Combat of the HIV/AIDS pandemic

Woman and child in South Africa Even though the HIV/AIDS pandemic is of global concern, the effects of the disease are most profoundly felt in sub-Saharan Africa. The SADC region in particular bears a disproportionate burden of HIV/AIDS cases, with certain member states possessing the world's highest rates of HIV infection. The impact of the HIV/AIDS pandemic together with other health problems plague the region and have resulted in the risk of increased mortality rates, a distorted demographic profile, a growing crisis of AIDS orphans, and internally displaced people. The impact of HIV/AIDS disproportionately affects young women - feminisation of the epidemic. Nearly 60% of infected adults are women and 75% of young people infected are women and girls. Not only are they more susceptible to infection and suffer higher levels of infection rates, but they are expected to assume the burden of care for the sick and orphaned.

The Swiss programme

The objective is to support regional efforts to combat the HIV/AIDS pandemic by strengthening regional and governmental NGOs and governmental networks for prevention and care, improving policies and coordination, with a special focus on youth and vulnerable groups. This can be attained by:

Supporting regional efforts contributing to psychosocial support (PSS) for children affected by HIV/AIDS in order to find ways to address the rapidly increasing AIDS orphan crisis.
Participating in policy development and implementation (e.g. HIV/AIDS regional coordination efforts).
Contributing to regional research on selected topics related to PSS.

Media in Education Trust

MiET is one of the leading non-governmental organisations in KwaZulu Natal (KZN) in the area of education. It was established in 1992, first as a unit of the Education Foundation, then became an NGO in 1996. MiET develops education supplements materials, distributes them to schools in the disadvantaged communities, and trains educators in the use of the materials. MiET has broadened its initial focus on print media education to facilitating the use of a wider range of media and resources. Its niche is at the interaction between learning and resources. Strategy/Objectives: this second phase of cooperation with the MiET aims to consolidate and refine the “Learn About Healthy Living” (LAHL) programme by implementing a more intensive and holistic HIV/AIDS education programme.

Specific objectives of the “Learn About Healthy Living” (HIV/AIDS) project are:

Capacity-building and support to teachers and schools to integrate HIV/AIDS education effectively into their teaching and provide support to other educators and learners affected by HIV/AIDS.
Implement a more intensive and holistic HIV/AIDS education programme that has strong emphasis on prevention in school clusters in KZN and the Eastern Cape, as well as support to school clusters for the formulation and implementation of school HIV/AIDS policies.

Partners: MiET works in partnership with Government departments (at provincial and national level); NGOs, education institutions and the private sector. They also have collaborations with SABC TV and Media institutions. MiET is working closely with a sister organisation in Ghana.

Regional psychosocial support initiative (REPSSI)

The Regional Psychosocial Support Initiative (REPSSI), a consortium of organisations with HIV/AIDS related expertise in addressing the physical and psycho-social needs of affected children, was established to improve psychosocial assistance and opportunities for children affected by AIDS (CABA) throughout the East and Southern Africa.

Strategy/Objectives: the over-arching goal of the programme is to reduce the negative impact of large numbers of HIV-AIDS-orphaned children on the social stability and the development perspectives of several countries in East and Southern Africa. The objectives of the REPSSI programme are to: 1) enhance existing psychological support programs and service delivery to children affected by Aids, 2) scale up psychosocial support activities for children affected by aids by adapting current pilot programs and/or supporting new community models with additional partner organisations and 3) contribute to HIV/AIDS prevention and strengthen the enabling environment for organisations assisting in children affected by aids through advocacy at regional, national and local levels.

Partners: REPPSI is co-ordinated by the Salvation Army Africa Regional Team. Other partners include partner organisations and institutions working in the area of psychosocial support from Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, South Africa and Zimbabwe. REPSSI will also liase with governments, NGOs, UNAIDS, UNICEF, WHO, and SADC partnerships.