THE ELECTRONIC BULLETIN OF THE SWISS PLATFORM HIV/AIDS AND INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION June 2006

--------------------------------------------------------------- Dear Reader

Almost everything revolves around soccer. It is all about winning and losing, about winners and losers – and during this extraordinary time even those that missed in the penalty shooting are turned into winners and heroes of the nation.

The grandmothers of Tanzania are heroines of the nation in a completely different way – and losers, too: they are old, poor, often fallen through the social networks and not perceived as a target group by development cooperation. Instead of being able to enjoy the twilight years in the circle of their sons and daughters and reaping the benefits from a pension insurance, they have to look after a growing number of grandchildren.

This time I have put a small, but effective initiative from Tanzania into focus – grown out of the Swiss Community of Practice: Kwa Wazee, a little safety net for old people in need. This project pays out a modest regular old age pension allowing the grandmothers to live a life in dignity, together with their grandchildren. I am deeply impressed to see how little financial means used in the right spot can achieve a high effect.

Helena Zweifel Coordinator aidsfocus.ch

IN FOCUS - KWA WAZEE – A SECURITY NET FOR OLD PEOPLE IN NEED

AUS DER SCHWEIZERISCHEN COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE - MMS-BULLETIN NO. 101: YOUTH, LIFE PERSPECTIVES AND HIV PREVENTION - AIDSFOCUS.CH: PEER REVIEW MEETING MAINSTREAMING HIV

BRIEFS FROM AROUND THE WORLD - HIV TERMINOLOGY GUIDELINES FROM UNAIDS - 2006 HIGH-LEVEL MEETING ON AIDS - INTERNATIONAL CIVIL SOCIETY DENOUNCE UN MEETING ON AIDS AS A FAILURE - UNGASS DECLARATION FAILS TO DELIVER NEEDED COMMITMENTS ON AIDS - WORLD LEADERS JOIN FORCES WITH SCIENCE AND COMMUNITY IN UPCOMING INTERNATIONAL AIDS CONFERENCE

NEW RESOURCES AND LINKS - NEW COMPREHENSIVE GLOBAL AIDS UPDATE: 2006 REPORT ON THE GLOBAL AIDS EPIDEMIC - THE WORLDBANK: THE RATIONALE FOR MAINSTREAMING HIV/AIDS IN AGRICULTURE & RURAL DEVELOPMENT - ANALYZING CIVIL SOCIETY PARTICIPATION IN COUNTRY-LEVEL HIV/AIDS UNGASS 2006 REVIEWS - EXCHANGE MAGAZINE – NOW ONLINE - LIVING ON THE OUTSIDE – NATURE AND IMPACT OF HIV/AIDS-RELATED STIGMA - HIV, HEALTH AND YOUR COMMUNITY. A GUIDE FOR ACTION - YOUTH INFONET NO. 25

EVENTS (IN ENGLISH) 13.08.2006 | XVI INTERNATIONAL AIDS CONFERENCE: TIME TO DELIVER 31.08.2006 | MMS: CHALLENGES IN COMMUNITY ACTION FOR HEALTH

KWA WAZEE – A SECURITY NET FOR OLD PEOPLE IN NEED

In Tanzania there is no such thing as a state-guaranteed pension for old people. Instead, children have traditionally supported their parents when they get too old to provide for themselves. However, this social system has been shattered by the consequences of the pandemic HIV-Aids with its millions of casualities, wherein numerous old people have lost their children and with them their social security. To make matters worse, the elderly suddenly find themselves having to look after high numbers of orphans left behind by their own deceased children. What’s more, the precarious and often catastrophic plight of these old people has been practically unnoticed until now. Indeed an entire generation of grandmothers and grandfathers seem to have been largely forgotten, as the majority of international aid, which first targeted the AIDS crisis a decade ago quite understandably continues to focus on medication, prevention and maybe programs for orphans.

In the rural area of Kagera near Lake Victoria in Tanzania, the HIV AIDS infection rate is one of the highest in Africa. One out of five children have lost one or both parents. Nearly 60 percent of the orphaned children are subsequently reared by their grand-parents. In such circumstances, providing grandmothers with a small monthly pension seemed the best way to both alleviate the distressing poverty of the old people and considerably improve the welfare of the children in their household.

It was also critical to base the project on the existing networks of the Women Saving and Credit Association (WOSCA) and on the orphans’ organization VSI, who are able to select those grandmothers most in need, and who also have the logistical experience to implement and administer a pensions’ scheme.

Kwa Wazee, which started in November 2003 with a very small number of beneficiaries, has since gradually extended to over 300 grandmothers, who were caring for over 400 orphans by the end of 2005. The experience on the ground since Kwa Wazee began is most encouraging, as feedback from the elderly beneficiaries, as well as by observers in their neighbourhoods, clearly shows that even the modest pension provided by Kwa Wazee makes a significant difference in the lives of the supported grandmothers as well as the children in their care.

http://www.kwawazee.ch

The Reader of the aidsfocus.ch Conference, April 21, 2006 in Berne: "The Right to Know and the Will to Act. Youth and HIV Prevention” is now online. With case studies, experiences of partners of aidsfocus.ch, challenges the face, and several discussion papers on highlighting concepts of HIV prevention, ABC, ABCD or SAVE.

http://www.medicusmundi.ch

Short Report of the first meeting, 12.6.2006: World Vision Switzerland (WV) invited for the first meeting of the peer review group on mainstreaming HIV and AIDS. Since 2001, WV international has the so-called “HIV/AIDS Hope Initiative” which aims at contributing to the HIV response through focusing on prevention, care and advocacy. WV Switzerland and International support both mainstreamed HIV activities and HIV specific activities. The discussion was structured around 4 themes: Is what WV is doing really mainstreaming, Workplace Policy, monitoring and evaluation, and creating synergies.

http://www.aidsfocus.ch

The term HIV/AIDS has been used for a long time to cover everything to do with HIV infection. It is really quite inappropriate. AIDS is a syndrome that can result in death. HIV is the virus that infects people. It is important that we think what we are saying when we are talking about HIV or AIDS.

In May 2006 UNAIDS produced editors notes for authors to guide the use of expressions related to HIV and AIDS as well as other issues related to the epidemic. As language shapes beliefs and may influence behaviours, considered use of appropriate language has the power to strengthen the response to AIDS.

http://data.unaids.org

1. June 2006 - The special United Nations General Assembly meeting (UNGASS) to assess the progress made in combating AIDS since it issued its Declaration of Commitment culminated in the adoption of a political declaration aimed at reaffirming and expressing recommitment to the full implementation of the Declaration in the coming years. “Is all this enough? When we are dealing with a human disaster as great as HIV/AIDS, those who say more is needed can never be wrong. But I believe we can be proud of what we have achieved. We have recommitted; we have raised the bar; we have made new, important and specific commitments; and we have put this issue once again at the top of the global agenda.” Said Assembly President Jan Eliasson in his closing remarks.

http://www.unaids.org

1. June 2006 - Civil society groups from around the world denounced the final UN Political Declaration on HIV/AIDS, released after marathon negotiations during the UN High Level meeting on AIDS this week. “Once more we are disappointed at the failure to demonstrate real political leadership in the fight against the pandemic” said The Most Revd Njongonkulu Ndungane, the Anglican Archbishop of Capetown. The United States was particularly damaging to the prospects for a strong declaration.

http://www.ungasshiv.org

Geneva, 7 June 2006 - The political declaration of the 2006 High-Level Meeting on AIDS (UNGASS) fails to establish concrete commitments to strengthen the response to the epidemic and adequately address the needs of HIV professionals, according to Helene Gayle, President of the International AIDS Society (IAS). Despite intensive input from the large numbers of civil society representatives at UNGASS, member states refused to put in place new targets aimed at expanding treatment, prevention and care services, and strengthening the health care workforce needed to deliver them.

http://www.iasociety.org

Toronto, 29 June 2006 - Organizers of the XVI International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2006) today announced that the gathering will offer over 400 sessions, meetings and workshops featuring important scientific advances and discussion of current policy issues among political, scientific and community leaders and others on the frontlines of the epidemic. Newly designated Key Challenge sessions will facilitate the exchange of information and skills, and spotlight successful efforts to address the following key challenges: Accelerate research to end the epidemic; expand and sustain human resources to scale-up prevention and treatment; intensify involvement of affected communities; build new leadership to advance the response; and scaling Up: Lessons from the Field.

http://www.aids2006.org

New York, 30 May 2006 – According to new data in the UNAIDS 2006 Report on the global AIDS epidemic the AIDS epidemic appears to be slowing down globally, but new infections are continuing to increase in certain regions and countries. The report also shows that important progress has been made in country AIDS responses, including increases in funding and access to treatment, and decreases in HIV prevalence among young people in some countries over the past five years. (May 2006)

http://www.unaids.org

Information about the scale of the problem of HIV/AIDS in rural areas in South Asia is scarce, but survey findings in selected areas show that rural areas are not immune. For example in Tamil Nadu, India, a prevalence of 6.7% has been found. The vulnerability and risk of rural populations to HIV/AIDS is influenced by: Migration, access to health services, literacy and awareness, gender, marginalized populations, and selling and buying sex.

http://siteresources.worldbank.org

This report, published by CARE International, explores civil society experiences and lessons learned in the country-level review processes of the United Nations General Assembly Special Session (UNGASS) on HIV/AIDS. It draws on surveys conducted in Cambodia, Kenya, Malawi, Thailand, the United Kingdom and Vietnam. Civil society interviewees reported that they did not fully participate in the process, and that in most cases this was due to the limited capacity, staffing and funding of the review process. Other problems included that: stigma and discrimination acted as a barrier to participation; monitoring and evaluation was weak; and the relevance of UNGASS was not clear to some participants.

http://www.care.org

In this issue particular attention has been paid to the issue of integration of HIV/AIDS in development programmes, especially those strengthening the livelihoods of HIV-positive individuals and affected households. Exchange is a magazine on HIV/AIDS, sexuality and gender in developing countries. It is published quarterly by the Royal Tropical Institute (KIT) in collaboration with Oxfam Novib (the Netherlands) and SAfAIDS, Zimbabwe. Exchange is available in English, French and Portuguese. (March 2006)

http://www.exchange-magazine.info

This Speak Your World primer provides a brief overview of the discussions that took place as part of the HIV Stigma Project and sets out a definitive position with specific recommendations about how, based on the evidence from the eForum, HIV stigma can be tackled. This report adds richness and vitality, for it is derived from a range of experts, commentators and people living with HIV/AIDS, and hopefully enables fresh insights into what is proving to be the most intractable feature of the HIV epidemic.

http://www.hdnet.org

This comprehensive, easy-to-understand guide to combating HIV is equally useful in a rural village in southern Africa, a major city in Thailand, or a Peace Corps worker's backpack. Designed for people confronting HIV in places with few medical resources, it is easily accessible to those without advanced technical knowledge and without prior training in the care of people with AIDS or in the prevention of HIV. Topics include: biology of the virus, strategies for prevention, symptoms and epidemiology of the disease, counseling for people with HIV and their families, how to care for people with HIV, and even writing grant proposals. (Hesperian Foundation, 2006)

http://www.hesperian.org

This issue of the electronic newsletter produced by FHI/YouthNet features 10 program resources available online, as well as summaries of a number of peer-reviewed articles featuring research on reproductive health from Brazil, Cote d'Ivoire, El Salvador, India, Iran, Kenya, Marshall Islands, South Africa, Zimbabwe, and a global data review. (June 2006)

http://www.fhi.org

Toronto, Canada | AIDS 2006 is the conference for everyone involved in combatting the HIV/AIDS epidemic - researchers, healthcare workers, civil society, governments, UN organisations, activists, donors, industry, the media, and people living with HIV/AIDS.

The Conference theme is "Time to Deliver", reminding us of past and present commitments for action on HIV/AIDS and demanding accountability for those promises at every level of the response. Read more about the Conference Theme, Conference Programme, new Focus Areas and Conference logo:

http://www.aids2006.org

Geneva | Medicus Mundi Switzerland Workshop at the Geneva Forum "Towards Global Access to Health": Three illustrations will permit to discuss specific aspects of questions regarding community action for health:

• Scaling up peer-education programmes. The example of HIV-prevention in Douala, Cameroon - Scaling up grassroot level health projects. The example of the VHAI in India - Arising awareness about HIV/AIDS in the NGOs' work. The example of Memory Work at the level of aidsfocus.ch

http://www.medicusmundi.ch

aidsfocus.ch is a project set up by Medicus Mundi Switzerland. aidsfocus.ch is sponsored and shaped by 30 partner organizations who support the aims and activities of the platform through their financial contributions, expertise and commitment.

Partners: AIDS & Child, Bethlehem Mission Immensee, Caritas Switzerland, cinfo, CO-OPERAID, Déclaration de Berne, Doctors without Borders, FEPA, Fédération Genevoise de Coopération, Gemeinschaft St. Anna-Schwestern, HEKS, IAMANEH Switzerland, International Federation of the Blue Cross, INTERTEAM, medico international Switzerland, mediCuba-Suisse, mission, REPSSI, SolidarMed, Swiss Aids Care International, Swiss Aids Federation, missio, mission 21, Swiss Aids Care International, Swiss Catholic Lenten Fund, Swiss MIVA, Swiss Red Cross, Swiss Tropical Institute, Tear Fund, Terre des hommes Foundation, terre des hommes - Switzerland, World Vision Switzerland.