This is an archived USAID document retained on this web site as a matter of public record.

USAID HIV/AIDS E-Newsletter - January 2005

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. News
  • Egypt Opens Its First Anonymous Voluntary Counseling and Testing Site
  • Horizons to Examine Treatment Services for Pediatric HIV Infection in South Africa
  • Ugandan Clubs Empower Young Women to Protect Future
  • Organization Gives HIV-Positive Nepalese Women a Voice
    
    
• B. Recent Events
  • Seminar Highlights Advances in Addressing HIV/AIDS among Women and Girls
  • First Asia-Pacific Women, Girls and HIV/AIDS Best Practices Conference Held
    
    
• C. Publications
  • Synergy Project Series Explores Important Issues and Challenges to Scale-Up of HIV/AIDS Programs
  • IMPACT Project Releases Three Issues in "Snapshots" Series
  • Bulletin Focuses on Integration of Family Planning and HIV Services
    
    
• D. Online Resources
  • POLICY Project and FHI/YouthNet Launch Newsletter, Update Resources
  • The Synergy HIV/AIDS Resource Center Highlights What's New
  
  

A. News

• Egypt Opens Its First Anonymous Voluntary Counseling and Testing Site
  On World AIDS Day, Family Health International's Implementing AIDS Prevention and Care (IMPACT) Project and the Egyptian Ministry of Health and Population launched Egypt's first anonymous voluntary counseling and testing center in Cairo. In 2005 Family Health International/Egypt plans to support five additional VCT sites.
  
  
• Horizons to Examine Treatment Services for Pediatric HIV Infection in South Africa
  Although antiretroviral treatment services have expanded worldwide, little is known about the provision of pediatric HIV care services by health facilities, households, and communities. The Horizons Program and the University of Cape Town have launched a situational analysis study in four South African provinces to document current treatment practices in order to make recommendations for increased access to antiretroviral therapy by children.
  
  
• Ugandan Clubs Empower Young Women to Protect Future
  Population Services International’s Go-Getter Clubs are empowering young women in Uganda to protect themselves from cross-generational sex, which has been recognized as fueling the spread of HIV infection in Africa, and collaborating with corporate and faith-based partners to provide these women with skills-building and employment opportunities.
  
  
• Organization Gives HIV-Positive Nepalese Women a Voice
  The POLICY Project/Nepal assisted 15 HIV-positive Nepalese women in the formation of a support group for women and children infected and affected by HIV/AIDS. The group, which now has more than 30 members, chose the name SNEHA Samaj, which means "community of love and affection." It is the first organization of its kind in Nepal.

B. Recent Events

• Seminar Highlights Advances in Addressing HIV/AIDS among Women and Girls
  To commemorate World AIDS Day, the International Center for Research on Women, the Global Coalition on Women and AIDS, and Horizons held a seminar in Washington, D.C. that focused on critical issues affecting HIV prevention, treatment, and care for women and girls. Drawing on research and field experience, the presenters focused on property rights, stigma, gender-based violence, microbicides, vaccines, antiretroviral treatment services, and home and community care.
  
  
• First Asia-Pacific Women, Girls and HIV/AIDS Best Practices Conference Held
  Support from the POLICY Project enabled 20 HIV-positive women to participate in the First Asia-Pacific Women, Girls and HIV/AIDS Best Practices Conference. The POLICY Project also sponsored sessions on positive women’s leadership and skills-building. Some 300 delegates from 25 countries attended the conference, which was held in Islamabad from November 29 to December 1, 2004.
  

C. Publications

• Synergy Project Series Explores Important Issues and Challenges to Scale-Up of HIV/AIDS Programs
  "Big Issues in Brief: Scaling Up Responses to HIV/AIDS" provides program managers with valuable information on what works in HIV/AIDS programming. Produced by Social & Scientific Systems, Inc./The Synergy Project, these three briefs delve into counseling, living positively, and stigma.
  
  
• IMPACT Project Releases Three Issues in "Snapshots" Series
  The latest "Snapshots from the Field" summarize activities of the Implementing AIDS Prevention and Care (IMPACT) Project that support: orphans and vulnerable children in Zambia; community-based organizations initiating prevention, care and treatment programs in Kenya; and home and community-based care in Ethiopia.
  
  
• Bulletin Focuses on Integration of Family Planning and HIV Services
  The latest issue of Family Health International's scientific bulletin, "Network," explores the integration of family planning and HIV services. While such integration is not new, much remains unknown about how best to accomplish it and what impact it will have on reproductive health outcomes. This edition of "Network" is the first in a series of USAID-supported publications intended to encourage reproductive and sexual health experts to address the feasibility and effectiveness of efforts to integrate family planning and HIV services.
  

D. Online Resources

• POLICY Project and FHI/YouthNet Launch Newsletter, Update Resources
  • The youth-policy.com website is an online resource for improving youth reproductive health and HIV policy worldwide, and is used by youth, policymakers, nongovernmental organizations, donors, and technical experts. The youth-policy.com Newsletter features news, events, and policymaking efforts in the rapidly changing field of youth reproductive health.
  • Youth InfoNet No. 11 is a valuable source for new publications and information on youth reproductive health and HIV prevention.
    
    
• The Synergy HIV/AIDS Resource Center Highlights What's New
  The Synergy HIV/AIDS Resource Center currently contains more than 3,500 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.

The Synergy Project, implemented by Social & Scientific Systems, Inc., publishes this newsletter on behalf of USAID's Office of HIV/AIDS.

Access earlier editions of the HIV/AIDS E-Newsletter.

Subscribe/Unsubscribe
Join the more than 4,700 subscribers to the USAID HIV/AIDS E-Newsletter. To subscribe or unsubscribe, send an e-mail to: listserv@list.s-3.com with "subscribe subscribe" or "unsubscribe subscribe" in the body of the e-mail.

Submissions
USAID's Office of HIV/AIDS welcomes newsletter submissions from USAID Missions and partner agencies. Send information to enews@s-3.com by the 2nd of the month.