EU grant for HIV/AIDS programmes

UCT has been awarded R2.8 million from the European Union for a range of HIV/AIDS activities.

The beneficiaries of the grant will include The Desmond Tutu HIV/AIDS Centre, the Department of Student Affairs' Student Wellness service, the Discrimination and Harassment Office (DISCHO), The Department of Sociology's MPhil in HIV/AIDS and Society as well as HAICU.

The grant will be used to strengthen existing strategies and develop new ones. The five themes identified by the EU, for which the money will be used, are:

• Implementing comprehensive institutional-level HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment, care and support programmes based on agreed norms and standards
• Facilitating behaviour change through intervention programmes addressing gender/masculinity in relation to HIV/ AIDS and those that address HIV/AIDS within curricula
• Developing monitoring and evaluation systems
• Strengthening HIV/AIDS research in higher education by enhancing research systems and structures
• Effective planning, management, co-ordination, monitoring and evaluation of institutional HIV/ AIDS programmes.