African Universities Responding to HIV/AIDS |
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Introduction |
Since the 2001 Kelly report (Challenging the Challenger) a number of institutions and their partners have begun to slowly respond to the threat posed by HIV/AIDS to institutions. They putted in place institutional HIV/AIDS policies; they are integrating HIV/AIDS into curricula; developing and implementing awareness and education programs. Voluntary Counseling and Testing (VCT) centers have been established and research conducted.
The AAU has therefore committed to continue its efforts at expanding the ongoing HIV/AIDS Project in order to ensure that tertiary education institutions in Africa (universities and non-universities alike) can continue to contribute to the production of qualified, healthy and productive graduates for the world of work in support of the continent's development.
Specifically, the goal of the HIV/AIDS Project is to ensure that tertiary education institutions in Africa keep their academic staff, students, non-teaching staff and dependants free from HIV infection and that they provide a supportive institutional environment for any member who may be infected or affected by the pandemic.
Overall Objective
To ensure that AAU plays a lead role in mobilizing the African higher education community to mitigate the impact of HIV/AIDS on the institutions and on all who work and live in them
Development Objectives
· Mobilize, through advocacy, higher education institutional leaders and managers to address the threat of HIV/AIDS within their institution;
· Encourage the members of AAU and other tertiary education institutions in Africa (including Polytechnics and Teacher Training Colleges) to develop HIV/AIDS institutional policies, acquire management capacities and mount awareness programs as well as care and support services;
· Advocate for the integration of HIV/AIDS in university curricula to ensure that African universities are producing “AIDS-competent graduates”;
· Mobilize resources in support of the human and physical capacity within member institutions to prevent, manage and mitigate the impact of HIV/AIDS; and
· Network member institutions to carry out research as well as document and to share good practices in HIV/AIDS prevention and mitigation.
Strategies
· Advocacy through AAU structures and partners
· Funding of small-scale pilot initiatives of members institutions
· Capacity building, skills development
· Documentation and information sharing
· Networking and partnership building
· Capacity building, infrastructure and systems development |
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African Universities Responding to HIV/AIDS
