Morals and messaging in the fight against HIV/AIDS

"We need to seek moral positions rather than to be moralists," said David Harrison, CEO of the loveLife anti-AIDS campaign, "starting where young people are at - and not where we expect them to be." Harrison was addressing an HIV/AIDS researchers and religious leaders' forum held in Durban during March 2003, co-hosted by the World Council on Religion and Peace (WCRP) and the Centre for HIV/AIDS Networking (HIVAN).

March 2003 HIV/AIDS Public Health Journal Club

Professor Willem Sturm from the University of KwaZulu-Natal's Department of Medical Microbiology was the guest presenter at the March 2003 session of the monthly HIV/AIDS Public Health Journal Club, held at the University of KwaZulu-Natal's Nelson R Mandela School of Medicine. His talk was entitled: "The association between HIV infection and other sexually transmitted infections".

April 2003 Public Health HIV/AIDS Journal Club

Two presentations were featured at the April 2003 HIV/AIDS Public Health Journal Club held at the University of KwaZulu-Natal's Nelson R Mandela School of Medicine: "Reviewing the HSRC Report on HIV" presented by Professor Jerry Coovadia, followed by "Spinal TB in the era of HIV - clinical and basic science investigations" presented by Dr Suresh Kumar of the School's Department of Orthopaedic Surgery.

From reflection into action

"Change only takes place through action, not through prayer or meditation" - His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet, Cape Town, South Africa, 1999. When delegates convened at the South African National Interfaith AIDS Conference in May 2002, they affirmed their joint commitment to adopting and developing a "...theology of love, compassion, responsibility, dignity and non-judgmentalism" in addressing the HIV/AIDS pandemic.

Forward with faith and fervour - FBOs in Action

Furthering the ongoing dialogue within the WCRP/HIVAN Forum Series between faith-based organisations and HIV/AIDS researchers, the evening of the 6th May 2003 drew together a comprehensive interfaith panel of speakers in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, to share updates on their respective HIV/AIDS intervention strategies.

July 2003 Public Health HIV/AIDS Journal Club

Anti-retroviral treatment, particularly the scale-up of programmes and their impact on public health-care systems, was the theme of two presentations given at the July 2003 Public Health HIV/AIDS Journal Club, held at the Nelson R Mandela School of Medicine, University of KwaZulu-Natal.

Sinikithemba Care Centre - a beacon of hope for those living with AIDS

The last day of July 2003 was one of communal celebration around Durban's McCord Hospital in Overport, as the new premises of Sinikithemba Christian Care Centre were officially opened. Representatives of donor agencies, fundraisers, clinic and care centre staff, support group members and their families, as well as biomedical and social science researchers were among the many friends and partners who attended the event.

Artists' Action Around AIDS - Acknowledging, commemorating, celebrating, challenging and committing

A workshop focusing on creative approaches to the themes of myth, gender and children launched HIVAN's campaign dedicated to Artists' Action Around AIDS.

African cosmology and disease: the world of myth in approaches to HIV/AIDS

HIVAN's Artists' Action Around AIDS Workshop, hosted on 4th August 2003 at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, commenced with a presentation by the University's Head of Anthropology Professor Suzanne Leclerc-Madlala. Her talk revolved around myth and rational vs. non-rational thinking in approaches to the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

September 2003 Public Health HIV/AIDS Journal Club

“Access to treatment and other controversial issues in HIV preventive vaccine trials? was the theme of the September 2003 Public Health HIV/AIDS Journal Club presentation given by Ms Catherine Slack at the Nelson R Mandela School of Medicine, University of KwaZulu-Natal. Ms Slack is the Co-ordinator of the HIV/AIDS Vaccine Ethics Group (HAVEG) at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in Pietermaritzburg.