What is HIV and AIDS?

Ethiopia: VSO Ethiopia is also continuing to promote HIV and AIDS mainstreaming
internally to staff, volunteers and partner organisations. A HIV & AIDS staff committee
has been established with the main objective of bringing forward the need of staff in
relation to training, information and possible support around HIV & AIDS issues. The
committee is also expected to be involved in collecting and assessing staff suggestions
about HIV & AIDS mainstreaming activities. 2 sensitisation sessions were organised last
year for the guards and cleaners. There has also been staff training on stigma and
discrimination that helped staff to reflect on their own prejudices and pre-assumptions. A
learning visit for staff to African Services Committee VCT Centre in Addis Ababa has
been held and involved 13 staff members. The purpose of the visit was to understand
the advantages of VCT and practical aspects of VCT. VSO Ethiopia now holds
mainstreaming workshops for all new volunteer arrivals and their partner organisations
to build their capacity to mainstream HIV & AIDS into their workplaces and to give them
tools and ideas to do so. In November 2006 3 workshops were conducted in 3 regions. A
total of 90 individuals attended the 3 workshops (48 volunteers and 42 representatives
form partner organisations). The background of participants varies widely – drawn from
all 3 VSO Ethiopia programmes in education, participation and governance and HIV &
AIDS and representing both government and NGOs. At the end of the one-day
workshop partners and volunteers developed an action plan to introduce mainstreaming
activities into their workplace and local communities.
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