National AIDS Council (NAC) meeting
Date: 5th of February, 2014
Location: Mutare.
One of the high points of the dissemination was our invitation by the National AIDS Council of Zimbabwe (NAC) to present our research findings at their annual meeting with leading national figures in government and welfare including NAC, Local government, and Ministry of Youth as well as international NGOs including the Red Cross, Africaid, and PLAN International.
NAC is an organization enacted through the Act of Parliament of 1999 to coordinate and facilitate the national multi-sectoral response to HIV and AIDS in Zimbabwe. NAC showed particularly keen interest in the research given its relevance to NAC’s objectives of empowering communities to reduce HIV transmission and minimize the impact of the AIDS epidemic on families and society in Zimbabwe. Accordingly, Louise Andersen and Constance Nyamukapa from the research team presented findings on the possibilities and challenges facing schools in supporting HIV affected children, in two separate presentations.
The presentations were warmly received by participants who repeatedly commented on the importance of the research, and of the opportunity it generated for participants to discuss a priority educational and welfare issue. The talks generated rich and heated debate, focusing on issues such as: i) the possibilities for schools to play a role in scaling up HIV testing and ARV adherence among children, ii) how to overcome challenges of disclosure, and iii) how to create supportive school contexts that help teachers provide better support in their daily encounters with children affected by HIV.
Location: Mutare.
One of the high points of the dissemination was our invitation by the National AIDS Council of Zimbabwe (NAC) to present our research findings at their annual meeting with leading national figures in government and welfare including NAC, Local government, and Ministry of Youth as well as international NGOs including the Red Cross, Africaid, and PLAN International.
NAC is an organization enacted through the Act of Parliament of 1999 to coordinate and facilitate the national multi-sectoral response to HIV and AIDS in Zimbabwe. NAC showed particularly keen interest in the research given its relevance to NAC’s objectives of empowering communities to reduce HIV transmission and minimize the impact of the AIDS epidemic on families and society in Zimbabwe. Accordingly, Louise Andersen and Constance Nyamukapa from the research team presented findings on the possibilities and challenges facing schools in supporting HIV affected children, in two separate presentations.
The presentations were warmly received by participants who repeatedly commented on the importance of the research, and of the opportunity it generated for participants to discuss a priority educational and welfare issue. The talks generated rich and heated debate, focusing on issues such as: i) the possibilities for schools to play a role in scaling up HIV testing and ARV adherence among children, ii) how to overcome challenges of disclosure, and iii) how to create supportive school contexts that help teachers provide better support in their daily encounters with children affected by HIV.