 A Final Push to Rebuild Education in Swaziland
The 'Rebuilding Human Capital in Swaziland' project team presented their final report to the project steering committee on 19 March in Mbabane, Swaziland.
HEARD Film Addresses MDG Issues In April, HEARD's documentary Vukuzakhe - Arise and Build Yourself was screened at this year's Cineposible International Film Festival of Extremadura (Spain).
Young Researchers Writing Workshop a Success The Young Researchers Initiative - a HEARD project that aims to support young researchers from across southern and eastern Africa develop their research and publication skills - brought together 12 young researchers from across the region for a very successful workshop.
New HEARD Report on Legal Obligations Around Women's Reproductive Rights and HIV In 2010 the global community will review whether it has achieved Universal Access to Prevention, Treatment, Care and Support and its progress towards the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
  |
Newsletter Issue 4
June 2010 HIV Training for Faith Based Leaders
HEARD's African Leadership Support Programme recently hosted a training workshop for faith based leaders in an attempt to increase their knowledge and skills around testing, the importance of getting tested and on counselling those who are about to get tested. More than 20 faith based leaders attended the 4-day workshop which was held at the Salt Rock Hotel on Durban's north coast. Recognising that faith based leaders are a critical component of leadership on the continent, HEARD partnered with Grace Family Church which has a network of over 130 missionary organisations based in KwaZulu-Natal and Mozambique. "Most of these organisations are dealing directly with the devastating consequences of the epidemic and firmly believe that they need to strengthen their prevention efforts. Their role throughout history has been to integrate themselves into the lives of people not just at a religious level but also at a social and economic level. As a result faith based leaders play a significant role in the development of communities," said project manager, Marlene Abrahams. The workshop also covered the progression of the disease, the common myths surrounding testing, overcoming barriers to testing and how to explain the benefits of testing to communities. The aim was to get the leaders to promote and encourage testing in their communities. Liz Whittle, who heads up the Asibavikele Mission in Matatiele in the Eastern Cape attended the workshop and found it most beneficial. "The information and teaching on counseling is going to be invaluable," she said. The 25 leaders who attended the workshop reach approximately 19000 people every month in the course of their work and HEARD is confident that the message around testing will be disseminated to this broad audience. If you are having problems viewing this email, View it online |
