Annual Report - University of Namibia

Activities of other UnitsHIV/AIDSDirector: Dr Scholastica IpingeHIV/AIDSThe vision of the HIV/AIDS Unit isbased on the strategic objectiveof the University of NamibiaStrategic Plan where it statesthat UNAM “strives to ensure welfare ofboth students and staff”. The mission ofthe Unit is to create a conducive andan enabling environment for both staffand students that promote positivebehaviours and attitudes with regard toHIV/AIDS, while at the University. Throughthe HIV/AIDS Unit, UNAM is promotinggood health among its community ingeneral; and forging ahead to preventnew HIV infections amongst staff andstudents.Although the Unit has only one full-timestaff and two seconded staff, with thehelp of student volunteers, many activitiestook place during the course of 2009.The main activities carried out at the Unitincluded HIV/AIDS awareness creation,Voluntary Counseling and Testing (VCT)at the UNAM clinic; participation in theNational HIV testing Day, ZAMANAWEPeer Education training and outreachactivities; and Research.Activities of the UnitThe HIV/AIDS Unit staff continued tocreate awareness among the UNAMcommunity through various ways, whichincluded: Collecting and distributingHIV/AIDS and other health relatedinformation on Campus using variousoutlets such as the Unit itself, the hostelthrough the hostel committee, theStudent Cafeteria, the clinic and library;as wel as the development of an HIV/AIDS FOCUS leafl et which was distributedthrough e-mail for staff and in a hardcopy form especially for the students ingeneral.The HIV/AIDS Information Kiosk continuedto offer a face-to-face and one-to-oneinformation sharing opportunity for thestudents. The Peer Educators plus otherstudent volunteers visited the kiosk forinformation and/or to get answers totheir questions. About 8 sessions of HIVInformation Kiosk were held. Revision ofthe UNAM’s HIV/AIDS Policy started aftera grant of US$ 3 000 was awarded to theUniversity by the Association of AfricanUniversities. The draft of the revised policyAnnual Report 2009 -64-