USAID HIV/AIDS E-Newsletter - October 2005

The Synergy Project, implemented by Social & Scientific Systems, Inc., published this E-Newsletter on behalf of USAID's Office of HIV/AIDS.

This E-Newsletter ended in 2005, but access past editions in the archive section.

The U.S. Agency for International Development's Office of HIV/AIDS is proud to be a partner in The President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. This e-newsletter is a regular update from USAID and its partners on programs that prevent and mitigate HIV/AIDS across the developing world.

We encourage you to circulate this publication to colleagues.

Table of Contents

• A. New Partner Spotlight
  • FreshMinistries
    
    
• B. News
  • Basketball Stars Visit South Africa to Promote AIDS Awareness
  • Abstinence Gets Stamp of Approval
  • Public Health Sector in Côte d'Ivoire Assessed
  • Antiretroviral Treatment Services Launched in Vietnam
    
    
• C. Publications
  • Publication Discusses Orphans and Vulnerable Children
  • Report Chronicles Zambian Health System Crisis
  • Document Describes Prevention Efforts for Uniformed Services
  • HIV Stigma Toolkit Now Available in French
  • Papers Approach HIV/AIDS Topics from a Youth Perspective
  • New Document Details Costs of Home-based Care
    
    
• D. Online Resources
  • The Synergy HIV/AIDS Resource Center Highlights What's New

A. New Partner Spotlight

• FreshMinistries
  FreshMinistries is an ecumenical, faith-based nonprofit organization working to improve people's lives and bringing hope to those living in distressed conditions. As part of the Emergency Plan, the Anglican Church (as represented by FreshMinistries), the Church of the Province of South Africa, the Episcopal Diocese of Washington, and other partners, are implementing SIYAFUNDISA ("Teaching Our Children"), a five-year project to reduce HIV/AIDS incidence in South Africa, Mozambique, and Namibia by promoting abstinence until marriage, being faithful, and avoidance of unhealthy behaviors affecting youth. The program will be implemented through 100 parishes in the first year. Approximately 132 parishes will be added annually, serving approximately 150,000 youth and 50,000 adults each year.

B. News

• Basketball Stars Visit South Africa to Promote AIDS Awareness
  On behalf of the U.S. Embassy in South Africa, USAID Mission Director Carleene Dei welcomed National Basketball Association (NBA) players, coaches and staff to South Africa. Special events co-sponsored by the Emergency Plan involved the NBA in the inauguration of the Moletsane Sports Complex, as well as a health and music festival promoting HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention. The NBA players taught basketball skills, filmed public service announcements, and challenged attendees and the broader South African community to fight AIDS by living healthy lives.
  
  
• Abstinence Gets Stamp of Approval
  The postal service in the Democratic Republic of Congo has issued a series of postage stamps that promote abstinence, using words and images from Population Services International's "delayed debut campaign" now rolling out across Africa. The series of six stamps will reinforce three communications campaigns: abstinence among youth, HIV prevention with truckers and condoms for high-risk behavior. Four of the six stamps promote abstinence and delayed sex among youth.
  
  
• Public Health Sector in Côte d'Ivoire Assessed [PDF, 424KB]
  Many countries are exploring ways of mobilizing large numbers of physicians, nurses, counselors, midwives, laboratory technicians, and other health workers to meet governments' and international initiatives' service targets while simultaneously maintaining basic health care services. Abt Associates Inc.'s Partners for Health Reformplus project conducted an assessment of the public health sector in Côte d'Ivoire to quantify human resources available and what is needed to maintain basic health services while scaling up HIV/AIDS services to reach national and global targets.
  
  
• Antiretroviral Treatment Services Launched in Vietnam
  HIV-positive patients at Binh Thanh District Outpatient Clinic have become the first in Vietnam to benefit from new antiretroviral treatment services funded by USAID. Family Health International's Implementing AIDS Prevention and Care (IMPACT) Project helped prepare the clinic by procuring medications, renovating buildings, developing standard operating procedures and a case management model, improving referrals, and undertaking other key functions.

C. Publications

• Publication Discusses Orphans and Vulnerable Children
  YouthNet has produced Youth Issues Paper 6, Adolescents: Orphaned and Vulnerable in the Time of HIV/AIDS. Although the majority of orphans are adolescents, most orphan programs do not focus on the particular needs of adolescents, secondary education or livelihood training, sexual and reproductive health education and services, psychosocial and social support for transition to adulthood, and adult mentors as role models. This 30-page paper includes analysis, program summaries, four case studies, and recommendations for action.
  
  
• Report Chronicles Zambian Health System Crisis [PDF, 396KB]
  Without a strong and skilled health workforce, the Zambian public sector health system cannot deliver adequate and appropriate care to its population. Human Resources Crisis in the Zambian Health System: A Call for Urgent Action, a new report by Abt Associates Inc.'s Partners for Health Reformplus, estimates the available and required health care staff needed for the provision of HIV/AIDS services, such as antiretroviral therapy, prevention of mother-to-child transmission, and voluntary counseling and testing.
  
  
• Document Describes Prevention Efforts for Uniformed Services
  Young, sexually active and trained to take risks, members of the uniformed services are highly vulnerable to HIV. The latest issue in the Snapshots from the Field series, published by Family Health International, discusses lessons learned in implementing prevention strategies for the military, police, prison guards, and other uniformed services in Cambodia, Ghana and elsewhere.
  
  
• HIV Stigma Toolkit Now Available in French
  Academy for Educational Development's SARA Project has translated into French an HIV stigma toolkit for action called Understanding and Challenging HIV Stigma, which was published by the CHANGE Project in 2003. Comprende et Contrer: Le Stigmate Du VIH and its English version are designed for nongovernmental organizations, community groups, and HIV educators to raise awareness and promote practical actions to challenge HIV stigma and discrimination.
  
  
• Papers Approach HIV/AIDS Topics from a Youth Perspective
  YouthNet has published three additional issues of YouthLens, the series of four-page briefs synthesizing research on youth HIV prevention and reproductive health. They are: YouthLens 15, Early Marriage and Adolescent Girls; YouthLens 16, Boys and Changing Gender Roles; and YouthLens 17, Creating Youth-Friendly Pharmacies.
  
  
• New Document Details Costs of Home-based Care [PDF, 332KB]
  As the global HIV/AIDS community considers options to scale up care for people living with HIV/AIDS and provide treatment to those in need, understanding the cost of home-based care is essential to guide the efficiency and reach of HIV/AIDS programs. Home-based Care Costing Guidelines, developed by Abt Associates Inc.'s Partners for Health Reformplus, presents costing principles that can be applied to home-based-care interventions, particularly at the community level.

D. Online Resources

• The Synergy HIV/AIDS Resource Center Highlights What's New
  The Synergy HIV/AIDS Resource Center, implemented by Social & Scientific Systems, Inc., currently contains more than 3,800 documents on HIV/AIDS project management, research and reproductive health issues, most of which are available for download. Users can refer to "What’s New in the Synergy Resource Center," which provides links to new publications, or search the entire online database.