IRIN HIV/AIDS Weekly - 315
Africa
22 December 2006


NEWS:

ZAMBIA: Poor nutrition nullifies benefit of ARV treatment
KENYA: Slow progress in safer-sex services for men who sleep with me
SOUTH AFRICA: Reproductive rights of HIV positive people under
   discussion
MALAWI: Chiefs lead by example in response to HIV/AIDS

EVENTS/RESOURCES

1. Resource for HIV/AIDS and Sexual and Reproductive Health Integration
2. 8th International AIDS Impact Conference - Marseille, France, 1 to 4
    July, 2007

VACANCIES

1. Country Director, ActionAid - South Africa



ZAMBIA: Poor nutrition nullifies benefit of ARV treatment

The poor nutrition often experienced by HIV-positive Zambians on 
antiretroviral [ARV] drug treatment is nullifying the benefits of the 
medicine, health experts are warning.

"Whenever I take my ARVs without eating anything, I begin to feel dizzy 
and sometimes I even vomit - I generally feel very weak in my body; I 
have to be in bed for some time unless I took the drugs after eating," 
Elizabeth Mukwendi, a resident in the capital, Lusaka, one of thousands 
on ARVs, told IRIN/PlusNews.

More details: http://www.plusnews.org/AIDSReport.ASP?ReportID=6619


KENYA: Slow progress in safer-sex services for men who sleep with men

Although sex between men remains illegal in Kenya, services addressing 
HIV/AIDS and the sexual health needs of men who have sex with men (MSM) 
are slowly becoming available to this much-neglected and stigmatised 
group.

The Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine's Voluntary Counselling and 
Testing Services (LVCT), for instance, has been offering advice to MSM 
since 2003 and now offers a full range of services, including messages 
about safer sex, voluntary counselling and testing (VCT) and 
antiretroviral (ARV) drugs.

More details: http://www.plusnews.org/AIDSReport.ASP?ReportID=6618


SOUTH AFRICA: Reproductive rights of HIV positive people under 
discussion

HIV-positive Phindile Madonsela always used a condom with her partner, 
but one day it broke. When it had happened before, she had gone to the 
local clinic and obtained emergency contraception, also known as the 
morning-after pill, but this time she did not go because she feared the 
disapproving attitude of the nurses. Later she discovered she was 
pregnant.

Madonsela, a volunteer HIV/AIDS educator for AIDS lobby group, the 
Treatment Action Campaign (TAC), had mixed feelings. "I promote condoms, 
so I felt very bad about being pregnant," she told PlusNews. "But I said 
to people, 'I'm positive, and I still have the right to have a baby.'"

More details: http://www.plusnews.org/AIDSReport.ASP?ReportID=6620


MALAWI: Chiefs lead by example in response to HIV/AIDS

A group of traditional leaders in Mchinji district, about 100km west of 
Malawian capital, Lilongwe, has become involved in HIV/AIDS awareness 
efforts in their communities, encouraging people to talk more openly 
about the epidemic.

Three years ago, 28 traditional leaders formed Mduwa Chiefs AIDS 
Organisation to address the spread of the disease in their villages - a 
first in this conservative country, which has one of the highest HIV 
prevalence rates in the world.

More details: http://www.plusnews.org/AIDSReport.ASP?ReportID=6621



EVENTS/RESOURCES

1. Resources for HIV/AIDS and Sexual and Reproductive Health Integration

The Resources for HIV/AIDS and Sexual and Reproductive Health 
Integration site at: www.hivandsrh.org (formerly www.fpandhiv.org) lists 
nearly 500 selected resources supporting integration of HIV/AIDS 
prevention and treatment and promotion of sexual and reproductive 
health. The site links to journal articles, reports, conference papers, 
news and training materials on topics including:

- Family Planning and Antiretrovirals
- Family Planning and Mother-to-Child-Transmission
- Contraception for HIV-Positive Women
- Community-Based Approaches to Integration
- Microbicides

The site is maintained by the Center for Communication Programs, Johns 
Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (www.jhuccp.org), and 
Constella Group, LLC, with funding from the William and Flora Hewlett 
Foundation and the David and Lucile Packard Foundation. For more 
information, contact: inform@jhuccp.org.


2. 8th International AIDS Impact Conference - Marseille, France, 1 to 4 
July, 2007

Registration and abstract submission is now open for AIDS Impact 2007. 
The AIDS Impact conference is specifically devoted to Human and Social 
Sciences in the field of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The last conference, 
held in 2005 in Cape Town, South Africa, attracted more than 700 
participants from all over the world. The goal of the conference is to 
give more space to social sciences research in the field of HIV in 
developing countries.

Abstract Deadline: 22 January 2007 (abstracts should be submitted in 
English only and must not have been previously published or presented. 
They should be no longer than 300 words.)

For more information, go to: http://www.aidsimpact.com/2007/



VACANCIES

1. Country Director, ActionAid - South Africa

ActionAid International works in partnership with local NGOs, CBOs, and 
governments across the world, to support the poor and excluded people to 
have rights to education, food, democratic governance, security, gender 
equality and life and dignity in the face of HIV/AIDs. ActionAid is 
looking to recruit a committed and competent Country Director in the 
Africa Region.

Responsibilities and Requirements:

- Expand and deepen partnerships, programmes and accountability

- A proven track record in leading and managing institutions and 
development programmes

- Experience being part of social movements or as an active member of 
civil society

- Actively committed to gender equity

- Strong financial management and control skills

- High level of people related skills

- Courage of conviction in taking public stands against issues of 
injustice and experience of dealing with governance issues

- Perspective and competencies for rights-based and policy advocacy 
work; fundraising and donor relations

- Ability and maturity to act and demonstrate independence in a 
polarized political environment


Deadline: 12 January, 2007

To apply, send CV, cover letter and at least two names of referees to 
cdsa.jhb@actionaid.org.


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


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