AEGiS-IRIN: Defence Force Launches AIDS Campaign UN Integrated Regional Information NetworkImportant note: Information in this article was accurate in 2001. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
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Defence Force Launches AIDS Campaign

UN Integrated Regional Information Network - August 2, 2001


The South African National Defence Force (SANDF), which has an estimated HIV prevalence of 17 percent, has launched a US $3 million campaign to fight the AIDS pandemic.

The training programme was launched in the capital, Pretoria, by the deputy minister of defence on Wednesday. The "Masibambisane"(which means "lets work together" in Zulu) campaign aims to change the behaviour of SANDF members by addressing military specific vulnerability and susceptibility factors.

The SA Military Health Services (SAMHS) created a busines plan for the SANDF and this was forwarded to the the US Pentagon as part of the US-South African military cooperation agreement. The plan was approved and received funding.

Members of the military are seen as being extremely vulnerable to HIV infection and the campaign seeks to focus on ways of creating actual changes in their behavious. According to Surgeon-General Lieutenant-General Rhinus van Rensburg, the HIV Training programme hopes to achieve a minimum target of one trained peer educator for every 50-100 employees in Department of Defence employees. That would amount to the training of 6000 peer educators and 4000 health care professionals.


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