http://www.IRINnews.org Updated every hour en-gb Sun, 8 Nov 2009 05:27:00 GMT United Nations Integrated Regional Information Networks, http://www.IRINnews.org Aid agencies operating in Somalia say they need more money but that some donors are holding back, concerned at where resources might end up in areas too dangerous for international staff. NAIROBI, 6 November 2009 (IRIN) - Aid agencies operating in Somalia say they need more money but that some donors are holding back, concerned at where resources might end up in areas too dangerous for international staff. "Some of the largest donors in 2008 have given much less or almost no support so far this year," said Kiki Gbeho, head of UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) for Somalia. Large parts of Islamist rebel-dominated southern and central Somalia are classified as just below the worst "famine" level on a five-point scale used by food security analysts. Aid planners are considering where needy people might move, in or out of the country, and where aid could be delivered securely. As of November 2009, total available humanitarian funding for Somalia stands at US$571 million, compared with $615 million in 2008 (according to the OCHA-managed Financial Tracking System). However, this masks the fact that over $215 million was carried over from unspent or late 2008 monies. Gbeho warned that if the funding situation did not improve soon, it could have a negative impact on the whole region, as fleeing Somalis sought relief not only within safer areas of Somalia as but in neighbouring countries too. "According to one worst-case scenario, an additional 283,000 Somalis could flee to neighbouring countries and would require assistance," Gbeho said. "Already, 530,000 Somali refugees live in several countries in the region." The lukewarm and unpredictable donor response, senior aid workers and observers told IRIN, is due at least in part to perceptions that aid operations cannot be properly supervised in areas controlled by armed groups, including Al-Shabab, which might steal or "tax" the aid or benefit indirectly. Some donors feel it is hard to provide the "due diligence" their taxpayers deserve and doubt "remote control" management and monitoring techniques [LINK]. This comes on top of budget pressures due to the global financial crisis, observers say. The World Food Programme is conducting an internal investigation in response to allegations that some of its relief supplies are being diverted away from their intended beneficiaries. Britain's Department for International Development (DFID), is "very concerned about allegations of humanitarian food aid being sold for profit in Somalia. Any future contributions to the WFP will be in the light of the findings of the investigation into the alleged misuse of aid," according to a spokesman. "We are committed to helping the people of Somalia, and this year alone we will provide £23 million to tackle hunger, and provide healthcare and education," he said. "Donor countries have to be careful with the money they give to Somalia," a western diplomat, who requested anonymity, said. "There is a problem with lack of proper monitoring inside the country, due to the prevailing security situation... There is also the fear in some quarters that some of the money is ending up in the wrong hands." Aid agencies argue that even in dangerous areas, brave and dedicated local staff, creative partnerships and networks involving local NGOs and community leadership can and do deliver successful life-saving programmes. A combination of appropriate monitoring techniques, they say, offers fully credible accountability. According to OCHA, 42 humanitarian aid workers have been killed since January 2008 and 10 remain in captivity, and very few international staff stay continuously in south-central Somalia -while some areas are off-limits even to national staff. Alun McDonald of Oxfam, while admitting that access was a problem, given the lack of security and functioning government, said: "But just because it's difficult, that's not an excuse to stop aid when 3.6 million people need assistance. We stress to donors that we work with trusted and long-term local partners, with regular monitoring visits from Oxfam staff, and we are confident that aid is being delivered appropriately," he added. "We can respond, despite the situation," insisted another aid official. Unrealistic conditions being floated by some donors to try to limit risk would make it impossible even to get "from point A to point B" in areas controlled by militants, the official added. US humanitarian funding has been tangled much of the year in anti-terrorism legislation http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=86452, affecting its ability to contribute food and cash. Nevertheless it has still been the largest humanitarian donor in 2009. A US State Department spokesperson told IRIN an ongoing review on US aid to Somalia "will include ensuring compliance with US laws designed to prevent potential support to terrorists". Private non-governmental donations have become the second biggest source of donations reported to the FTS (see BOX). Aid officials say concerns about accountability have influenced donors, but concerns have not been publicly articulated. The fact that some channels of funding have not diminished in 2009, such as governance support to the fledgling TFG, assistance to the African Union's peacekeeping force and even in direct weapons transfers to the government, has left some NGOs nonplussed. "Transferring guns seems a lot more risky than food and water," commented one aid worker. UN Under-Secretary-General Lynn Pascoe in late October hinted at a chicken and egg situation when he said: "I would guess that we will be asking for more money and more assistance in the months ahead. Clearly they're going to need it both for security and also for the social services the government needs to provide. One of the difficulties about Somalia, of course, is that without the aid and the assistance for real development aid, it's very hard for the government to show what it's doing." Meanwhile, further narrowing humanitarian space, local media reported this week a spokesperson for Al-Shabab has announced that aid carrying the US flag would be banned in areas under its control. Some argue that not funding humanitarian operations would strengthen, not weaken, armed militant groups. In spite of the risk of aid diversion, donors must not reduce their levels of humanitarian assistance, the UN Secretary-General's Special Representative on the rights of displaced people urged last month. Walter Kälin told journalists: http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=32649&Cr=somali&Cr1= "This would not only mean punishing the most vulnerable among already destitute communities, but also playing into the hands of radical elements who could easily exploit the situation." Aid agencies are putting the finishing touches on the consolidated humanitarian appeal for 2010, for release early December. A well-placed official said funding will be "even more tricky next year". ah/mw/bp © IRIN. All rights reserved. More humanitarian news and analysis: http://www.irinnews.org http://www.IRINnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=86909 Even when Guinea is not facing political crisis and reeling from a massacre, daily life is gruelling for many and instability is never far away. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in a September 2009 report says Guinea is “volatile” due to a combination of sharp economic decline; widespread and chronic poverty; limited access to basic services like health, water and sanitation; and persistent political instability. DAKAR, 6 November 2009 (IRIN) - Even when Guinea is not facing political crisis and reeling from a massacre, daily life is gruelling for many and instability is never far away. In this country that holds 30 percent of the world’s reserves of bauxite, the primary ore in aluminium, most people live hand-to-mouth; only about 19 percent of the population has access to proper sanitation facilities; malnutrition is widespread. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in a September 2009 report says Guinea is “volatile” due to a combination of sharp economic decline; widespread and chronic poverty; limited access to basic services like health, water and sanitation; and persistent political instability. Some facts about Guinea: -At the peak of regional conflicts in the 1990s Guinea housed some 800,000 refugees from Sierra Leone and Liberia; today some 25,000 refugees remain in Guinea, including from Côte d’Ivoire -Guinea has borders with Côte d’Ivoire (instability and political impasse since a 2002 rebellion), Guinea-Bissau (narcotics-trafficking hub struggling to emerge from a history of coups, counter-coups, civil war and political assassinations), Liberia (civil war 1989-2003), Mali, Senegal (attacks by armed groups on civilians and sporadic fighting in southern Casamance region) and Sierra Leone (civil war 1991-2002) -Since independence in 1958 Guinea has not had a peaceful transition of power -Population: 9.8 million; average population growth rate 2.6 percent from 1990 to 2007 -70 percent of population living under the poverty threshold of US$1.25 per day, as of 2005 -Chronic malnutrition has increased by 50 percent in the past five years -Polio-free from 2004 to 2008, Guinea recorded at least 16 cases of polio in 2009 -Known as “the water tower of West Africa”, Guinea is the source of the 4,180-kilometre Niger River and a number of other major rivers -Nearly half the population has no access to safe drinking water -Cholera, yellow fever and seasonal flooding regularly spark humanitarian emergencies, straining already limited national capacity to cope -In the UN Human Development Index Guinea ranks 170 of 182 countries -150 in 1,000 children are likely to die before fifth birthday -93 in 1,000 infants are likely to die before age one -980 women die annually from pregnancy-related causes per 100,000 births -An estimated 1.6 percent of the population infected with HIV -0.1 physicians per 1,000 people as of 2004 -Illiteracy rate (age 15 and above) 70.5 percent -Life expectancy 55 years Sources: UN Children’s Fund, UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, World Bank, UN Human Development Index 2009 report np/ci © IRIN. All rights reserved. More humanitarian news and analysis: http://www.irinnews.org http://www.IRINnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=86924 Over 6,000 people have been resettled to make way for a controversial dam in central Laos: The Nam Theun 2 Dam, the country's single largest infrastructure project, will produce electricity for Thailand, and domestically. NAKAI PLATEAU, 6 November 2009 (IRIN) - Over 6,000 people have been resettled to make way for a controversial dam in central Laos: The Nam Theun 2 Dam, the country's single largest infrastructure project, will produce electricity for Thailand, and domestically. Resettlement consultations with villagers in the densely forested Nakai Plateau, where the dam is located, took over 10 years. The Aheu, a minority ethnic group, were reluctant to move because of their spiritual connection to the land but started to do so from April 2008. By the end of 2008 they had been resettled in a number of different villages around the reservoir. One village accommodates 14 extended families in wooden stilt houses with electricity and clean water, which they did not have previously. Among the last to move was Grandmother Khamsone, 85, the matriarch of the Aheu in Nakai. "When the water rose high in the reservoir, I was scared because water was everywhere. I had seen a dam on TV which broke and the water came out. Also there were warning signs everywhere telling us to be aware of water rising suddenly, so I was worried the water would suddenly rise higher. That's why I moved here. "My old house had bamboo on the floors and walls, and the roof was made of leaves. I still miss the old house, but I couldn't do anything because of the flood. It's more comfortable here than the old house. We are happy, but the only thing is the spirits, who don't want to be here. "The spirits are from the forest. Four shamans spoke to the spirits and asked them to come here, but they don't like this area. They aren't used to staying here. I really want to ask the spirits why they don't want to come here, but I can't see them or talk to them. If I could see them, I would urge them to come here with me. If I could make the spirits happy, I could stay here longer. "I need to go back to the old house to see the spirits. I should raise them once a year to keep them happy. If I don't, they might come and kill me. I have to take a boat [to the old house], but I'm scared of getting into a boat in the water and drowning. I had an accident - I fell down the stairs going to collect a rice donation from the NTPC [Nam Theun Power Company]. Now I can't move my hands and legs very well. "It's good to have electricity, but if you don't give me money, I can't pay the bill, so please get rid of it. I will light a fire instead. I used all my money to buy a TV and a CD player for my children and I don't have any more. I don't want to trouble my children to pay the electricity bill, because if they earn money, they want to spend it on something else." © IRIN. All rights reserved. More humanitarian news and analysis: http://www.irinnews.org http://www.IRINnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=86907 The UN World Food Programme (WFP) has been feeding people in Lesotho since 1965, yet the tiny mountain kingdom is still not much closer to achieving food self-sufficiency. Time to overhaul the approach, aid agencies say. JOHANNESBURG, 6 November 2009 (IRIN) - The UN World Food Programme (WFP) has been feeding people in Lesotho since 1965, yet the tiny mountain kingdom is still not much closer to achieving food self-sufficiency. Time to overhaul the approach, aid agencies say. WFP generally only ships and provides food in crisis situations like civil conflicts and natural disasters. Programmes sometimes linger on after the emergency has passed, when food aid used to help communities rebuild, but the goal is usually to move out. "Something needs to change," said Bhim Udas, WFP Country Director in Lesotho, the only southern African country to harvest less in 2009 - around 86,000 metric tons (mt) of cereals - than in 2008; maize production, the country's staple, would be about 10 percent lower, the UN food aid agency projected. The Lesotho Vulnerability Assessment Committee (LVAC) said between 400,000 and 450,000 people would be in need of food assistance before the next harvest in April 2010. "That's a quarter of the population," Udas told IRIN. Part of a worrying trend Annual per capita cereal production in Lesotho has been shrinking since the 1970s. According to WFP, domestic cereal production met about 80 percent of the national requirement in 1980, but this dropped to 50 percent in the 1990s, and by 2004 only 30 percent was being produced locally. The worst drought in 30 years hit in 2006 and 2007, sparking a further drop in production; by 2008 maize prices had risen more than 35 percent. "This year [2009] production was even less [than in 2007], even though there was no crop failure or drought," Udas noted. WFP's food flow mix has changed dramatically since 1988, reflecting the drop in food security. Over the years, "programme" assistance - food aid usually supplied on a government-to-government basis - practically disappeared, and "project" aid - in support of specific poverty-reduction and disaster-prevention activities - declined steadily, while "emergency" food aid - for victims of natural or man-made disasters - started climbing. Continued food and agricultural support, coupled with falling production, have led some to believe that aid might actually be at the root of the problem. A common complaint, often with specific reference to WFP assistance programmes, has been that food handouts create disincentives to produce. If only it were that simple, Udas said, pointing out that lowered local production was not a matter of choice. Lesotho had a shortage of arable land, and a lack of agricultural inputs and poor farming practices meant the quality of already scarce farmland was deteriorating too. Increasingly erratic weather patterns and the impact of HIV/AIDS on farming families – the 23.2 percent prevalence rate is one of the highest worldwide - all but crippled the country's agricultural production capacity. The UN Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) has been supporting agriculture in Lesotho since 1983. "A convergence of several issues [is] causing the decline," said Farayi Zimudzi, the FAO Acting Representative and Emergency Rehabilitation Coordinator in Lesotho. "In rural areas families manage to produce, on average, three to four months' worth of food supply – that's in a good season. The rest is aid, or is bought [with money made] through [basic] employment opportunities," she told IRIN. Location, population and too little land Lesotho is barren, mountainous and dwarfed by South Africa, which completely surrounds it; most of its two million people live in rural areas, where 85 percent eke out a living from agriculture. "It's the type of topography, and pressure from population growth," Zimudzi said. Less than 10 percent of the country's total area of 3 million hectares is arable - which equates to less than a single hectare of suitable farmland per rural family - but soil erosion and urban encroachment have brought down the quality and quantity of land available for growing food at an alarming rate. Government estimates put the loss of soil to erosion at 40 million tons annually - equivalent to more than 2 percent of the country's topsoil. Years of poor farming practices have added to the problem. "People extract the nutrients but don't put them back through adequate fertilizing so they start from a lower fertility point every year," Zimudzi commented. The country receives adequate rain on aggregate, but its mountainous topography means runoff is exceptionally high and water had little chance to seep into the soil. Rainfall distribution - usually a large amount over short periods, with long intervals – was also problematic, "because the window of opportunity to plant is very narrow". WFP's Udas said the soaring prices of essential inputs added to farmer despair. "Because of the high prices of fuel, fertilizers and seeds, farmers could not buy inputs in time ... so they decided not to plough; most of the arable land was left fallow." FAO estimated that since 2007 the price of maize seed has gone up by 60 percent, and fertilizer by a whopping 170 percent. A heavy dependence on South Africa - Lesotho imports over 60 percent of its food requirements, livestock and almost everything else from their only neighbour - has often been blamed for stifling the local economy, with farmers unable to compete with huge commercial farms across the border. "There is no way to ignore the overhanging presence of the ... country next door. They do it bigger, better and cheaper," Zimudzi said. Importing food has also become much harder: prices in South Africa have rocketed in recent years, while spending power in Lesotho has plummeted. Retrenchments in South Africa's mining sector, where many Basotho men worked as migrant labourers, and an ailing textile industry - the cornerstone of Lesotho's tiny industrial base – delivered another blow to food security. Not for lack of ideas Zimudzi called for a shift in strategy. "Lesotho will have to look for a competitive advantage," she said. Focusing on niche crops like seed potatoes was one option, because "due to the altitude and climate there is an absence of disease." Udas suggested growing high-value crops like beans, apples, grapes and peaches, "that would benefit from the specific climatic conditions - they don't have to produce everything they need, as long as they have other resources so they can pay [for what they need]." Zimudzi noted that harnessing Lesotho's water resources would be key, but "irrigation schemes require heavy investment, [so] crops need to provide adequate return." The Lesotho Highlands water scheme, which supplies much of South Africa's industrial hub, is located high in the mountains and bringing water to where it was needed for irrigation would not only be extremely difficult but also financially unviable. Farmers were already exploring alternatives by planting crops like sorghum, which are more resistant to changing weather patterns, instead of maize. But whatever the crop, "there has to be a fundamental and revolutionary change in the way that agriculture is practiced," Zimudzi said. Improved farming practices like crop rotation, and the more novel concept of conservation agriculture - which minimizes soil disturbance, applies more precise timing for planting, and utilizes crop residue to retain moisture and enrich the soil - would need to be widely promoted. The promise of agriculture Boosting agriculture and food production are major components of Lesotho's Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper, but despite the introduction of the Lesotho Food Security Policy in 2005, "agriculture has not received much support," FAO's Zimudzi commented. WFP's Udas agreed: "They have the policy and an excellent plan, but now it needs to be implemented; if that is done then most of the problems would be solved - but that would require the right budget allocation." Therein lies the problem. In 2003 the Southern African Development Community leaders met in the Mozambican capital, Maputo, and committed to allocating at least 10 percent of their national budgetary resources to agricultural sectors, but Lesotho has only managed to allocate around 3 percent annually towards meeting the target set in the Maputo Declaration on Agriculture and Food Security. Lesotho's representatives will go to the World Summit on Food Security in Rome from 16 to 18 November with an eye to garnering more donor finance for agriculture and food security programmes. "But that would only be realistic if the country showed a genuine commitment to implementing their own policies," Udas said. In the meantime, FAO will continue supporting agricultural development, and WFP will keep feeding people through its "Protracted Relief and Recovery Operation" and "Development Project" - but only the most vulnerable. "We don't feed everyone here; we provide food assistance that is targeted," Udas said, to the chronically poor, and food insecure beneficiaries like orphans and vulnerable children, and those involved in prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission, antiretroviral therapy, and tuberculosis treatment in remote, mountainous and inaccessible areas, and there is also a school feeding programme. Altogether the schemes benefit some 244,000 Basotho. Udas did not think WFP would leave Lesotho anytime soon. "The country still faces too many problems - that's why Lesotho will always need donor support - but you cannot talk about [donor] dependency when it's an issue of life or death for people." tdm/he © IRIN. All rights reserved. More humanitarian news and analysis: http://www.irinnews.org http://www.IRINnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=86910 In today's programme - Dhegeyso barnaamijka maanta<br> · Burao: Livestock trade to Saudi Arabia resumes<br> · Beletweyne: IDPs clash over food distribution<br> · Dadaab: Rains block roads to refugee camps<br> · Weather forecast: Increased rainfall in south-central<br> · Message: UXOs awareness<br> NAIROBI, 6 November 2009 (IRIN) - In today's programme - Dhegeyso barnaamijka maanta Burao: Livestock trade to Saudi Arabia resumes Beletweyne: IDPs clash over food distribution Dadaab: Rains block roads to refugee camps Weather forecast: Increased rainfall in south-central Message: UXOs awareness © IRIN. All rights reserved. More humanitarian news and analysis: http://www.irinnews.org http://www.IRINnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=86906 IRIN/PlusNews Weekly Issue 461, 6 November 2009 JOHANNESBURG, 6 November 2009 (IRIN) - CONTENTS: GLOBAL: AIDS funding at "dangerous turning point" BOTSWANA: A risky combination of alcohol and sex KENYA: Cervical cancer, little-known killer of HIV-positive women SWAZILAND: TB-HIV services needed to lower world's highest rates BOTSWANA: Positive teens find refuge at their own club BOTSWANA: Katlego Lally, "Being a teenager is very hard" LESOTHO: Time to talk about sex and HIV GLOBAL: AIDS activists laud lifting of US HIV travel ban ETHIOPIA: Bright lights, big city is high risk for students ZIMBABWE: Anna Matopodza, "When I tell people I am a grandmother, they do not believe me" NAMIBIA: A long walk to universal access MOZAMBIQUE: Task-shifting brings rapid scale-up of ART rollout SWAZILAND: Thandi Xaba, "If you feel good about life it helps you stay healthy" AFRICA: Using DOTS for TB, HIV and other chronic diseases AFRICA: Electronic records can streamline health care GLOBAL: AIDS funding debate heats up TANZANIA: Low uptake of ARVs hampering universal access EVENTS/RESOURCES: 1. International Association for Physicians in AIDS Care Conference, 29 Nov - 1 Dec, 2009 - New Orleans, USA 2. November issue of the WHO Bulletin VACANCIES: 1. HIV Treatment and Care Officer, UNICEF - Bossaso, Somalia 2. Health & HIV/AIDS Coordinator, CARE - Freetown, Sierra Leone GLOBAL: AIDS funding at "dangerous turning point" Wavering international support for HIV/AIDS efforts is resulting in funding shortfalls that could wipe out a decade of progress in rolling out AIDS treatment, the international medical and humanitarian organization, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), has warned. Full report: http://www.plusnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=86902 BOTSWANA: A risky combination of alcohol and sex On a recent Wednesday evening, Gillian Otsile, a volunteer at a local NGO, Men Sex and AIDS, approached a group of young men drinking cartons of traditional sorghum beer at a tavern in Selebi-Phikwe, a mining town in northeastern Botswana. Full report: http://www.plusnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=86899 KENYA: Cervical cancer, little-known killer of HIV-positive women Three years after being diagnosed with HIV, Alice Mworia, 28, went for a routine medical check-up during which she told the nurse she had noticed an unusual vaginal discharge; a test revealed she had pre-cancerous lesions on her cervix that could develop into cancer if untreated. Full report: http://www.plusnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=86853 SWAZILAND: TB-HIV services needed to lower world's highest rates Swaziland not only has the world's highest HIV prevalence rate, it now also has the highest tuberculosis (TB) rate, but health officials warn that not enough is being done to integrate TB and HIV services. Full report: http://www.plusnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=86879 BOTSWANA: Positive teens find refuge at their own club Raging hormones, peer pressure and coming to terms with a changing body image - growing up is difficult enough without the added burden of living with HIV, and keeping it hidden from friends and classmates. Full report: http://www.plusnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=86861 BOTSWANA: Katlego Lally, "Being a teenager is very hard" Katlego Lally*, 17, belongs to a club for HIV-positive teenagers run by the Baylor Children's Clinic Centre of Excellence in Gaborone, Botswana's capital. She talked to IRIN/PlusNews about how the club has helped her overcome feelings of isolation and depression. Full report: http://www.plusnews.org/HOVReport.aspx?ReportId=86881 LESOTHO: Time to talk about sex and HIV Having more than one sexual relationship at the same time is driving the spread of HIV in small landlocked Lesotho. The health sector has long suspected this, but a new report by the National AIDS Commission (NAC), in partnership with UNAIDS and the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, has confirmed it. Full report: http://www.plusnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=86842 GLOBAL: AIDS activists laud lifting of US HIV travel ban A 22-year-old ban on people infected with HIV entering the US was officially lifted on 2 November, with the new rules taking effect in 60 days. AIDS activists have hailed the move as a major coup in the fight against stigma. Full report: http://www.plusnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=86840 ETHIOPIA: Bright lights, big city is high risk for students Being a university freshman is an exciting time for any young person, but many students get carried away, partying too hard and taking sexual risks. Full report: http://www.plusnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=86837 ZIMBABWE: Anna Matopodza, "When I tell people I am a grandmother, they do not believe me" When Anna Matopodza, 55, from a village in the Buhera district of Manicaland Province, Zimbabwe, found out she was HIV-positive, she was anxious about who would look after her five children when she died. The thought of death haunted her for months; then she joined dance group and travelled around the world, teaching people about HIV/AIDS through song and dance. Full report: http://www.plusnews.org/HOVReport.aspx?ReportId=86834 NAMIBIA: A long walk to universal access In Onamutenya village, northern Namibia, the Shigwedha household leaves their homestead at the crack of dawn to make the monthly four-hour walk to fetch antiretroviral (ARV) medication from the local clinic. Full report: http://www.plusnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=86812 MOZAMBIQUE: Task-shifting brings rapid scale-up of ART rollout The use of mid-level health workers rather than doctors to prescribe antiretroviral treatment (ART), a strategy called task-shifting, has enabled Mozambique to triple the number of facilities providing medication within six months, according to a new study. Full report: http://www.plusnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=86813 SWAZILAND: Thandi Xaba, "If you feel good about life it helps you stay healthy" Thandi Xaba, 23, an aspiring actress living with HIV, belongs to an itinerant theatrical group in Swaziland who perform plays dealing with HIV/AIDS, often spiced with humour to engage the rural audience who sit beneath trees to watch the shows. Full report: http://www.plusnews.org/HOVReport.aspx?ReportId=86767 AFRICA: Using DOTS for TB, HIV and other chronic diseases Malawi's successful use of a well-known tuberculosis (TB) treatment system to scale up antiretroviral treatment (ART) for HIV could improve chronic disease management in other African nations, experts say. Full report: http://www.plusnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=86792 AFRICA: Electronic records can streamline health care Replacing manual data with electronic health records would significantly improve the quality of care and enable African HIV treatment programmes to be scaled up more efficiently, say the authors of a new article on the subject. Full report: http://www.plusnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=86768 GLOBAL: AIDS funding debate heats up The billions of donor dollars spent on combating HIV/AIDS in the last decade, often at the expense of other fatal diseases, have done little to strengthen weak national health systems, some global health experts argue. Full report: http://www.plusnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=86754 TANZANIA: Low uptake of ARVs hampering universal access HIV-positive Tanzanians are not taking advantage of the availability of life-prolonging anti-retroviral medication in hospitals around the country, says a senior government official. Full report: http://www.plusnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=86756 EVENTS/RESOURCES: 1. International Association for Physicians in AIDS Care Conference, 29 Nov - 1 Dec, 2009 - New Orleans, USA The International Association of Physicians in AIDS Care (IAPAC), in association with amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research, will host a two-track, abstract-driven international conference. The programme will feature state-of-the-art information about HIV Clinical Management approaches (Track A) as well as HIV Prevention, Testing, and Psychosocial Support (Track B) in developed and developing world settings. To register, go to: http://www.iapac.org/iapac09/IAPAC09-registration.html 2. November issue of the WHO Bulletin A number of papers in the November issue of the World Health Organization's monthly bulletin address the theme of strengthening the linkages between sexual and reproductive health and HIV. In the lead editorial, Michel Sidibé and Kent Buse explain why these links are crucial to public health. Other topics include how China’s economic boom has inadvertently fuelled epidemics in sexually transmitted infections and HIV; efforts in Swaziland to link services for sexual health and HIV; and the need to address the reproductive health needs of HIV-positive women. To view, go to: http://www.who.int/bulletin/volumes/87/11/en/ VACANCIES: 1. HIV Treatment and Care Officer, UNICEF - Bossaso, Somalia Responsibilities: - Draft, implement, and monitor HIV treatment and care related projects in an evidence informed, timely and efficient manner - Undertake field visits jointly with partners, Ministry counterparts, HIV officers, and other programme colleagues as necessary to monitor projects, as well as conduct periodic project reviews with government counterparts and other partners - Liaise with the Ministers and Directorates of Health and key national partners regarding implementation of HIV activities in MOH facilities to ensure integration of HIV treatment and care services into the national health system - Distribute in a timely manner all HIV-related health commodities and contribute to the development of an efficient system of distribution and receipt by implementation partners to all UNICEF supported sites - Collect and analyze health facility based HIV data and produce reports for monitoring purposes in a frequency agreed with the HIV unit - Collaborate with HIV prevention advisor and Safe Motherhood officer to ensure the prevention, treatment and care continuum in HIV programming and strengthened PMTCT programming - Implement a national system for TB/HIV referral and collaborative activities and lead the implementation of the TB/HIV component in the Round 7 Global Fund TB proposal Requirements: - University degree in medicine, health, public health, social sciences or other related technical field (or equivalent combination of education and experience) - Five years experience with at least one year of progressively responsible experience in HIV treatment and care programme implementation and monitoring or related field - Fluency in English - Communication, analytical and training skills - Good writing skills - Good computer skills including internet navigation, and various office applications - Ability to work in an international and multi-cultural environment Application deadline: 17 November Qualified Somali nationals are invited to apply. To apply, send applications with updated UN Personal History Form (P.11), updated CV and copies of academic certificates to somaliahrvacancies@unicef.org 2. Health & HIV/AIDS Coordinator, CARE - Freetown, Sierra Leone Responsibilities: - Provide strategic leadership and guidance for the Country Office health and HIV portfolio - Play a leading role in new business development in the area of health and HIV across all sectors, including programme design and proposal development - Ensure that systems are in place and are properly implemented to insure the proper management and execution of projects/programmes - Manage grants/budgets and ensure compliance to both donor and CARE International policies and procedures as well as leading strategic development of the sector - Network with relevant government ministries, donors, partners and other organizations ensuring linkages to others - Ensure that programme activities are designed, implemented, monitored, and evaluated, in accordance with CARE's programming standards and approaches - Strategically seek additional funding for CARE SL’s health portfolio Requirements: - Minimum of a Masters in Public Health or the equivalent combination of education and work experience - At least seven years practical experience with an international development organization, managing large multi-million dollar projects under complex operating environments - Demonstrated practical project management experience covering all aspects of the project cycle from design through to evaluation - Programme development experience - Demonstrated practical skills management in the administering of grants to rural communities - Excellent organizational, leadership, and interpersonal skills - Sound knowledge of child survival and reproductive health, HIV/AIDS issues and policies in the developing world, particularly West Africa - Excellent communication skills, especially English language writing skills - Project management skills Application deadline: 23 November To apply, visit: https://tbe.taleo.net/NA5/ats/careers/requisition.jsp?org=CAREUSA&cws=1&rid=797 © IRIN. All rights reserved. More humanitarian news and analysis: http://www.irinnews.org http://www.IRINnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=86912 IRIN-SA Weekly Round-up 445 for 31 October - 6 November 2009 JOHANNESBURG, 6 November 2009 (IRIN) - 86842,86857,86860,86861,86866,86879,86881,86882,86892,86899,86902,86903,86910 © IRIN. All rights reserved. More humanitarian news and analysis: http://www.irinnews.org http://www.IRINnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=86916 . DAKAR, 6 November 2009 (IRIN) - 86924,86904,86887,86886,86883,86876,86874,86863 © IRIN. All rights reserved. More humanitarian news and analysis: http://www.irinnews.org http://www.IRINnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=86925