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The Campus HIV/AIDS Support Unit is an initiative that was founded by The Centre for HIV/AIDS Networking (HIVAN). After three successful years, it has been formally incorporated into the University of KwaZulu-Natal's AIDS Programme.

As the Campus HIV/AIDS Support Unit team, we are committed to engaging in ongoing campus awareness activities that ensure students and staff at the University of KwaZulu-Natal are equipped to deal with the impact of HIV/AIDS. For more information on the Campus HIV/AIDS Support Unit, please click here to download the most recent brochure.

A working group has been established with representatives from Student Counselling, Student Health and the Centre for HIV/AIDS Networking (HIVAN) to formulate and steer an ongoing campus outreach programme.

This working group acknowledges that in order for any campus outreach programmes to have any kind of impact, students need to be involved in both the planning and implementation of this programme. To this end, student organisations will be widely consulted in the formulation of the HIV/AIDS Campus Outreach programme.

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UKZN HIV/AIDS Research Showcase

The University of KwaZulu-Natal held an HIV/AIDS Research Showcase on 30th November 2004. Presentations and Panel discussions focused on the research agendas and programmes within the various schools, departments and faculties at the University, and emphasized the spirit of collaboration in terms of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. For more on this story, please click here

Festival of Hope and Healing 2004

The Festival of Hope and Healing was held in September 2004 This multi-cultural festival was a response to the often negative and fearful ideas or beliefs that surround HIV/AIDS. The cultural arts recognize the need for a greater awareness of the positive choices that build prosperity, health, healing and hope. Students and staff were invited to join the festival and add their voice ? to choose HOPE AND HEALING. The festival was held across campuses, whilst major events were held mainly on Howard College campus.

The festival kicked off with a lunchtime Zulu Dance Performance, held in Howard College Theatre. After a rousing inviting of the ancestors into the theatre - and amongst ululating students - Prof Ntuli (Executive Director of Organisational Culture) opened the Hope and Healing festival. In his presentation, he emphasised that the University community needed to acknowledge HIV as a reality and encouraged staff and students to make use of student service services. He also, in particular, encouraged VCT. After Prof Ntuli left the stage, the musicians took up their instruments and the stage exploded into a myriad of dancers. Although the performance was in isiZulu, the central message conveyed by the dance-drama lay in the fact that people need to acknowledge HIV and AIDS as a reality and not only as a result of witchcraft. Audience members were invited up onto the stage to participate in the performance.

The second day of the Festival focused on student participation in activities related to personalizing HIV/AIDS and truly internalizing the reality of the epidemic. These activities included a Public Art installation, which generated a true sense of participation. Students and staff were invited to help construct two art installations: one a string of hands attached to balloons soaring above campus; and the other a rich creation of colours, fabrics and textures making up an HIV/ AIDS ribbon. The hands contained pertinent messages related to HIV/AIDS , which are listed below:

• I will face my fears and go for an HIV test
• I know my HIV status
• ?VCT? stands for voluntary counselling and testing
• I know the difference between being HIV+ and having AIDS
• Being HIV+ does not = a death sentence
• The UKZN provides comprehensive care and treatment for HIV+ students
• I have a role to play in making the UKZN a stigma-free zone when it comes to HIV/AIDS
• The UKZN provides free condoms for students and staff
• I have made a decision to not be sexually active to protect myself from HIV infection
• Having multiple sex partners can increase my chance of contracting the HI virus
• I have taken a decision not to have sex when I am drunk or stoned

Wednesday, 8 September's activities took place in the foyer of Level 6, Shepstone Building. This multi-media art exhibition included a 3-storey high HI-virus banner, body maps, Siyazama dolls, a huge condom coat, the hands and ribbons made on Tuesday by students and a series of photographs and testimonies from HIV+ people. The same 11 statements from Tuesday?s installations were projected onto the banner. Fred Njagi spoke informally to people that attended the exhibition and collected the following comments:

• There should have been some music in the background
• A student asked where he could get coloured condoms (observed from the Condom Coat) as he had never realized that there is such a variety of condoms available
• We should have provided information leaflets around HIV literacy for people to take
• The photographs and stories were not easy to read as they were on the floor
• The visual testimonies of HIV+ people were very striking and had impact
• The exhibition could have been more effective if there was a presentation by an HIV+ person
• Visual art has a strong impact on people and it is a very powerful medium to express messages of hope

On Day Four of the Festival, Thursday 09 September, a dramatic performance was held at the www.cafe in Memorial Tower Building. A troupe of actors stretched their improvising skills to the limit by transforming a narrow walkway between lecture venues into a stage. The audience was instant and comprised of students and staff, men and women, black, white, Indian and coloured. This use of this space created an exciting sense of immediacy and spontaneity. The content of the drama Carpe Diem did, however, prove to be too challenging for most casual observers. We also battled with sound with the actors really having to strain their voices to make themselves heard. The piece was also a little too long. For future planning, this space is dynamic but lends itself to short, sharp, punchy performance pieces rather than serious drama that requires intense concentration on behalf on the audience.

After the performance of Carpe Diem, students were invited to follow the troupe of actors to the HowardCollege Lecture Theatre to watch the rest of the programme. The Pietermartizburg Drama students performed their piece Say What You Do and Howard College HIV peer educators their experimental piece covering topics like VCT, disclosure and the Sugar Daddies. After each performance, the audience was invited to ask the actors questions.

The final day of the Festival concluded with an outdoor performance bonanza ? entertainment ranged from a praise poet to personal testimonies of living with HIV to hip-hop performers.

Phila Myeni began the proceedings with his unique brand of praise poetry - In his oration, he encouraged the audience to know their HIV status and to make use of campus services. More and more people started to gather once the Chamber Ensemble performed. Gugu ? a health promoter from Mangusuthu Technikon ? used the opportunity to give her testimony of living positively with HIV. She spread a real message of hope and they audience responded enthusiastically - so much so, that one of the musicians in Illuminating Shadows dedicated their performance to her. Another unexpected bonus was an impromptu performance given by two students and a friend. These hip-hop performers ? going under the names of Thokzan and GM ? introduced their performance by saying that their best friend had died of AIDS last year and that students really need to face the reality of HIV. All of their songs had positive messages around prevention. The final performance was given by Illuminating Shadows: a tight improvisation where ongoing positive messages around prevention were shared with the audience. The different genres of music meant that there was something for everyone: classical through to contemporary. This event had a true impact in that clear messages about hope went out to the audience through the vibrant medium of music.

Campus HIV/AIDS Support Unit - Pietermaritzburg - Launch of Peer Education

The Peer Education initiatives, run by the Campus HIV/AIDS Support Unit, Pietermaritzburg Campus, were launched at a recent function. The launch was attended by all Peer Educators and Senior Staff Management of the University, and aimed to promote HIVAN's Peer Education programme as a whole, and acknowledge those peer educators who had been trained during the first semester of 2004.

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Campus HIV/AIDS Support Unit - Pietermaritzburg - Sports Day

The sports day provided an opportunity to introduce the Unit's Peer Educators to the general student population of UKZN - Pietermaritzburg Campus. Although the event was not well-attended, it did provide good entertainment, and allowed for the incorporation of HIV/AIDS-related educational messages to be integrated into the sporting activities.

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2004 Leadership Course - Report on the HIV/AIDS Component - By Tesfagabir Tesfu

It was on the 1st of July 2004, more than 70 students from all campuses of UKZN met at the Pietermaritzburg Campus to attend a nine days leadership course. The students belong to different organizations and all of us had a burning desire of empowering our knowledge on leadership. The diversity in the class had one thing to tell; that is, each and every participant had something to offer. One month ahead, we were informed that on this day, we would go to the Denison Administration office, receive our keys for our rooms, followed by lunch and welcoming session and everything went well.

On the first day all of us were asked to make a three minute presentations about the organizations we are representing respectively and the one thing that I had realized was that most of the organizations represented were dealing with HIV/AIDS and I would like to commend on that. While I was preparing to give my presentation about HIVAN, five girls went to the stage and start talking about our organization and I was a bit 'traumatized' because I thought I was the only one from HIVAN; they explained that they are from the Campus HIV/AIDS support unit (Pietermaritzburg), anyway since I was already prepared to make my presentations, I went to the stage as well and talked about HIVAN with special emphasis to the Campus HIV/AIDS support unit (Howard College).

In the leadership course, we were blessed with a bunch of academicians, traditional healers, authors, student representatives, and other prominent and gifted people. The course has literally enabled us to swim in the sea of knowledge and fish as much as we want. The course is multidisciplinary in the sense that leadership, politics, management, sociology, Law, Media, Economics and others were covered one way or the other. There were one to many issues, which were covered in the course and these include: HIV/AIDS, indigenous knowledge, ubuntu, globalization, and conflict resolution.

The course was full of fun in various ways: above all, as the students were from different back grounds, the individual differences created a relaxing environment. There were students with a sense of humour; there were others, who don't want to stop once they got a chance to speak, there were others who were using heavy terminologies from their respective fields of study. Most of the presenters were also creating more entertaining atmosphere by sharing their experiences and using multi media in their presentations... The full report can be accessed here

Spread the news - not the virus: UKZN action against AIDS stigma - By Judith King, HIVAN Media Office

Libby Collins, Fezeka Khuzwayo and Ravi Naidoo

"Nobody needs to live or die in isolation and misery. It's lack of information, understanding and support that kills." These were the words of Fezeka Khuzwayo, former University of KwaZulu-Natal student and HIV-positive social activist, when delivering the University Forum Lecture on Durban's Howard College Campus during its AIDS Action Week in April.

"There are students suffering in silence with HIV infection, many not even having been tested and diagnosed properly," she said. "It is so unnecessary, but it's happening because it's believed that if you're HIV-positive, there's no hope. Well, I'm living proof that HIV infection is no death sentence."

Intelligent, beautiful, confident, radiating with warmth and passion, Fezeka relayed her personal life-journey since discovering her HIV status in 1999. "I had ongoing colds and swollen lymph glands which would not come right," she explained, "and after several medical check-ups and two sets of bloodwork, including HIV tests, I was diagnosed as HIV-positive. The Campus Health Clinic and Student Counselling staff were very supportive; there was always someone to turn to if I felt ill or tired and needed practical help." However, at that time, the only access Fezeka had to anti-retroviral treatment was through enrolment in a drug trial being conducted at a nearby private hospital. "I was not really a candidate for treatment, though, as my CD4 count was relatively high, and my viral load was low," she recalls. "So after two years or so, I felt I didn't need the drugs any longer, and was concerned about side-effects such as nausea and impaired liver function, so I've since relied solely on a good diet and careful management of my general physical and emotional condition to keep healthy."

Five years later, comprehensive policies and systems are in place to assist UKZN students in addressing any needs or queries they might have around HIV and AIDS, and the theme of the 2004 AIDS Action Campaign is "UKZN Stigma-free". In her introduction to the Forum Lecture, senior counselling psychologist Libby Collins implored students and staff to go for voluntary counselling and testing (VCT), especially if they are concerned that they might be HIV-positive: "Don't wait until you are too sick to function. The University assures you of total confidentiality, sincere caring and effective systems for treatment at every stage of infection," she said, going on to describe the procedures and costs of UKZN's HIV/AIDS care and treatment programme. For full details on the programme, please click here

"Now there is ample information and access to treatment being made available to the whole campus community," said Fezeka. "So, why live with the agony of not knowing one's status? If one is HIV-negative, the key is to stay negative, and if one is HIV-positive, there is so much one can do to be healthy and productive." Fezeka was clear that in either case, personal goals and choices have to be carefully evaluated. "Even the process of waiting for the HIV-test result gives one an opportunity to examine one's priorities," she said. "Without doubt, one has to stop taking health and life for granted, because stress and self-neglect weaken the immune system."

In view of the danger of drug-resistant mutation of the HI Virus, was it wise for Fezeka to stop her anti-retroviral treatment? "Ideally, taking the drugs should be a life-long commitment," she acknowledged, "but because of the difficulties faced by patients, especially from poor communities, in adhering to the requirements of the programme, researchers are also exploring the possibility of 'drug-holidays'. This means that treatment could be taken for a few years to sustain the person's immune system, whereafter, if they did need to take the medication again, and proved to be resistant to it, they'd take newer forms of the drugs."

One audience member asked what her message would be to those in rural communities who have little or no access to cheap drug treatments or daily balanced meals. "What's most important is to provide them with accurate information about HIV/AIDS transmission and care," she replied, "and also simply to connect with them, lovingly and openly, because it's primarily their isolation that is so dangerous for them." Fezeka believes that civil society activists should work vigorously to ensure that these linkages are made, and that they fight to ensure efficient application of funds so that all citizens have at least one nutritious meal a day. "We can learn from the dedication and methods of the Treatment Action Campaign how to mobilise around such goals," she said.

A teacher from Umlazi asked how school learners could be encouraged to take HIV seriously and go forward for VCT. In response, Fezeka confirmed that in South Africa, the age group between 15 and 24, but also of 14-years-old and younger, were highly vulnerable to HIV transmission. "I think the kids are aware of this threat to their health and future," she said. "It's critical that throughout society, we do everything possible to conquer the fear, shame and denial that surrounds the epidemic, so that the youth themselves actively fight against the stigma attached to HIV and AIDS and support each other in being open about it."

In thanking Fezeka for her input, the KwaMagaga School Choir for performing their own composition of a stirring hymn for AIDS healing, and all those who had organised the event and the campaign, Richard Pithouse of UKZN's Centre for Civil Society closed the meeting by saying: "Here is a call to positive action. Our campus community now has access to everything needed in the fight against HIV and AIDS, so let's commit ourselves to spreading this good news - not the virus."

University of KwaZulu-Natal - Emergency Procedures

SEXUAL ASSAULT: (staff and students)

NOTE:

a) Sexual assault defined broadly as any unwanted sexual advance - but, provision of Post-Exposure Prophylasis (PEP) only necessary in the event of blood-to-blood contact or bodily fluid contact.
b) ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIALTO REPORT TO Risk Management Services (RMS) - NO BENEFITS CAN BE ACCESSED WITHOUT THIS!!!! RMS staff members are trained to treat survivors in a sensitive and compassionate manner and know how to follow procedure.
c) Also essential is to tell the survivor that they are not to wash or change clothes etc.
d) Reporting the assault needs to happen as soon as possible - preferably within an hour.

Should the assault happen&

on Campus during the week:

• Contact RMS immediately (2540/1051/2542).
• If the survivor is "well enough" take them to RMS to report.
• If not, take the person straight to the Campus Health Clinic - the clinic will contact Student Counselling for crisis and trauma counselling. If RMS has not been contacted, clinic staff will do so.
• If the survivor is female, she will immediately get a Post-Exposure Prophylactic (PEP) starter-pack (must be within 72 hours but preferably within an hour), emergency contraception and antibiotic to treat a potential sexually transmitted infection.
• If male, he will get PEP and an antibiotic.
• As soon as the survivor can cope with it, the voluntary counselling and testing (VCT) procedure will be followed. If the survivor has a positive test result, PEP treatment will be discontinued.

on campus over weekend:

• Contact RMS telephonically immediately (2540/1051/2542).
• If the survivor is "well enough" take him or her to RMS to report.
• If not, RMS will come and collect him/her.
• They will phone Medical Rescue International (MRI) to transport survivor to McCord Hospital where PEP will be administered. MRI will contact Lifeline for counseling, and will also assist the survivor to go to police if s/he wishes to lay a charge.
• The RMS person is trained to know how to access treatment at the hospital.
• The treatment package is as above.
• The survivor will be given sufficient drugs for the weekend.
• They will need to report to the Campus Health Clinic on Monday morning for VCT.

off campus:

• The survivor needs to contact RMS telephonically immediately (2540/1051/2542).
• They need to make their way to RMS on campus who will then institute the same procedure as above.
• If the person is severely injured, they need to go straight to the nearest hospital but have to have reported to RMS in order to access benefits of policy.

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University of KwaZulu-Natal HIV/AIDS Policies

The following University of KwaZulu-Natal HIV/AIDS Policies and Procedures have been approved by the University's Senate and Council. They can be downloaded below:

• AIDS Policy
• Comprehensive Student HIV/AIDS Prevention, Treatment and Care Policy
• Occupational Exposure Policy
• Management of Sexual Assault Policy

TAC UND HIV/AIDS Awareness Day

The University of KwaZulu-Natal (Durban) branch of the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) recently held an HIV/AIDS Awareness Day. Two days were set aside for this event - 2 October, where events were held on Howard College Campus and 3 October, where events were held on the Nelson R Mandela Medical School Campus.

Scenes from TAC UND's HIV/AIDS Awareness Day on Howard College Campus

Forum Lecture - Dr Janet Giddy - Anti-retroviral Therapy

Dr Janet Giddy

Dr Janet Giddy presented on Anti-retroviral Therapy at the Forum Lecture on 4 September 2003. Dr Giddy is a Family Physician with a background in rural health and is currently the HIV/AIDS Co-ordinator at McCord Hospital, Durban.

Dr Giddy's presentation and lecture covered various issues concerning Anti-retrovirals:

• Triple therapy versus dual therapy?
• Adherence - so what's the big deal?
• Resistance?
• Who needs ARVs?
• When should you start ARVs?
• What about the side effects?

Dr Giddy's presentation can be downloaded here

Translating Passion Into Action

The HIVAN Campus HIV/AIDS Support Unit at the University of KwaZulu-Natal has been piloting a peer education programme during 2003. Thirty-five students - from disciplines ranging from Medicine, Commerce, Law and Humanities - have been trained on Howard College campus by HIVAN staff. Seventy-five students have been trained by HIVAN staff and staff from the Student Counselling Centre on Pietermaritzburg campus.

Students attend highly interactive training and discussion sessions and once they have been trained, they put their training into action. One of the strategies adopted by the Howard College and Nelson R. Mandela Medical School students has been the facilitation of group discussions in residences on campus.

Discussion Group Report - Anglo cluster Residence - University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban - 02 October 2003

• Facilitators: Njeri and Lebo
• Discussion time: 1hour 30 minutes
• Total participants: 20 (10 male and 10 female)
• Participant description: The participants were all international students representing 7 African countries - Rwanda, Eritrea, Kenya, Tanzania, Nigeria, Botswana and Lesotho. Some participants were married with children while others were single. They were all from different professional backgrounds such as nursing, business administration, marketing, finance, community development, human resource management, public health, and theology.

Objective: The main purpose of this activity was to provide an opportunity for students residing in Anglo Cluster to discuss the topic of VCT with the goal of learning from one another by sharing ideas, opinions and experiences drawn from different cultural and professional backgrounds.

Introduction: The facilitator introduced the topic of VCT by going through the following sub-topics: HIV transmission process, general safer sex rules, VCT testing, other requirements for testing, HIV test, main HIV sub-types in Africa, rationale for VCT and points to note before testing. The facilitator then declared the discussion open.

Discussion: The participants were in agreement that VCT is a very important and essential part of every one's health plan. 14 participants had involuntarily tested at least once before joining the University and in each case, the VCT was a mandatory requirement either by the government sponsoring the students as in the case of Eritrea, Rwanda and Tanzania, or at the time of delivery for expectant mothers. Only one male participant had voluntarily tested three times in the last three years and had made it a policy to do so every year as routine. The other 6 participants confessed that they were still suffering from AFRAIDS (Acute Fear Regarding AIDS).

The participants concurred that stigma was the biggest problem concerning AIDS and it must be tackled first before VCT can succeed. One participant shared how the night before he went for testing, he told his wife and both of them could not sleep because of worry and anxiety. Another shares of how he went for counselling three times before he finally did the test. It is a traumatising experience. They suggested several ways of fighting stigma.

Firstly, to have the political good will to fight HIV in SA and elsewhere. Leaders must be seen at the forefront in going for VCT and make public statements about it (that they have been tested). Then citizens will follow suit.

Secondly, the test should be promoted in a manner like other routine tests. The participants challenged the facilitator's statement that 'before testing, one should assess their personal risk'. They said that this statement only helps to promote stigma because 'being at risk' can have different definitions. They were of the opinion that every person above 15 years should be encouraged to go for test as routine (under normal circumstances).
Thirdly, VCT should stop being so individualistic as HIV is a community problem and requires a supportive social environment. The participants thus disagreed with the statement that 'before testing, don't tell anyone'. They felt that it is important that one tells a close family member or friend about their intention to test and request them for their company to the VCT. If one is married they should go together as a couple for VCT. Thus VCT should, as much as possible encourage people to go in pairs for counselling because they will need social support thereafter especially if the result is positive. Related to this, participants suggested that it is our duty to educate our parents and other community members about HIV by telling them we are going for the test and why.

Lastly, couples should talk about sex freely and promote behaviour change by encouraging partners to use condoms. Examples were given of cases where in one instance, a wife found a packet of condoms in the husband's car and before he could give excuses, she assured him that she is glad he is at least using condoms 'out there'. Thus, couples should eradicate stigma in use of condoms by their spouses instead of pretending its (infidelity) not happening.

Participants appreciated the achievements made in de-stigmatising VCT in countries like Uganda and said they need to learn the process that led to this achievement. This would help in 'fitting' the model in our country while keeping in mind the different social and cultural settings in order to avoid a similar disaster. They lauded the university policy on ARVs.

In conclusion, the participants agreed that the discussion was fruitful and they had all learnt a lot from each other's experiences. They suggested more of this kind of discussion should be encouraged in order to de-stigmatise HIV. The facilitator committed to organising a video session before varsity breaks for vacation. With those few remarks, the discussion was declared closed.

Discussion Group Report - Florence Powell Residence - University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban - 02 September 2003

• Peer facilitator: Dumisani Mposula
• Other facilitator: Garey Davis
• Topic: Gender and HIV/AIDS
• Duration: One and a half hours

Attendance

The attendance was reasonable in that out of 60 students expected, 47 students attended. There were more females than males in the group.

Procedure/Agenda

• Introduction
• Introductory Comments
• Video Screening
• Discussion/ Debate
• Way Forward
• Closure

Feedback

We started promptly at 18:30, students kept on coming around that time. The video played for 32 minutes and then a discussion ensued. Students asked questions around sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and the question that was entertained was as follows: Why is that women are the ones who are most infected with STIs as compared to men? This question was gender sensitive in that male students became defensive.

The discussion developed into a debate where male students put forward a suggestion that female students should take responsibility of themselves to make sure that they are not infected. The female students were annoyed by the comment in question and contended that they are taking responsibility of themselves but men overpower them. The male students further said that female students are the ones who know exactly whether a consensual intercourse would take place or not. They supported this argument by saying that men are always eager to have sex whether protected or unprotected, therefore, women are the ones with powers to decide whether protected sex will take place or not.

The female students contended by saying that men should change their attitudes towards women and stop seeing them as sex objects. They further said that men should get involved in eradicating HIV/AIDS in our society. The male students contended by saying that they have been like this for centuries, therefore, prospects of changing are very slim. The debate took an hour and 30 minutes but no agreement was reached on the way forward. The students requested that we have more group discussions of this nature in future because they are gaining more knowledge and clarity around these issues. Lastly, the refreshments were served during the discussion.

TAC UND T-Shirt Day of Action

'HIV-Positive', in purple, on a t-shirt? Shocking for some, a show of solidarity for others. On Friday the 6th June 2003, members of the University Executive, Deans, other staff and students, wore these in a show of support for the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) and all it fights for.

In a day of co-ordinated action throughout South Africa, TAC supporters at UND and UDW wore t-shirts, in support of Health Care workers demonstrating for better working conditions and for anti-retroviral drugs to be provided free to all South Africans living with HIV/AIDS. TAC realises without better conditions for Health Care workers, implementation of a treatment plan will be severely limited and will support these workers in their struggles. The campaign also aimed to start breaking the stigma surrounding HIV/AIDS. With everyone's support HIV/AIDS will be beaten, people living with HIV/AIDS will get treatment and the myths and lies surrounding HIV/AIDS will stop.

University of KwaZulu-Natal AIDS Plan on track

In KwaZulu-Natal the University of KwaZulu-Natal is at the epicentre of the HIV/AIDS pandemic: it is a province devastated by the disease in virtually all sectors, with ripple effects felt through service delivery and economic development.

The University clearly recognises the need to address the effects of HIV/AIDS within the University community. To deal with the pandemic, and to serve the needs of society in an AIDS-infected and affected world, the AIDS Plan 2002 2004 was developed to build on and co-ordinate initiatives and research under way at the University. The plan uses the Universitys core functions of teaching, research and service.

A key structure is the University of KwaZulu-Natal HIV/AIDS Task Force, which in June 2002 replaced the University of KwaZulu-Natal AIDS Committee, and allowed for the creation of a smaller, separate strategy development sub-committee to assist the Task Force with expert opinion from within the institution.

The Task Force includes key members of the University community: an AIDS programme co-ordinator, heads of divisions, directors of AIDS research units, students and staff members personally living with HIV/AIDS, SRC representatives and medical aid and union representatives.

Leading epidemiologist Professor Salim Abdool Karim, the Universitys Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research and Development), chairs the Task Force.

In the past year it has achieved eight key aims:

• The appointment of an AIDS Programme Co-ordinator, Michelle Mitchell, a clinical psychologist, who is based at the NU Research Office to oversee the implementation of the AIDS Plan.
• An HIV/AIDS research database referencing all HIV/AIDS-related research at the University of KwaZulu-Natal is in place and is available on the University of KwaZulu-Natal Research website. The database will identify gaps in the research agenda and promote integrated, multidisciplinary research efforts.
• Peer facilitation programmes are run on the Pietermaritzburg and Durban campuses to train students on HIV/AIDS-related issues and to encourage them to speak to their peers about HIV/AIDS.
• A comprehensive student HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment and care policy is being implemented, which will provide comprehensive treatment (including antiretroviral medication where applicable) to all non-distance students.
• Free HIV testing is available to staff and students at all campus Health Clinics.
• Condom dispensers are being installed in all University residences and other buildings. As more funding becomes available, dispensers will be installed in 25% of the toilets on all campuses.
• Female condoms are available, free, from the Pietermaritzburg campus Health Clinic.

A Management of Sexual Assault Policy and the Occupational Exposure to HIV and HBV Policy have been developed, and are awaiting Senate approval. These provide immediate post-exposure prophylactic treatment to staff and students who have been sexually assaulted or otherwise exposed during the course of their academic or occupational duties, to potentially infected bodily fluids.

- Amelia Naidoo. University of KwaZulu-Natal Media and Publications.

TAC Chairperson, Zackie Achmat speaks at the University of KwaZulu-Natal - May 2003

Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) Chairperson, Zackie Achmat, spoke on the TAC's struggle for HIV Treatment Access in South Africa in May 2003. The Forum was a lively, informative discussion. For more information on the Treatment Action Campaign, please visit www.tac.org.za. For further information on the TAC-UND, please contact Mandisa Mbali on [email protected]

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TAC-UND firmly involved in the Civil Disobedience Campaign

The University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban branch of the Treatment Action Campaign has been firmly involved in the national Civil Disobedience Campaign. The TAC decided to engage in a civil disobedience campaign from March 21 if the government did not demonstrate urgency in making treatment available to all.

For more on the TAC Civil Disobedience Campaign, click here or here. Alternatively, visit the Treatment Action Campaign website

For further information on TAC-UND, contact Mandisa Mbali on [email protected]

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Campus HIV/AIDS Support Unit World AIDS Day Activities

In recognition of World AIDS Day, the Campus HIV/AIDS Support Unit and TAC-UND hosted a money-drive to raise money for the Ithemba Lethu Transition Home on Friday, 29 November 2002. This home is located in Cato Manor, Durban and provides a temporary home for babies either abandoned or orphaned by HIV-positive parents. The staff of the Campus HIV/AIDS Support Unit also sold Chrsitmas decorations created by the Woza Moya Beading Project, run by Hillcrest AIDS Centre.

For further information on the Ithemba Lethu (Meaning "I Have A Destiny") Transition Home and projects, please visit: www.ithembalethu.org.za

Challenges of qualitative fieldwork research in the context of HIV/AIDS

Participants in the HIV/AIDS Fieldworker training workshop

A three-day workshop, co-hosted by HIVAN (Centre for HIV/AIDS Networking) and the Africa Centre, was held at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in Durban during November 2002 for fieldwork researchers confronted by the challenges inherent in working within communities affected by the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

Attended by 20 delegates from organisations active in KwaZulu-KwaZulu-Natal, the workshop was designed and facilitated by Kerry Frizelle, a lecturer at School of Psychology, who explained the aims and objectives of the programme. "Fieldworkers engaging with families in these communities are regularly having to confront various dilemmas in the course of gathering data about he impact of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in their area," she says. "A number of sensitive issues and often dramatic scenarios arise for which there are no easy solutions, and from this perspective, 'research' becomes a deeply social and personal activity."

HIV/AIDS researchers are required to locate themselves within the epidemic with authenticity and compassion, while at the same time retaining the kind of emotional distance that ensures objectivity. "This is often an extremely difficult balance to attain and maintain, and in addition, the researchers can also find themselves overwhelmed by having to grapple with the various stereotypes and prejudices that exist in society," says Frizelle. "So they are dealing with more than a diagnosis or a set of facts to be recorded, but with the emotional responses of family members and community leaders."

These responses include denial, anger, despair and grief, played out against a backdrop of poverty, hunger and general disempowerment. Yet even in the face of these seemingly insurmountable odds, researchers also come to witness great acts of human courage, community support and resilience. "The workshop offers skills training in dealing effectively with the researchers' own personal issues while engaged in the act of research," says Frizelle.

Reading material supplied at the workshop quotes Sir Sydney Smith, who said in 1953: "There is no such thing as a diseased organ in isolation; there are no diseases to treat, but only diseased people. Do not forget that you are dealing with the whole person, not only the body - not only the mind - but the person themselves& You must remember that many patients come to you not only suffering from damaged bodies, but with bruised minds, lacerated consciences and broken hearts &"

The workshop was run in a participatory manner, with attendees being asked to reflect on and share their experiences in the field, so that the content of the sessions would be specific to their needs and concerns. The researchers were invited to discuss and refine certain ideas and to take the opportunity to practice the skills introduced during the programme.

The programme was built around five main session themes, the first being "The Subjective in the Research Process", which covered the personal issues encountered in the course of doing fieldwork research, and the impact these have on their public and private lives. The session also provided an opportunity to the researchers to describe their individual means of coping with such difficulties.

The second session honed in on "The Role of the Researcher", exploring the notion of "boundaries" in the research process. This involved finding close definitions of the role and obligations of the researchers and how these can become blurred. This was followed by training in how to establish professional boundaries that could assist in preventing "burn-out" and augment the ability to recognise and accept personal limitations.

Kerry Frizelle (left) designer and facilitator of the HIVAN Fieldworker Training Workshop, with Mrs Busisiwe Dube from Bergville.

"The Informal Counsellor" took the fieldworkers through their experiences of the demands placed on them when encountering the prejudice and stereotypical thinking associated with the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The session aimed to equip the fieldworkers with some basic counselling skills that would give them the confidence and practical knowledge to offer appropriate counselling during the research process, and to deal with confrontations arising from stigma and discrimination against those infected and affected by HIV/AIDS.

The fourth session focused on "Death: Cultural Diversity and the Grieving Process". Coping with various experiences of death as a result of AIDS requires some understanding of different cultural meanings around death and dying, and the fieldworkers were given some perspective on these issues as a means of handling more effectively the anguish of terminally ill patients as well as their families and friends.

Finally, a method of containing emotional disintegration resulting from the pressure of this type of work was explored in a session on "Peer Support and Supervision".

It was during the closing minutes of the workshop that verbal evaluations offered by the individual researchers emphasised the need for and value of this type of training:

"I feel healed of guilt for some of the decisions I have made," said one. "It was confusing to feel deep caring and yet not become too involved in certain situations, but now I have more clarity on what I am and am not able to do."

"For me this has been a kind of introduction into the real world of research around HIV/AIDS," said another. "For the first time I realise that one needs to offer some counselling during the course of doing research, and in fact that this counselling can indeed affect the research, but that the two roles should not be mixed together but one should be able to switch comfortably between the two roles and know when and how it is appropriate to do so."

Many described the workshop as "enriching", a valuable opportunity for "self-reflection, sharing and healing". Participants felt that the type of work they were conducting was largely uncharted territory, and required great courage to sustain, so they appreciated being able to hear their peers' stories and receiving useful skills to support their work.

"It's good to know that a lot of my fears are 'normal' and in fact universal," said one researcher. "I feel very empowered now - every part of me feels strong, motivated and confident."

Frizelle summed up her experience of the workshop from a facilitator's point of view by saying: "I've always been deeply interested in qualitative, action research as well as in the development of HIV/AIDS counselling, whether through training or in practice. Over these three days I've learnt even more about the incredible work being done on the ground by fieldwork researchers, and I feel privileged to have collaborated with them in this way. I feel we should all go forward knowing that we are doing something very important in the struggle against HIV/AIDS."

Professor Eleanor Preston-Whyte, HIVAN's Director of Social and Behavioural Science, invited ideas for future workshops of this kind, saying: "If fieldwork researchers share with us other needs and problems for which they need training and resources in order to address, we can and will respond."

TAC-UND Forum

The Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) recently opened a branch at the Durban campus of the University of KwaZulu-Natal. The TAC-UND Forum was held to inform students and staff of TAC's objectives, history and activities.

TAC-UND Members and Supporters

Mandisa Mbali led the Forum through a brief history of TAC, from its beginnings as an offshoot of the National Association of People Living With HIV/AIDS (NAPWA) to its current profile and successes.

The Treatment Action Campaign has three main objectives:

- To ensure access to affordable and quality treatment for people with HIV/AIDS;
- To raise awareness of HIV/AIDS and in so doing to prevent new HIV infections.
- To improve the affordability, quality and access of general health care for all.

TAC strives to change government policies and so allow for the provision of anti-retroviral therapy to all individuals infected with HIV/AIDS and all victims of sexual assault. TAC was instrumental in lowering the price of anti-retroviral therapy and regards this as one of its most significant achievements.

For a full report on the TAC-UND Forum held on 24 October 2002, please click here

TAC National Day of Action

Jabulisiwe Manqele of the Zama Zama Co-op Ltd shows off one of her crafters' painted fabric pieces.

August 8th was a National Day of Action for the Treatment Action Campaign, and TAC's UND branch held two events to mark the occasion and raise awareness on campus about HIV/AIDS. An information stand was stationed outside E G Malherbe Library. This served as a focal point for the distribution of literature about TAC and its nationwide campaign for increased access to affordable HIV treatment for HIV-positive South Africans.

Local crafters from the Zama Zama Co-op Ltd and the Qhubeka Art and Craft Co-op offered their beautiful beadwork, painted fabric products, baskets, crocheted goods and patchwork for sale alongside the TAC stand. Alziniah Zulu, a volunteer community health worker from King Edward VIII Hospital, was on hand to talk to students about behaviour change and the problem of stigma around HIV/AIDS in communities.

TAC UND also held a lunch-hour screening of a short documentary on the life of Zackie Achmat, the charismatic and determined HIV-positive national chairperson of the Treatment Action Campaign, followed by brief addresses by TAC representatives from the main provincial office and the UND branch about the significance of the day.

For more information about TAC in general and the UND branch in particular, contact Mandisa Mbali by email on [email protected].

NU medical students promote abstinence

Students from the Nelson R Mandela School of Medicine who are involved in the Crossroads Project, a faith-based HIV/AIDS youth initiative, spoke out at the launch of the Durban Christian Centre's "Abstinence Walk Challenge" on the steps of Durban's City Hall on June the 12th. The students' message, delivered by Thandi Mahuluhulu, focused on the need for increased promotion of the "A" and "B" elements in the Department of Health's "ABC" prevention strategy. "While we know that the use of condoms is one method of lowering the rate of HIV infection," she said, "there has been disproportionate and inadequate promotion of the other two measures contained in the ABC formula - abstinence and being faithful."

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Struggles and Tests - Zackie Achmat's experience of living with HIV

The phrase "being tested" would best sum up the themes of prominent social activist Zackie Achmat's guest lecture to the University of KwaZulu-Natal's Forum event, hosted on its Durban campus on the 9th May 2002. Following a powerful performance by Umlazi's Kwa Mgaga's school choir of a song they composed as a prayer for doctors to find a cure for AIDS, Achmat addressed a full lecture venue during UND's AIDS Action Week. His natural warmth and frankness ensured an immediate connection with his largely student audience. "I'm studying for a Masters' degree in Law this year," he said, "so that should tell you that even though I'm HIV-positive, I believe I'm going to live for a long time!"

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Drumming up support for AIDS treatment

Curious students and staff on Howard College campus gathered outside E.G. Malherbe Library at lunchtime on Thursday, May 16th to see for themselves what all the noise was about. They'd been drawn to the area by the rhythmic sound of African drums filtering through the autumn air. The event? TaeBo for Treatment - a fundraiser organised by the Campus HIV/AIDS Support Unit team.

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HOPE - A programme of holistic care

Sister Sandy Walters from the University of KwaZulu-Natal's Campus Health Clinic in Pietermaritzburg told HIVAN team members, Tanja Arntz and Debbie Heustice, that the Clinic provides a message of hope for students and staff who are infected with HIV/AIDS. "We aim to ensure that students and staff realise that a positive HIV test does not mean an immediate death sentence, and that with an optimistic attitude, correct diet and a suitable treatment package, they can lead a productive, full and happy life".

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HIV/AIDS Orientation Drive 2002

Anyone who has experienced an Orientation Week on a university campus will agree that it is an exciting but intense, and sometimes stressful, few days. Perhaps it would be better to call it "DIS-orientation Week", as one arrives for the first time on campus unlikely to know anyone or where, exactly, to be, much less whether one's finances for the year have been sorted out and one's course arrangements finalised. Having arms full of information sheets, brochures, maps and flyers doesn't always clear the confusion, and merely finding one's feet with practical matters in this new environment becomes the primary goal.

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ACTIVAID Workshop 2001

ACTIVAID, a student-driven HIV/AIDS activist organisation based at the University of KwaZulu-Natal's Durban campus, co-hosted a UND Students' Community AIDS Project Workshop over a weekend in October 2001. One of the guest speakers was Mazwi Mngadi, a member of the National Association for People with AIDS, who spoke to the group on "Positive Living". Mazwi was born and raised in Umlazi, near Durban. He described his organisation, NAPWA, as one serving all those who are HIV-positive as well as those attached to them, offering, amongst other services, workshops for job skills training. Mazwi's primary message to the gathering was that it was important to accept oneself so that one can live life freely. He continued with his schooling once he had been diagnosed, because he realised that there was no point in fighting against the truth when he was already waging a war against an early death. He kept saying to himself: "I'm going to live until God decides He needs me."

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