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South Africa's University Of The Witwatersrand Graduate School, Faculty of Health Sciences, will conduct a short training course on research methodology in the Field of HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria from 8 to 19 March 2004.

The course is designed to prepare researchers and postgraduate students with the requisite knowledge for formulating sound projects to meet the requirements of postgraduate training at 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:

• Steps in proposal development i.e. formulation of objectives, study design, sampling, budgeting etc.
• Introduction to Data Management and Statistical Analysis
• Case studies in implementing research proposals in the field of HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria
• Funding research for postgraduate training projects
• Panel discussion of postgraduate research proposals with experienced supervisors and assessors
• Networking with other postgraduate students and researchers in implementation of projects

There will be no charge for eligible postgraduate students and researchers from the SADC region, including from the Faculty of Health Sciences (FHS). Each application should include a clearly articulated motivation that indicates how the applicant would benefit from the training.

Fifteen places are available and these will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. Apply directly, preferably by fax or e-mail, with a short description (1 page) of your current professional qualifications and motivation to participate, by 20 January 2004 to:

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

The World Health Organisation (WHO) and UNAIDS have collaborated with SATELLIFE to create e-3x5, an electronic discussion group and information network. The goal of e-3x5 is to provide a forum for dialogue and exchange of information on the WHO and partner-supported initiative to put 3 million people living with HIV/AIDS in resource-limited countries on antiretroviral (ARV) therapy by the end of 2005.

Implementers of ARV programmes, governments, NGOs, advocacy groups, people living with and affected by HIV/AIDS, and interested individuals, will be able to rapidly share information and experiences, discuss strategies, problems and successes, and learn through action.

To subscribe send an e-mail to without a subject and body or go to: http://list.healthnet.org/ and follow the instructions.

As part of its Country AIDS Policy Analysis Project, the AIDS Policy Research Centre at the University of California, San Francisco, has published a multidisciplinary, fully referenced, peer-reviewed analysis of HIV/AIDS in Uganda.

The paper includes sections on epidemiology, political economy, sociobehavioural context, impact, and response - at household, sectoral, and macro-levels. It is accompanied by a comparative table of 70 key HIV/AIDS and socioeconomic indicators. The analysis is available in Word, PDF, and Text-only formats.
http://ari.ucsf.edu/

In order to examine the gender-based challenges faced by young women living with HIV/AIDS in East and Southern Africa, the International Community of Women Living with HIV/AIDS (ICW) and the Youth Against AIDS Network (YAAN) are planning a regional meeting in South Africa in February 2004.

The meeting will provide a space for 20 HIV-positive young women from the region to explore the range of issues affecting them. It will also establish a regional support mechanism, focused on advocacy at national and regional level, for young women living with the virus.

Young HIV-positive women aged between 15 and 30 are encouraged to apply to participate in the meeting. Application forms are available at:
www.icw.org

Applicants should:

• Reside and work in one of the following countries: Botswana, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia, Tanzania, South Africa, Swaziland Uganda and Zimbabwe.
• Have disclosed their HIV positive status and be openly living with HIV/AIDS in their country.
• Be employed in a position focused on working with people living with HIV/AIDS and/or human rights and/or be a member of a PLWHA organisation.
• Be comfortable working and speaking in English
• Be willing to share their experiences with other participants during the workshop; after the workshop applicants will contact other young women in their communities to pass on what they have learned
• Be a member, or willing to become a member, of ICW and be available to participate in follow-up activities after the workshop.
• Please send application forms together with a letter of support from your organisation to:

The Coordinator
The Young Women’s Dialogue
The International Community of Women Living With HIV/AIDS
Unit 6 Building 1 Canonbury Yard
190a New North Road, London
N1 7BJ England
Email:
The deadline for the submission of applications is 9 January 2004.

The Southern African Sexual Health Association and the African Federation for Sexual Health and Rights will be hosting the African Conference for Sexual Health and Rights, to be held from 25 to 29 February 2004 in Johannesburg, South Africa.

The meeting will bring together health care practitioners, educators, psychologists, social workers, sexual health and rights policymakers, to promote the advancement of sexual health and rights throughout Africa.

Delegates are invited to submit abstracts within the broad themes of the congress, as outlined on the conference website. Abstracts are not restricted to researchers and scientists and anyone who has done work in the field of sexual health and rights may submit an abstract. The deadline for submission of abstracts has been extended to 31 January 2004. All details on requirements for abstract submissions can be found on the website.

The congress organisers are unable to provide sponsorships and all delegates are responsible for their own funding.

For more information:
Nicole Stoyell
Frontline PR
Tel: +27 11 8036833
Fax: +27 11 8034997
Email:
Conference website: www.acitravel.co.za