 15 January 2004 at 14:00
hours. Documents and guidelines for the request for proposals can be
obtained from the SADC HIV/AIDS Projects Office in Pretoria. To obtain
these documents, contact Manasa Dzirikure:

HIV and AIDS Project Manager (DFID)
SADC HIV and AIDS Project
839 Hallmark Building
Corner Andries and Proes Streets
Pretoria
Tel: +27 12 312-0365
Fax: +27 12 312-3150
Email: dzirim@health.gov.za
http://www.thefundingsite.co.za/RFPs/detail.asp?ID=68


VACANCIES

1. HIV/AIDS Programme Coordinator

GOAL Mozambique is currently undergoing an expansion of its HIV/AIDS
programmes. Several new funding initiatives will be received in the next
few months and Inhambane province is scaling up its Integrated Health
Network (IHN) programme. The incumbent will be responsible for overseeing
all aspects of home-based care (HBC) and IHN within the GOAL Mozambique
programme, and will need to oversee training, monitoring and evaluation of
programmes, network with other NGOs, and ensure that GOAL continues to
implement along the guidelines of the Ministry of Health. Representation
at meetings and with Donors will be essential. It is envisaged that this
position will be based in Inhambane at the outset, with regular travel to
Maputo. As increased funding is received, the base may change.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

- Overall responsibility for planning, implementing, coordinating and
monitoring of all GOAL Mozambique Care treatment and support programmes
- Management of programme budgets in close cooperation with the Goal's
Country Director and Financial Controller
- Liaison with HIV programme/project managers to support them in the
management of their projects
- Compilation and further development of care, treatment and support
programme protocols using Ministry of Health guidelines
- Overall supervision of drug and medical equipment orders
- Participation in needs assessments, and organisation and supervision of
health/HIV surveys as required
- Design of new health/HIV/care, treatment and support programme
interventions, as required
- Voluntary Counselling and Testing programme strategy, development and
implementation, including overall monitoring and evaluation of both Goal's
implementation and the impact of the project
- Provision of assistance to the Country Director in the compilation of
new project proposals, donor reporting, and the evaluation of existing
projects
- Close cooperation with the Financial Controller in budget design for any
new proposals

More responsibilities: http://www.reliefweb.int/vacancies/

REQUIREMENTS:

- Relevant health qualification (qualified doctor, nurse or MPH) and
experience of care, treatment and support programmes
- At least three years' practical experience working in health programmes
for a NGO or equivalent international experience for another organisation
- Demonstrated analytical and conceptual skills to plan projects,
timetable agreed activities and oversee staff activities
- Outgoing personality with excellent communication and training skills
- Good team player, flexible and capable of working with a multinational
country team
- Ability and willingness to travel and live in Inhambane
- Good computer skills, including familiarity with Microsoft Word and
Excel
- Demonstrated ability to speak another foreign language, preferably
Portuguese, Spanish or Italian. High level of written English

Applications for this position should be sent to: applications@goal.ie


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

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