IRIN HIV/AIDS Weekly - 239
Africa
24 June 2005


NEWS:

LESOTHO: New bill gives children comprehensive protection
LIBERIA: HIV help at back of queue in war-battered north-east
LESOTHO: Numbers of people in need increasing, WFP/FAO
MALAWI: New child welfare plan gives stakeholders common platform
SOUTH AFRICA: Challenging stigma by living positively with HIV
SOUTHERN AFRICA: New approach to aid required, says report
SOUTH AFRICA: Disability grant cut-off threatens livelihoods


CONFERENCES/ EVENTS/ RESEARCH/ RESOURCES

1. Bridging the Information Divide: Video conference on HIV/AIDS and 
MDGs - 28 June 2005
2. HIV/AIDS reporting workshop in New York

LINKS

1. New MTV and Kaiser Family Foundation: Youth Sexual Health

VACANCIES

1. Trainer in Palliative Care for patients living with HIV/AIDS patients 
- Democratic Republic of Congo



NEWS

LESOTHO: New bill gives children comprehensive protection

Parliamentarians in Lesotho are deliberating on a new bill that will 
protect orphans and vulnerable children (OVC).

According to the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), more than 70 people die 
from AIDS-related illnesses every day in the tiny mountain kingdom, 
leaving behind scores of OVC with little or no protection and guidance.

"As Basotho people and parliamentarians we must invest in children 
today, or there will be no more adults tomorrow," said Refiloe Moses 
Masemene, the Minister of Justice, Human Rights, Rehabilitation and Law 
and Constitutional Affairs.

More details:
http://www.plusnews.org/AIDSreport.asp?ReportID=4968


LIBERIA: HIV help at back of queue in war-battered north-east

When doctors testing blood in this remote town in north-eastern Liberia 
discover that a donor is HIV-positive, they keep the information to 
themselves. There is nothing else they can do.

"Probably about two out of ten donors for blood transfusions are HIV 
positive and it's very frustrating not to be able to tell people," said 
Karolina Claesson, the head nurse from the Medecins Sans Frontieres 
(MSF) Belgium team that runs Zwedru's main hospital.

"But we cannot do anything because there's no available counselling and 
treatment," she explained.

More details:
http://www.plusnews.org/AIDSreport.asp?ReportID=4961


LESOTHO: Numbers of people in need increasing, WFP/FAO

Declining agricultural production and incomes have combined with 
HIV/AIDS to undermine the ability of Lesotho's poor to cope with 
external shocks such as drought, said a joint World Food Programme and 
Food and Agriculture Organisation report.

The recent WFP/FAO crop and food supply assessment mission conducted in 
Lesotho found that the country was facing a "triple threat of increasing 
chronic poverty, rising rates of HIV/AIDS and weakened government 
capacity".

According to the Vulnerability Assessment Committee, 548,000 people will 
have "a significant food deficit between June 2005 and March 2006", and 
will require about 20,200 mt of food aid.

More details:
http://www.plusnews.org/AIDSreport.asp?ReportID=4960


MALAWI: New child welfare plan gives stakeholders common platform

Malawi has launched a comprehensive welfare plan to mitigate the impact 
of poverty and HIV/AIDS on its estimated one million orphans.

The National Plan of Action (NPA) for Orphans and Vulnerable Children 
(OVC), launched by President wa Mutharika last Thursday, provides a 
common platform for the government, NGOs and donors to address the 
myriad problems facing children.

"HIV/AIDS and chronic poverty are the major challenges facing children 
in Malawi. [These have] been exacerbated by the recurring food crisis," 
the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) project officer for OVC, Mayke 
Huijbregts, told PlusNews.

According to UNICEF, the number of OVC is likely to increase by 50 
percent by 2010.

More details:
http://www.plusnews.org/AIDSreport.asp?ReportID=4955


SOUTH AFRICA: Challenging stigma by living positively with HIV

In the face of widespread stigma around HIV/AIDS, few people have the 
courage to go public about their status, but one such person is Mampho 
Leoma, 28, a mother of two from Mapetla, in the Johannesburg township of 
Soweto.

Leoma recalled the day she found out she was HIV-positive: "It was the 
26th of January last year; I was four months pregnant ... It was very 
sad - I didn't expect the result. At the time I was not going with 
anyone else but my husband, and I didn't think he was going out with 
other girls either."

Leoma rushed to tell a friend, who calmed her down. "She said everything 
will be alright; she told me to tell my husband. I waited for him to 
come back from work and I told him. He said, 'No problem - we will live 
with it'."

More details:
http://www.plusnews.org/AIDSreport.asp?ReportID=4950


SOUTHERN AFRICA: New approach to aid required, says report

Development gains made during the 1980s and 1990s in Southern Africa are 
being rapidly reversed by the 'triple threat' of HIV/AIDS, erratic 
weather and weakened government capacity, requiring a new approach to 
humanitarian aid, argues a new UN report.

The 'Inter-Agency Regional Humanitarian Strategic Framework for Southern 
Africa' document, born out of consultations between UN agencies, NGOs 
and donors, noted that "every effort is needed to help stop and reverse 
the current downward trend in human development indicators".

HIV/AIDS and extreme poverty were the main drivers of the humanitarian 
crisis, and have mutually influenced and aggravated one another.

More details:
http://www.plusnews.org/AIDSreport.asp?ReportID=4949


SOUTHERN AFRICA: Community-based groups need more support to help OVC

Community initiatives to support orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) 
in Southern Africa need more funds and technical support, according to 
new research.

The study conducted by the British NGO, Save the Children UK, identified 
a number of "bottlenecks" preventing the smooth flow of funds to support 
community initiatives, and suggested "drip-feeding", or providing 
long-term funding to local groups, as an alternative.

"Southern Africa is in the middle of a protracted and unprecedented 
disaster and, with HIV/AIDS at its centre, the consequences for children 
are tragic. More than 12 million children in sub-Saharan Africa have 
already been orphaned, and millions more are living with sick parents," 
the paper noted.

More details:
http://www.plusnews.org/AIDSreport.asp?ReportID=4926


SOUTH AFRICA: Disability grant cut-off threatens livelihoods

As the number of South Africans accessing antiretroviral (ARV) treatment 
steadily increases, AIDS researchers and activists are concerned that 
the government's drug rollout programme could have some unexpected 
social side effects.

Many HIV-positive South Africans, whose CD4 count has dropped to below 
200, are receiving a R780 (US $120) disability grant each month, to 
ensure that they can afford appropriate nutrition and medical check-ups. 
In practice, however, the grant is used to support entire families.

More details:
http://www.plusnews.org/AIDSreport.asp?ReportID=4948



CONFERENCES/ EVENTS/ RESEARCH/ RESOURCES

1. This 4-hour video conference, organised by the World Bank Institute, 
will highlight the many international events and milestones foreseen 
during 2005 and 2006 that play a central role in determining HIV/AIDS 
and related development policies, and consequently shape many future 
responses to the pandemic at the local, national and global levels.

It will bring together participants from relevant sectors in five 
African countries, and organisations based in Washington, and Paris, 
with the aim of providing an opportunity for basic information exchange, 
policy analysis and discussion.

Unfortunately, no assistance is available to bring people from other 
cities or regions to take part in this event.

For further details, or if you are interested in taking part in this 
event, please email: info@hdnet.org



2. Full-time journalists from the Americas, Asia, Eastern Europe and 
Sub-Saharan Africa are all eligible for this Reuters Foundation HIV/AIDS 
reporting workshop, scheduled for 7 to 11 November in New York. The 
organisers will cover flight, hotel and living expenses.

The foundation is seeking applicants who are interested in strengthening 
their ability to report authoritatively on all AIDS-related issues.

Applicants should be in the 25 to 40 age range, proficient in English, 
and have basic computer skills.

More details:
http://www.foundation.reuters.com/newsarchive/news.asp?newsid=275



LINKS

1. MTV and the Kaiser Family Foundation have launched a series of 
complementary on-air, online and on the ground youth sexual health 
efforts as part of the network's "Think: Sexual Health" campaign.

The collaboration builds on the network's nine-year public education 
partnership with Kaiser, and include activities that encourage young 
people to get tested for HIV and other sexually transmitted illnesses 
(STIs).

Access the site:
http://www.mtv.com/thinkmtv



VACANCIES

1. Trainer in Palliative Care for patients living with HIV/AIDS patients 
- Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)

AZUR Development, an NGO participating in the socio-cultural development 
of the Congo in particular and of Africa in general, is urgently seeking 
the services of a volunteer trainer in palliative care in Pointe-Noire, 
Republic of Congo.

The successful candidate will offered accommodation and a daily 
subsistence allowance.

Preferred applicants should be proficient in English, with a basic 
knowledge of French.


QUALIFICATION:

- Experience in palliative care, HIV/AIDS and training

Contact Information:
Victorine Diaboungana
Phone: 00242 656 61 89
Email: jobs@azurdev.org

Closing Date: 20 July 2005


IRIN-SA
Tel: +27 11 895-1900
Fax: +27 11 784-6759
Email: IRIN-SA@irin.org.za

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Copyright (c) UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs 
2005


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