'This publication is about the stories of a dynamic group of women who are on the front lines in the fight against AIDS. These 12 leaders came together for CEDPA’s WomenLead in the Fight Against AIDS workshop, held Sept. 12 – Oct. 7, 2005 in Washington, DC. Each has a powerful story to tell about AIDS in her country. Their stories help us understand how the pandemic affects the lives of women and their families, and the way forward.'

HIV testing is routine in programmes for the prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV, and most hospitals offer it as part of antenatal care. But many women in Kenya's western Nyanza Province say pre-natal HIV tests are a direct threat to their marriages. 'During my last pregnancy ... I was referred to the laboratory for tests after counselling and told to bring my husband for the test but he declined. After much prodding, he agreed to accompany me but refused to be tested; afte more...

When classes finish at Francisco Manyanga Secondary School in Maputo, capital of Mozambique, most teachers and students head for the bus while others walk home. Júlia*, 16, a 10th-grade student, gets into a luxury car, where a man who looks to be in his 40s waits for her. The man is not her father, but her boyfriend, Lucas*. Most inter-generational relationships in Mozambique involve an older man and a teenage girl, said Marcelo Kantu, a programme official and activist from the reproductive hea more...

The European Commission HIV/AIDS Helpdesk for Southern Africa compiles a free weekly newsletter focused on HIV/AIDS and TB. The newsletter covers current news from countries in Southern Africa and of general interest, scientific articles, documents, upcoming events and other useful resources. To receive this free newsletter, please send us an @ at eunewsfeed@yahoo.com

Disabled people in northern Uganda - many of whom were injured in the long conflict between the government and the rebel Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) - are calling on the government to provide a more targeted HIV response. 'HIV awareness is being done, but people with disability are being left out,' said Simon Ongom, chairman of the Gulu District Disabled Persons Union.

Many girls and women have resorted to sex work to earn a living because they were orphaned or unable to complete their schooling as a result of the two-decade war between the rebel Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) and the Ugandan government. Attempts to find a peaceful resolution to the conflict have stalled and the region operates in post-emergency mode, with people displaced by the conflict returning home and life slowly returning to a semblance of normality.

Prevention must remain a top priority in the continued fight against HIV and AIDS and, as this report shows, both condoms and contraceptives count as key components of comprehensive HIV prevention. In 2007, new HIV infections out-numbered persons receiving treatment by nearly 3 to 1. More than 6,800 people become infected with HIV every day. Because most HIV epidemics are fueled by sexual transmission of the virus, behavior change, including condom use, is critical to stemming the number of new more...

Kenya's circumcision rollout, due to be launched in the Nyanza area in late September, is already facing problems; according to local media, members of the Luo Council of Elders, an advisory cultural body that wields considerable influence, have threatened to disrupt the launch unless they are properly consulted. The Council of Elders are against the idea of promoting mass circumcision.

The European Commission HIV/AIDS Helpdesk for Southern Africa compiles free weekly and monthly newsletters focused on HIV/AIDS and TB. The newsletters cover current news from countries in Southern Africa and of general interest, scientific articles, documents, upcoming events and other useful resources. To receive these free newsletters, please send us an @ at eunewsfeed@yahoo.com

Africa has a long history of migration. Currently, more than 16 million Africans are classified as migrants, and their numbers are increasing. Women are increasing in numbers among Southern Africa's migrant population. Women encompass 37.4% of regular migrants from the Southern African Development Community (SADC) to South Africa, and their numbers are increasing.