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The Handbook on Paediatric AIDS in Africa was designed to provide a simple, accessible, and practical handbook for health professionals involved in preventing infection and caring for children infected and affected by HIV/AIDS. The resource is aimed primarily at medical students and their lecturers, nurses, clinicians, community health workers and other service providers in resource-poor settings where there is a significant HIV/AIDS burden.

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www.synergyaids.com

The Graduate School, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa will be holding a Research Methodology Training Course in HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria from 29 November to 10 December 2004.

This research training course is designed to prepare researchers and postgraduate students with requisite knowledge for formulating sound projects to meet the requirements of postgraduate training of the University of the Witwatersrand and other universities.

A selection of one or more of the following topics will be covered in the final programme, depending on participants' needs and interests:

• Principles of problem identification and selection of a research topic
• Steps in proposal development, i.e. formulation of objectives, study design, sampling, budgeting etc.
• Introduction to Data Management and Statistical Analysis
• Introduction to Ethics in Health Research
• Writing Scientific Papers, Theses and Reports
• Navigating Cyberspace: using e-books and journals
• A review of pertinent research techniques and methodologies
• Case studies in implementing research proposals in the field of HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria
• Sources of funding for research proposals in the field of HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria
• Field visits to selected research entities and discussion with prospective supervisors and collaborators
• Networking with other postgraduate students and researchers in SADC region

Tuition fees to participate in the course are US $760, exclusive of travel costs to the venue in Johannesburg as well as accommodation. The organisers have secured a limited number of fellowships from the Belgium Technical Cooperation for eligible postgraduate students and researchers from the SADC region. Each application should include a clearly articulated motivation that indicates that the applicant would benefit from the training.

Twenty places are available and these will be allocated on a first-come-first-served basis. Apply directly, preferably by fax or email, with a short description (1 page) of your current professional qualifications and motivation to:

Alison Mclean
Tel: +27-11-717-2075
Fax: +27-11-717-2119
Email:

ACORD, an international NGO working in over 20 countries in sub-Saharan Africa, has just produced a report on research carried out in Northern Uganda and Burundi to gain insight into both the causes and consequences of HIV/AIDS-related stigma and discrimination. The research produced evidence of alarming levels of stigma and discrimination suffered by individuals, their carers and families in both countries. Ignorance and fear compounded by cultural and religious taboos were found to be at the root of such attitudes and behaviours. Reluctance to be tested or seek counselling, and/or rejection by service providers are among the key consequences confirming that stigma and discrimination act as a major barrier to accessing services and treatment.

The participatory research methods applied helped to stimulate a strong response at the level of the community and local level decision-makers. In Burundi, local groups have formed a network to promote the rights of PWAs and monitor abuses, and in Uganda a local district has introduced a by-law to ban all forms of HIV/AIDS-related discrimination. ACORD will provide ongoing support to these and other follow-up initiatives that have emerged from the research process.

The report, 'Unravelling the Dynamics of HIV/AIDS-Related Stigma and Discrimination: The Role of Community-Based Research', can be downloaded from ACORD's website: www.acord.org.uk and hard copies can be obtained by contacting ACORD's Research and Policy Officer, Angela Hadjipateras, at:

Copies of the report will also soon be available in French and Portuguese.

In order to emphasize the important intersection of violence against women and women's health, and particularly that of violence against women and the HIV/AIDS pandemic, the 2004 theme for 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence is: For the Health of Women, For the Health of the World: No More Violence. The 16 days take place from 25 November to 10 December.

The 2004 16 Days of Activism theme is also intended to highlight the intersection of violence against women and the HIV/AIDS pandemic. A number of groups and initiatives are organising around the issue of violence against women and HIV/AIDS, including the Global Coalition on Women and HIV/AIDS, the Amnesty International Stop Violence Against Women Campaign, the Global Campaign for Microbicides, and the 2004 UNAIDS World AIDS Campaign.

For more information and to access the 2004 Take Action Kit contact:
Sara Nordstrom
16 Days Campaign Coordinator
Centre for Women's Global Leadership
160 Ryders Lane
New Brunswick, NJ 08901
Tel: (1-732) 932-8782
Fax: (1-732) 932-1180
www.cwgl.rutgers.edu
Email: