The ECPP will be researching and evaluating home-base care for people with Aids and prevention and awareness initiatives in rural Malawi, in order to develop a pilot model for rural Africa in general.
The programme will find out how rural communities currently access HIV/Aids education and care, and research the availability of anti-retroviral and anti-opportunistic treatments.
For details: visit www.ecpp.co.uk

The Stop Aids Project in San Francisco has launched a series of hard-hitting ads in public toilets and bus shelters highlighting the side-effects of anti-HIV medication. The provocative campaign, ‘HIV is no Picnic’, has received support from some as truthful and realistic, but criticism from others as ineffective at changing behaviour, or for scaring

people away from HIV testing. For details, visit: www.stopaids.org

South Africa: Life sentence for child’s rape

Pretoria’s High Court has handed a life sentence to a South African, James Mgwetjane (29), who raped an eight-year-old girl believing that it would cure him of HIV.
“No one can be cured of HIV by raping children and we welcome this sentence as a warning to other would-be rapists who believe the myth or try to use it as an excuse,” said the investigating officer of the child protection unit, Inspector Anton van Dort, welcoming the court ruling.

Fortunately, at least in this case, the raped child did not contract the disease.