| More information about the practicum
Background
AfriComNet was established in 2001 in
recognition of the severity of the HIV
and AIDS pandemic in Africa and the need
for high quality strategic communication
to respond to the crisis. It is a
network of more than 700 strategic communication
practitioners who reside, work or have
a primary interest in Africa. The network
is organizing a four-day practicum on
alcohol, gender norms and gender-based
violence as they relate to HIV and AIDS
from the 6th – 9th August 2007 in
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Practicum Rationale
As the HIV and AIDS epidemic has evolved
in Africa, so has understanding of the
root causes of HIV transmission. It is
recognized that an effective response
cannot be limited to AIDS awareness campaigns
and expanded HIV care, support and treatment.
The response must also address underlying
social factors that influence prevention,
care and treatment practices, such as
gender norms, gender-based violence and
alcohol and drug abuse. Few communication
programs in the region adequately address
these issues, resulting in continued risk
behavior, barriers to services and poor
adherence and treatment outcomes despite
significant investment by donors.
Increasingly, HIV and AIDS programs have
seen the need for strategic communication
to address underlying factors. There are
some small-scale, isolated examples that
can inform design of broader programs,
but these have yet to be systematically
documented and shared. HIV and AIDS programs
would benefit greatly if they knew about
these examples and what has been learned.
Thus, there is a recognized need for
a meeting of communication practitioners
to analyze practical experiences, share
tools, research and materials, and synthesize
and package lessons learned for wider
dissemination.
Practicum purpose
The purpose of the workshop is to familiarize
participants with the situation regarding
the underlying social factors that influence
prevention, care and treatment practices,
such as gender norms, gender-based violence
and alcohol and drug abuse in the region,
as well as communication approaches to
address them. With funding from the Regional
Outreach Addressing AIDS through Development
Strategies (ROADS) Project, AfriComNet
proposes to bring together 60-80 communication
practitioners from across the continent
to participate in this practical exercise
to synthesize and document strategies
that may have wider application. The overall
aim is to enable participants to integrate
alcohol, gender norms and gender-based
violence into HIV and AIDS community outreach,
advocacy, media, and client education
and counseling programs. This will improve
the effectiveness of HIV prevention, care
and treatment programs in the region.
Practicum expected outputs
The specific practicum outputs will include:
- a resource kit containing case studies,
tools, exercises, key messages, facts
and references
- a statement on key considerations
for follow-on action
- a press release and media briefing.
The resource kit will be disseminated
via CD-ROM, through the AfriComNet website
and at important regional fora such as
the East, Central and Southern Africa
(ECSA) Health Ministers meetings
Sponsorship to the practicum
AfriComNet has very limited sponsorship
so we encourage you to try and secure
your own sponsorship to the practicum.
Registration
Early registration is encouraged to ensure
participation in the practicum given the
limited number of spaces for participants.
The deadline for registration is 15th
July 2007.
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