Joint United Nations Team on AIDS established in Malawi

In 2005, the United Nations Secretary General directed all Resident Coordinators to establish joint UN teams on AIDS to improve the effectiveness of HIV responses at country level.

Following this directive, Malawi became the first country to establish a Joint UN Team on AIDS in February 2006. The quick formation was a result of earlier integration of the “three ones” strategy in the country’s national plans. By 2005, Malawi already had broad based strategic national action framework, policies, institutional structures and the political will to influence the nature of the country’s epidemic. In addition:

• Malawi had mobilised and engaged communities in response to AIDS;

• government and donors had committed funds for activities planned; and

• the country had established monitoring and evaluation systems.

The overall aim of establishing the joint team in Malawi was to add value to the national AIDS response by improving on the use of existing tools, processes and frameworks, drawing from experiences and lessons learnt. Specifically, the Team offers several unique elements that will contribute to a more constructive, heightened response and outcomes at country level. Some of these include:

• unification and aligning of UN support within national planning frameworks to ensure that nationally owned and defined priorities are strategically addressed;

• defining lines of collective accountability, clarifying expectations, roles and responsibilities; and

• contributing to the expansion of prevention, treatment, care and support services and the reduction of HIV infection.

33 technical members representing all the UN Agencies present in Malawi constitute the Team. These include the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the World Food Programme (WFP) and the World Bank, among others.

It operates within a three-tier chain of accountability and each team member is assigned to one or more levels. The Resident Coordinator leads the Group on HIV and AIDS while Heads of Agencies are members. Their responsibilities include:

• policy guidance and programmatic support on operating procedures of the AIDS Team; and

• content and implementation arrangements of the Joint Programme of Support.

The Management Group of the Team consists of focal officers from each UN agency, formally nominated by the Head of Agency for their technical expertise. It is chaired by the Joint UN Programme on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS) Country Coordinator. Within this Management Group, there are seven sub-groups in specific technical areas which provide programmatic direction and serve as fora for technical interaction with Government, donors, civil society and other stakeholders. Some of these include:

• national policy, coordination and strategic planning;

• prevention and behaviour change;

• treatment, care and support; and

• research monitoring and evaluation.

In line with the Malawi National HIV and AIDS Action Framework goals (prevention of the spread of HIV infection among Malawians, provision of access to treatment and care for people living with HIV and AIDS and mitigation of the impacts of HIV and AIDS on individuals families and the nation) the Team has selected outcomes for each of the priorities of the National Assistance Framework areas.

For more information please contact: Michael Keating, Michael.keating@undp.org. Top

UNESCO Harare, in collaboration with the Bureau régional de l'UNESCO pour l'Education en Afrique (BREDA) office and the Division for the Coordination of UN Priorities in Education is organising three sub-regional workshops for Anglophone, Francophone and Lusophone countries to strengthen the capacity of UNESCO and its education sector partners to implement the Global Initiative on Education and HIV & AIDS (EDUCAIDS).

The workshops are part of the implementation of the Japanese Funds in Trust project, supporting the training of trainers in HIV and AIDS in Francophone and Lusophone countries in Africa. The overall purpose of this project is to strengthen the capacity of the education sector in prevention and treatment education, support and care in Francophone and Lusophone countries in the context of universal access by 2010.

Objectives of the workshops are to:

• improve capacity, skills and team-building among UNESCO and its partners in the HIV and AIDS response;
• develop preliminary analyses of comprehensive national education sector responses to HIV and AIDS;
• identify and prioritise follow-up actions to address needs; and
• develop participants’ skills in particular thematic areas relevant to universal access, including prevention and treatment education.

Bamako (Mali) will host the sub-regional Francophone workshop, with the participation of Madagascar. The workshop for Lusophone countries will be held in Maputo, Mozambique and UNESCO Brazil will be participating. Lastly, Gaborone, Botswana will be the venue for the sub-regional workshop for Anglophone countries.

The Harare Cluster Office has identified some training resources to be used at the workshop and these include the:

• Harare Cluster Office HIV and AIDS Education Training Module; and
• Inter-Agency Task Team on Education publications: Treatment Education and Quality Education and HIV and AIDS.

Participants will:

• exchange information, share experiences, mutual learning and support across countries and sub-regions;
• identify and review lessons learnt to date;
• brainstorm and plan for future UNESCO HIV and AIDS programming;
• receive updates on EDUCAIDS and the development of comprehensive education sector-wide HIV and AIDS programming opportunities for follow-up;
• discuss links to other thematic work relevant to the education sector, such as Teacher Training Initiative for Sub-Saharan Africa (TTISSA), Literacy Initiative for Empowerment (LIFE), Focusing Resources on Effective School Health (FRESH), and the joint initiative on life skills for Eastern and Southern Africa; and
• examine local issues in education and HIV and AIDS.

In the context of Education for All and the newly revised UNESCO strategy on HIV and AIDS, UNESCO aims to support Member States to move towards universal access to comprehensive HIV prevention programmes, treatment, care and support in line with the UNAIDS division of labour. EDUCAIDS is a means to support comprehensive national education sector responses to HIV and AIDS and to ensure that the education sector is engaged and contributing to national HIV and AIDS responses.

For more information please contact Juma Shabani: j.shabani@unesco.org. Top

UNESCO Harare participates in the development of the UNDP Training of Trainers Curriculum on HIV and AIDS Mainstreaming

UNESCO Harare Cluster Office participated in a meeting organised by the United Nations Development Programme Regional Services Centre in South Africa to discuss and make inputs into the draft Training of Trainer’s Curriculum on HIV and AIDS Mainstreaming.

Specific objectives of the meeting:

• To share information on the Southern African Development Community (SADC) mainstreaming capacity building initiative.

• To reach a consensus on revisions to be made in the draft Training of Trainer’s Curriculum on HIV and AIDS Mainstreaming.

• To share on the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) mainstreaming curriculum development initiative.

The development of the curriculum is a follow up to the recommendations of the Forum for National AIDS Authorities held in 2004. In the meeting, SADC member states:

• highlighted the fact that several frameworks, definitions and training tools for HIV and AIDS mainstreaming existed; and

• called for clear and harmonized approaches in HIV and AIDS mainstreaming in the region.

In line with this recommendation and the SADC mainstreaming capacity building initiative, member states requested UNDP to support member states in developing a minimum core curriculum for countries. The curriculum is developed primarily for use by trainers when conducting AIDS-related training within various government sectors. It may also be used by trainers who conduct a range of capacity development courses specifically for government officials and partner organisations.

UNESCO shared with the participants documents and initiatives that could be used as part of the implementation process of the curriculum. The Organization highlighted:

• UNESCO's Guidelines on Language and Content in HIV and AIDS developed to promote harmonised use of language and content;

• UNESCO Harare's Virtual Institute for Education (VIHEAF) HIV and AIDS Education Training Module as a future training methodology; and

• UNESCO/ILO's 2006 publication titled “An HIV and AIDS Policy for the Education Sector in Southern Africa”.

Participants pointed out several areas to be considered in the finalisation of the curriculum. They:

• recommended that the curriculum should explicitly address mainstreaming issues of gender and people living with HIV;

• called on UNDP to explore ways in which the draft generic curriculum will complement the already existing initiatives on HIV and AIDS mainstreaming in countries; and

• proposed that National AIDS Authorities be part of the target group and participate in the pilot training as this would enhance their capacity in implementing the three ones.

The meeting agreed that UNDP and the SADC Secretariat will host a pilot training session in Namibia in February and March 2007 for 40 participants from 7 SADC countries. UNDP will roll out the curriculum to Lusophone and Francophone countries.

Representatives of the SADC Secretariat, UNAIDS Regional Support Team and UNAIDS Geneva, Association of African Universities, International non governmental organizations, donor organisations and HIV and AIDS consultants attended the meeting.

For more information please contact: m.zulu@unesco.org.  Top

UN Regional AIDS Team for Eastern and Southern Africa holds second meeting

The UN Regional AIDS Team for Eastern and Southern Africa held its second meeting in Johannesburg, South Africa on the 30th of January 2007, to discuss the following:

• Feedback from the UNAIDS Programme Coordinating Board (PCB) meeting held in December 2006.

• Review of 2007 priorities and work-plans.

• Update on the South African National Strategic Planning Exercise and the National AIDS Conference.

• UNICEF Report “Children and AIDS: A Stocktaking”.

• Information resources: UN HIV and AIDS Directory and the UNAIDS knowledge desk.

The meeting agreed on the following five key priorities and results that reflect the needs of the Eastern and Southern African region and are in line with the UNAIDS Programme Coordinating Board's (PCB) priorities:

• Implementation of the targets set and approved for Universal Access to prevention, treatment, care and support;

• Mainstreaming HIV and AIDS within Common Country Assessments and the United Nations Development Assistance Framework of Malawi, Rwanda, Comoros, Kenya and Lesotho;

• Establishment of Joint AIDS Teams and support programmes in all countries of eastern and southern Africa and at regional level;

• Harmonisation and coordination of the UN system support for Regional Economic Communities (SADC and EAC); and

• Establishment of regional information system on AIDS within the Millennium Development Goals monitoring capacity.

South Africa gave an update on the recent developments in the country which included two major issues:

• the National Strategic Plan; and

• the South African National AIDS Conference to be held from 5 – 8 June in 2007.

The National Strategic Plan is under development and has so far benefited from strengthened UN and civil society participation. South Africa has circulated a zero draft and established an experts advisory group to manage participation and assure the quality of the Plan. Further work needs to be done in the areas of Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission (PMTCT), male circumcision, HIV prevention and orphans and vulnerable children (OVC).

The UN Country Team in South Africa briefed the meeting on its plans for a high level UN participation in the National AIDS Conference scheduled for 5-8 June in 2007. It suggested the following four areas of support:

• Satellite sessions (future scenarios, emerging prevention technologies).

• Senior leadership participation in opening and plenary sessions.

• Funding of scholarships for civil society participation.

• Joint UN exhibition.

UNAIDS presented the Knowledge Centre and the process of updating the Directory of UN HIV Focal points in the region. The Agency requested for suggestions on additional thematic areas for the Knowledge desk and the nomination of focal points for each thematic area, within their agencies.

For more information contact: Mark Stirling at stirlingm@unaids.org.Top

Higher education institution’s responses to HIV and AIDS: A Review

In 2005, UNESCO commissioned a study on higher education institution’s responses to the HIV and AIDS pandemic. The study analysed, compared and summarised findings from twelve case studies from higher education institutions in Brazil, Burkina Faso, China, Democratic Republic of Congo, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica, Lebanon, Lesotho, Suriname, Thailand and Vietnam.

It aimed at increasing understanding of the impact of HIV and AIDS on tertiary institutions, institutional responses in different social and cultural contexts and at varying stages in various regions of the world. The countries selected for the study varied in population distribution and density, educational attainment, levels of economic and social development. For instance, African countries (Democratic Republic of Congo, Burkina Faso and Lesotho) all have young people constituting 40 percent of the population.

Specifically, the review sought to:

• identify relevant and appropriate actions that higher education institutions worldwide can undertake to prevent the further spread of HIV;

• manage the impact of HIV and AIDS in higher education; and

• mitigate the effects of the pandemic on individuals, campuses and communities.

In line with the above objectives, the study focussed on the following areas, among others:

• institutional HIV and AIDS policies and plans;

• leadership on HIV and AIDS;

• HIV and AIDS research; and

• community outreach.

A key study finding indicated that less information existed on both the vulnerability of the university community, and the impact of the pandemic on those they support. Case studies demonstrated that most universities had not carried out in-depth impact or risk assessments on the effect of HIV and AIDS on various components of the university system. In short, all institutions covered were dealing with a problem whose magnitude and impact is unknown.

Other findings:

• Information on staff and student morbidity and mortality was largely unavailable.

• Institutionalisation of an HIV and AIDS response in higher education institutions is relatively new and poorly understood.

• HIV and AIDS initiatives in these institutions are irregular, uncoordinated and reliant on the initiative of a few dedicated staff.

• Focus is placed mainly on prevention at the expense of wider efforts to address stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV.

To assist universities and higher education institutions to become proactive and engage with the HIV and AIDS pandemic, the study recommends that they:

• should prioritise data collection and impact assessments at various levels;

• develop policy frameworks that locate HIV and AIDS as part of the mission and core business of tertiary institutions;

• must engage in sustained advocacy, capacity building and technical assistance to enable a more comprehensive understanding of impact and the required response and to mobilise external support; and

• require a broad based leadership that encompasses all groups of people within university campuses (students, staff, people living with HIV and AIDS and so on).

For more information please contact Lucinda Ramos l.ramos@unesco.org. Top

Africa: HIV and AIDS in higher education

Higher education institutions play a vital role in human resource development. However, in Africa, many have become high-risk environments for transmitting HIV. Through well-informed scientific, medical and social research, these same institutions can actively mitigate the impact of the disease by changing behaviours among their own staff and students and by influencing public debate and political action.

International Institute of Educational Planning (IIEP) has recently undertaken case studies to examine the response of higher education institutions to HIV and AIDS in three East African countries: Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda.

A key observation is that universities and teacher training institutions are inadequately addressing HIV and AIDS because of a culture of denial and concealment. Internal systems to monitor the incidence and prevalence of HIV are lacking, but its spread is negatively affecting faculty and students, as well as the functioning of the institutions themselves.

Factors which have accelerated the spread of HIV in these institutions include reduced government subsidies and the introduction of student fees in the 1990s, as well as peer pressure, multiple sex partners, inadequate information on HIV and AIDS, drug abuse and difficulties in accessing condoms. High mortality rates among teaching staff due to AIDS have resulted in increased workloads, stress levels, low morale and reduced efficiency. This negatively affects the quality of higher education and training, often leaving syllabi uncompleted as a result of prolonged staff illness or death.

Increased parental illness or deaths result in students either staggering their studies or shifting to evening classes in order to work during the day to finance their studies. In extreme cases, female students resort to commercial sex to pay for their studies.

Despite this, few higher education institutions have developed responses to HIV and AIDS and fewer still have structures or budgets to cope with the disease. Senior managers interviewed did acknowledge that their institutions were severely affected by HIV and AIDS but were quick to point out that coping with it is not an institutional priority.

Some institutions have tried to integrate information on HIV and AIDS either into their formal curricula or in their extra-curricula activities, but such efforts are mostly ad hoc, fragmented and student-led initiatives, which rarely target faculty or senior management staff.

Institutions like Makerere University offer free voluntary counselling and testing (VCT) and antiretroviral treatment (ART) to both staff and students, but participation is low because confidentiality is not always guaranteed. If ART is construed as a cure, then making it easily accessible could undermine prevention efforts; it should be promoted alongside treatment education and condom use.

Makerere University does not have a specific HIV and AIDS policy. It keeps records of staff mortality, but these records do not disclose cause of death. None of the teacher training colleges studied in Kenya and Ethiopia had records on staff or even student mortality.

To summarize, it is clear that higher education institutions in Africa are still seeking to integrate HIV and AIDS into their programme activities. In addition, they should develop workplace policies that are consistent with international and national codes of practice on HIV and AIDS. Institutional managers need to be provided with skills in AIDS education, sensitization, training, counselling, and communication.

Higher education institutions should set up carefully designed VCT and ART programmes that are attractive to the beneficiaries. HIV and AIDS and life-skills education need to be integrated urgently into academic curricula, extracurricular activities, and outreach programmes.

Special programmes for teaching staff are crucial, and academic programmes should be made more flexible to accommodate the needs of infected and affected staff and students. By taking these initial steps, higher education institutions are likely to enhance their internal capacities to deal with HIV and AIDS much more effectively.

For more information, contact Charles Nzioka c.nzioka@iiep.unesco.org  

Source: International Institute for Educational Planning Newsletter Vol. XXV, N° 1, January-March 2007.  Top

SADCs “Drama for Life” – A Programme for Capacity Development in HIV and AIDS Education through Applied Drama and Theatre

The Southern African Development Community, in partnership with the German Development Cooperation, has developed a programme for building capacity in the area of HIV and AIDS & education through applied drama and theatre.

The programme will run for a period of three years in all Southern African Development Community (SADC) member states which include Angola, Botswana, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

“Drama for Life” aims at empowering young people to take personal responsibility for the quality of their own lives. In the context of HIV and AIDS, “quality” refers to both prevention of HIV infection and “positive living” of the infected youth – however, the term may also refer to other areas of life beyond the pandemic.

Its objectives are to:

• promote personal and interpersonal learning in order to bring about positive behavioural change among youth in the SADC region;

• empower teachers and performers to facilitate personal and interpersonal centred learning processes in the context of HIV and AIDS;

• enhance capacities in arts education management and administration throughout the SADC region;

• research and document the role and efficacy of applied drama and theatre processes in HIV and AIDS education and counselling; and

• create a framework for integrating applied drama and theatre practice into the formal education sector (curricula, teacher’s training) as well as in the non formal education sector (training module for Theatre Non-Governmental Organisations/Groups).

The programme has several expected outputs and some of these include:

• development of a training course that qualifies practitioners to facilitate groups of people and to train teachers/performers in the use of drama and theatre as a tool in HIV and AIDS education;

• training national project coordinators in arts education administration/educational drama or project management;

• setting up a professional SADC HIV and AIDS Theatre in Education production that is a regional response to the HIV and AIDS pandemic;

• creation of training manuals in “Drama in HIV and AIDS education”, Arts administration/Project Management and peer education materials; and

• establishment of regional network of people with a common interest in applied drama and theatre practice for HIV and AIDS awareness, prevention and rehabilitation.

Coordination of the programme will be conducted at three levels: Ministries of Education in all SADC member states will act as lead coordinators, supported by a Steering Committee comprising all major players in “Drama for Life”. Since SADC is not an implementing agency, the University of Witswatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa will act as the regional implementing agency. SADC and the University shall form a strategic partnership based on a Memorandum of Understanding which defines tasks in programme management and implementation for the University.

For more information please contact Dr. Ulrike Mueller-Glodde at umueglo@wise.bw.co or Sharon Simwanza at asimwanza@sadc.int. Top

Inauguration of the Guidance, Counselling and Youth Development Centre for Africa

The Malawi State President, Dr. Bingu wa Mutharika, officially opened the Guidance, Counselling and Youth Development Centre for Africa, located in Lilongwe’s Area 3. The colourful ceremony took place on 23 January 2007, characterised by traditional dances and speeches.

UNESCO Harare’s Director and Representative,, Professor Juma Shabani, reiterated UNESCO’s commitment of ensuring that quality and accessible guidance and counselling services are available through the Centre. Professor Shabani assured the region that UNESCO was ready to continue with its support to the Centre because the youth are a priority group in UNESCO’s programming.

African Ministers of Education attending the 1993 Pan African Conference on Education for Girls conceptualised the idea of a Centre for Guidance, Counselling and Youth Development for Africa (GCYDCA).. The objective is to address a wide range of social issues affecting boys and girls of school going age. The Ministers concurred that young people in Africa can develop their own solutions to the social problems they face if they had sufficient information and skills.

Specifically, the Centre aims to:

• provide trainers with the latest knowledge and techniques needed to assist young people in meeting the challenges and realities in a changing environment;

• give greater emphasis to self-development;

• provide ‘life-long’ information, such as legislation on gender relationships, sources of credit for women and educational opportunities for girls and women; and

• help pupils, particularly girls, to manage and improve their lives.

The ceremony was a great moment of renewed hope and inspiration in the region – the attendance, for example, by the representative of the African Union, indicates the Centre’s repositioning in an international perspective as renewed collaborations and creation of new professional partners take priority in strategies, initiatives and policies.

The centre is managed by the board of governors, assisted by a technical working group and the centre Director. Currently, it boasts of well-furnished classrooms and offices, a perfect communication system and well developed short and long term programmes.

The centre is in full operation and running both local and international programmes. It is expected to run two regional training of trainer sessions and is working on the modalities for introducing a one-year advanced diploma in Guidance, Counselling and Youth Development

For more information contact: Malawi National Commission for UNESCO mnatcom@malawi.net. Top

The Regional Support Team for Eastern and Southern Africa has launched its new website. Complementing the UNAIDS global website, its content is tailored to specific regional informational needs. The website provides information and news on the following countries:

Angola, Botswana, Comoros, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, Seychelles, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

For more information please visit: www.unaidsrstesa.org.Africa. Top

SHORTCUT LINKS

Joint United Nations Team on AIDS established in Malawi

Ministry of Education in Botswana develops curriculum for HIV, AIDS and STIs

UNICEF and the Government of Zimbabwe sign a US$70 million agreement to assist orphans and vulnerable children

Enhancing the Development of Leadership Skills in the Management of HIV and AIDS in Secondary Schools in Botswana

SADC “Drama for Life” – Programme for Capacity Development in HIV and AIDS Education through Applied Drama and Theatre

Higher education institution’s responses to HIV and AIDS: A Review

A case study of Schools as model Centres of Care and Support

Africa: HIV and AIDS in higher education

UNESCO Harare participates in the development of the UNDP Training of Trainers Curriculum on HIV and AIDS Mainstreaming

Sub-regional HIV and AIDS skills building workshops planned

UN Regional AIDS Team for Eastern and Southern Africa holds second meeting

Online resources

Forthcoming Activities

END OF LINKS

Ministry of Education in Botswana develops curriculum for HIV, AIDS and STIs

Within the framework of the Teacher Capacity Building Project, the Department of Teacher Training and Development in Botswana’s Ministry of Education, in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme, developed a curriculum for HIV, AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs).

The Teacher Capacity Building Project is part of a multi-sectoral response aimed at protecting Botswana’s “window of hope” (future generations that are HIV negative) by ensuring that teachers are well informed and prepared to promote the prevention of HIV infection among the youth.It is a multimedia distance education programme that uses television to reach out to all teachers.

As part of the Project, the curriculum is delivered through television and is directed at teachers in primary, secondary and tertiary education levels in Botswana. It is a resource for learning, inclusive knowledge, skills and attitude and reflects the multi-disciplinary and multi-sectoral fields through which the pandemic needs to be understood.

Based on the 2000 Dakar Framework for Action, the curriculum seeks to, among other things:

• differentiate between HIV, AIDS and STIs;

• develop appropriate attitudes and competencies for living positively in the era of HIV and AIDS;

• address myths, prejudices and misconceptions that facilitate the spread of HIV; and

• impart knowledge, attitudes and skills that promote the prevention of HIV infection.

The curriculum is guided by seven principles that seek to influence the value systems that should be portrayed in all television programmes. Some of the elements of these principles are:

• Botho (a process of earning respect by first giving it and to gain empowerment by empowering others);

• living positively with HIV and AIDS – an HIV competent nation;

• human rights in the context of HIV and AIDS; and

• gender.

Guided by the above elements, the curriculum outlines eight key focus areas that the television programmes address. The first one looks at the basic knowledge of HIV and AIDS. It focuses on various aspects like the nature of HIV, the difference between HIV and AIDS, HIV transmission, signs and symptoms. Other areas in the curriculum include:

• HIV in the context of the community;

• responsible behaviour for prevention;

• HIV testing;

• developing life skills and new attitudes;

• culture; and

• the role of the teacher in the context of HIV and AIDS.

HIV and AIDS pose a real threat to the achievement of the goals of “Education for All” (EFA) and the development of education in general.

Through the curriculum, the Ministry of Education in Botswana is focused on equipping teachers with the knowledge, skills and attitudes to curb the spread and promote better management of HIV and AIDS.

For more information please visit: http://www.tcbtalkback.net/ or contact dramagaga@gov.unesco.org. Top

Enhancing the Development of Leadership Skills in the Management of HIV and AIDS in Secondary Schools in Botswana

“The survey clearly indicates that school heads and their deputies are generally unaware and relaxed in their attitude towards HIV and AIDS initiatives.”

This was one of the four key findings from a baseline survey conducted to assess the current status of a project aimed at developing leadership skills in the management of HIV and AIDS in secondary schools in Botswana.

Supported by UNESCO Harare Cluster Office, the project (Enhancing the Development of Leadership Skills in the Management of HIV and AIDS in Secondary Schools in Botswana), seeks to strengthen school level responses by establishing systematic management and leadership mechanisms that will guide on-going teacher and learner capacity building programmes.

Other findings include the lack of:

• performance indicators and a monitoring mechanism to measure the impact of initiatives and programmes;

• adequate support and guidance (financial and technical) from the Central Government; and

• adequate knowledge of ways of seeking assistance and funding from churches, non-governmental organisations, donor organisations and so on.

The survey, conducted between July and October 2006, targeted school management teams that comprised school heads, heads of departments (pastoral care), senior teachers (guidance and counselling), HIV and AIDS Coordinators and staff development coordinators.

The findings from the survey are expected to:

• assist in the development of capacity in the management of HIV and AIDS in schools;

• enable secondary schools to develop monitoring and evaluation tools for HIV and AIDS programmes; and

• institutionalise self monitoring and evaluation mechanisms.

The project is executed by the Department of Secondary Education’s Division of Management and Training. The mandate of the Division is to train school management teams.

The survey made several recommendations, including the need to:

• develop guidelines, checklist, information, material/manuals and workshops that ensure the understanding and support from school heads and their deputies;

• create a standardised selection criteria for HIV and AIDS coordinators;

• develop a national curriculum, including training of trainers, to address HIV and AIDS issues and belonging problems;

• establish monitoring and evaluation tools for projects and HIV infection rates; and

• increase human and financial resources to combat HIV and AIDS in the country.

Botswana is one of the most affected countries in the southern African region and the education sector experiences the devastating effects of the pandemic – the project is thus set to break new ground and set new standards on leadership skills and its management in secondary schools. For more information contact: tbaruti@gov.bw. Top

A case study of Schools as model Centres of Care and Support

In an effort to develop an inclusive education system, the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education, in partnership with the Media in Education Trust in South Africa, developed an integrated school-based model of care and support. The model is based on the premise that schools are often the strongest and most stable institutions in these communities. It further notes that if school and community structures are empowered, they are able to lead a strategy that responds to HIV and AIDS and improve care for orphans and other vulnerable children.

The model provides an essential package of care and support services which include youth and health centres, a capacity development programme, a toolkit of care and support resources. However, the essential package of services is country-specific.

The overall aim is to combat the impact of poverty and HIV and AIDS by strengthening schools and communities. To achieve this, schools undertake several processes which include:

• developing a vision of itself as a centre of care and support; and

• establishing a health committee (if one does not exist) called an Institution-based Support Team (IST).

IST usually comprises teachers, parents (who act as school-based carers), other community members such as officials from health services, a few learners in secondary schools and out-of school youths. Its mandate is to conduct audits of:

• orphans and vulnerable children in the school and its communities;

• integrate HIV and AIDS of the IST;

• counsel learners;

• identify learners who need assistance;

• the services in the area of care support from both governmental and non-governmental contexts; and

• plan outreach programmes in which school-based carers may conduct.

Through the outreach programme, IST members conduct the following:

• assist orphans and vulnerable children and their families to obtain identification documents, birth and death certificates and so on;

• conduct home-based visits in which they assess children’s home situations, provide basic health care, assist with house chores;

• organise care for children whose parents have died or are too sick to care for them;

• plant food gardens and establish a feeding scheme; and

• help to collect and distribute food and clothing.

In South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal province, the Media in Education Trust (MIET) is involved in piloting an essential package of services in two districts with the highest HIV prevalence. It has implemented the model through a two-year research phase to assist the KwaZulu Natal Department of Education to scale up, manage and sustain its strategy for building an inclusive education system as proposed in South Africa’s White Paper. In addition to the districts, five countries in the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC); South Africa, Zambia, Swaziland, Malawi and Mozambique have begun implementing a regional component of the schools as centres of care and support programme.

Partnerships, research and evaluation, sharing of best practices and lessons learnt, materials and course development, and sharing of resources, data, skills and knowledge are some of the key areas of collaboration identified during the implementation process.

For more information please email: miet@miet.co.za.  Top

UNICEF and the Government of Zimbabwe sign a US$70 million agreement to assist orphans and vulnerable children

The United Nations Children Fund and the Government of Zimbabwe signed an agreement worth US$ 70 million dollars with 21 non-governmental organisations for the assistance of orphans and vulnerable children in Zimbabwe for a period of over five years. Additional agreements will be signed later in 2007 to further scale-up the response. 350 000 orphans and vulnerable children are expected to benefit from the partnership.

The agreement is part of the implementation process of the Zimbabwe National Action Plan for Orphans and other Vulnerable Children. It is financed by the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DFID), New Zealand Aid, the Swedish International Agency (SIDA) and the Germany Government. The 21 non-governmental organisations will further support 150 community based organisations.

In line with the agreement, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and community based organisations (CBOs) are to:

• increase school enrolment of orphans and vulnerable children;

• improve children’s access to food, health services, water and sanitation;

• protect children from abuse, violence and exploitation;

• boost school nutrition programmes; and

• increase the number of children with birth certificates.

As most of Zimbabwe’s orphans and vulnerable children remain with their family, the agreement will ensure that the 171 NGOs and CBOs:

• strengthen the capacity of families to protect and care for orphans and vulnerable children;

• mobilise and support community-based responses; and

• ensure access for orphans and vulnerable children to essential services, including education, health care and birth registration.

The 21 organisations were selected following a successful process of inviting more than 130 to submit concept papers and develop project proposals. These were reviewed by a technical committee, and the Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare and UNICEF formalised Tripartite Agreements with the 21 organisations whose project proposals were approved.

For more information, please contact: James Elder, jelder@unicef.org. Top

Consultation on school-centred HIV and AIDS care and support in southern Africa

UNESCO, in collaboration with the Botswana National Commission, is organising a consultation to explore the concept of schools as centres of care and support in southern Africa.

Schools in southern Africa are now taking a wider responsibility in care and support for the community. This may have happened spontaneously in response to urgent demands from communities or through programmes such as the “Schools as Centres of Care and Support (SCCS)”, developed by the Media in Education Trust (MiET) in South Africa or the “Circles of Support for OVCs” project.

Against this background, the overall aim of the consultation is to explore ways of scaling up SCCS in southern Africa.

Specifically, the consultation seeks to:

• identify the needs of learners, educators and communities in regards to HIV and AIDS care and support and develop a conceptual framework that guides schools as centres of care and support for HIV-affected communities;

• find ways of supporting schools as centres of care and support for communities, in light of the over-stretched education systems in the region;

• identify strategies to scale-up models of best practice;

• determine engagement mechanisms for community leaders, networks and groups of people living with HIV, and other community-based organisations; and

• explore ways to mobilise sufficient political will and resources.

Specific Outputs:

• Establishment of guidelines for Ministries of Education and school administrators for the provision of care and support in institutions’ response to HIV and AIDS;

• Recommendations on how existing initiatives and programmes can advocate for and support scaling up of best practice and good policies on school centred care and support;

• A review and dissemination of existing actions, programmes and frameworks at regional, country and community levels and ‘taking stock’ for a more harmonised approach, while building on experiences and lessons learnt in school-centred care and support initiatives; and

• A report highlighting best practices and the way forward.

Participants may include representatives from UNESCO, UNICEF, UNAIDS, SADC Secretariat, civil society organisations and Ministry of Education representatives.

For more information email: m.zulu@unesco.org.  Top

Community of Sant'Egidio initiates integrated programme in AIDS prevention and therapy

Mozambique’s Sant'Egidio community has initiated an integrated AIDS prevention and care therapy – “Community of Sant'Egidio against AIDS in Mozambique”. The programme covers three areas – Maputo in the south, Sofala in central and Nampula in the north. It is focuses on the restoration of three maternity and childcare centres and three health centres for the prevention and care of sexually transmitted diseases.

The programme aims to improve the performance of laboratories in these health centres. It has short and middle term interventions of prevention and care. The short term intervention seeks to:

• support the prevention of mother to child HIV transmission and transmission through blood transfusions; and

• create structural conditions through which antiretroviral therapy can be introduced into the country.

The principal aim of middle term intervention is the generalised introduction of antiretroviral therapy.

Community of Sant'Egidio against AIDS in Mozambique initiative provides:

• testing for HIV infection;

• training of local staff (doctors, nurses, laboratory technicians, health workers, etc.);

• health education in prisons and maternity and childcare centres;

• means of preventing mothers from infecting their children during pregnancy, birth and breastfeeding;

• therapy for those infected with the HIV virus;

• creation of laboratories to monitor antiretroviral therapy;

• monitoring of blood donations;

• prevention and care of diseases linked to AIDS;

• nutritional sustenance to AIDS sufferers; and

• home based care.

Since its establishment, the programme has rehabilitated various buildings and other logistical support units. These regional hospitals are equipped with advanced diagnostic laboratories to monitor antiretroviral therapy and also receive patients with more specific treatments. They also act as contact points for patients undergoing antiretroviral therapy.

The programme is preparing for the second phase of the implementation, already approved by the Mozambican health authorities. This phase further provides for the development of diagnostic centres and infrastructures to allow access to antiretroviral therapy. HIV diagnostic tests will be availed to the population (particularly in transfusion centres and for pregnant women).

Other services include:

• provision of counselling;

• training activities for the paramedic and medical staff focusing on the use of antiretroviral drugs;

• development of a five-year plan for the programme;

• provision of control tests for patients involved in antiretroviral therapy; and

• development of a support network for AIDS patients.

The centres will ultimately become places where AIDS patients will be treated according to the most advanced therapeutic protocols.

For more information visit:

http://www.santegidio.org/en/

amicimondo/aids/index.html  or
http://www.santegidio.org/en/amicimondo

/aids/programma.htm . Top