Abstract Book Vol. 2 [International Conference on AIDS (14th: 2002: Barcelona, Spain)]

644 Abstracts ThOrG1509-ThOrG1l512

XIV International AIDS Conference

Presenting author: Marion Stevens, CHP, P. O. Box 1038, Johannesburg, 2000,
South Africa, Tel.: [phone], Fax: [phone], E-mail: marion@sn.
apc.org
I ThOrG1509 HIV/AIDS, the military and human security
R.Y. Bazergan. Centre for Defence Studies, King's college, University of London,
33 Dalmeny road, London, United Kingdom
Issues: Infections in the ranks mean that militaries are increasingly citing
HIV/AIDS as a strategic and security issue. Some armed forces have expressed
concern about being able to deploy combat ready units at short notice. In addition, the military are increasingly being seen a high-risk group that may act as a
conduit for the virus into the general population. Peacekeepers have come under particular scrutiny. Some host countries have requested that UN personnel
be screened for the virus, while some contributing nations are reluctant to send
their troops to areas with high levels of HIV. The perception that peacekeepers
"spread" HIV threatens to undermine confidence in UN operations. Conflict provides a prime breeding ground for the spread of HIV, further exacerbated by the
movement of troops between areas of high and low HIV-prevalence. This potentially increases the risk of infection for civilians in conflict areas, (soldiers interact
with particularly vulnerable groups such as refugees), and for the families and
communities of returning troops. Policy makers and donors, however, have been
slow to draw the link between HIV and human security and are hesitant to engage
with militaries.
Description: This paper will investigate the threat of HIV to militaries,the impact
on, and perception of, civilian populations and the implications for human security. It will analyse the proactive and reactive responses of national governments,
donors and armed forces to the problem and will identify ways in which the international community can engage with militaries on the issue.
Lessons learned: Soldiers tend to be ignored by civilian health programmes,
including awareness schemes, and are treated as a distinct group, but crucially
there is sexual contact between military and civilian communities.
Recommendations: There needs to be more co-operation between military and
civilian HIV/AIDS related policy and programmes.
Presenting author: Roxanneh Bazergan, 33 Dalmeny road, London, United
Kingdom, Tel.: [phone], Fax: [phone], E-mail: [email protected]
ThOrG1509aI The impact of AIDS on food security in
North-western Tanzania
B. Chiduo1, L. Wambura1, N.R. Washija1, N. Shilangila1, C. Kishamawe1,
G. Banyenda1, S. Biseko1, M. Van Liere2, F Wilson1. I Tnesa, p.o. box 434,
Mwanza, Tanzania; 2KIT Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Background: The hiv/aids epidemic hits members of all categories of the society
though its impact on each of them is different. Resource-poor households with
chronically-ill people (CIP) are hit harder than others and are likely to become
food-insecure throughout the year. The extent to which aids contributes to food
insecurity is not well known hence the need to investigate the relationship between aids, food availability and nutrition for different categories of households
and identify possible actions regarding coping strategies.
Methods: Data for this cross-sectional study were collected by administering a
questionnaire to members of households from resource-rich, resource-medium
and resource-poor households, as defined by the community. Data were collected
during cultivation and harvesting seasons. In-depth interviews with key informants
and focus group discussions with household members were also conducted.
Results: Out of 153 respondents, 28, 59 and 66 were from resource-rich,
resource-medium and resource-poor households, respectively. More than 93% of
all households categories were food-insecure. However, the number of meals decreased substantially with decreasing resources and dramatically with the presence of a CIP. More CIP households had labour shortage and used less fertilizer
than households without CIP. Engage in small income-generating activities, expand or hire another farm and purchase food were the most frequently reported
strategies against food insecurity. However, resource-poor households with CIP
better coped by getting loans and planting drought-resistant crops.
Conclusion: Most households in aids-affected areas are food-insecure. The coping strategies against this differ with availability of resources and the presence
of CIP There is a need for coming up with strategies to improve food security,
especially in households with CIP, as most contain patients with aids-related conditions.
Presenting author: Betty Chiduo, p.o. box 434, Mwanza, Tanzania, Tel.:
[phone], Fax: [phone], E-mail: [email protected]
ThOrG1 510 HIV/AIDS, agro-biodiversity and food security

M. Villarreal, J.A. Gar. Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations
(FAO), FA.O., Via delle Terme di Caracalla, 00100 - Rome, Italy
Issues: Due to widespread morbidity and mortality of agricultural workers,
HIV/AIDS undermines agricultural dynamics, whilst posing tremendous pressures
on food security, nutrition and healthcare among the rural poor. In particular,
HIV/AIDS accelerates the ongoing erosion of agro-biodiversity and indigenous
knowledge, which play a critical role in the food security and development options

of rural communities. Overall, agro-biodiversity and indigenous knowledge represent potential resources to address food security, nutrition and health concerns in
AIDS-affected households and communities.
Description: This study investigates the potential of agro-biodiversity and indigenous knowledge to help rural people to cope with HIV/AIDS impact, as well as
with food insecurity. It is based on recent field research in Uganda and Tanzania,
including fieldwork in about 30 villages in four agro-ecological zones. Interviews
covered farmers' groups, women's associations and AIDS-affected households.
It also draws on FAO's studies on HIV/AIDS impact on agriculture and food security carried out since 1988. In essence, this research explores agro-biodiversity
and indigenous knowledge as strategic components for the agricultural sector response to HIV/AIDS.
Lessons learned: Agro-biodiversity and indigenous knowledge are critical components to combat food insecurity and the impact of HIV/AIDS. They represent
locally available resources capable of empowering rural people in the view of
chronic food insecurity problems and the evolving needs owing to HIV/AIDS.
Gender-sensitive approaches and community mobilisation initiatives are essential
forces in strategies focusing on agro-biodiversity and indigenous knowledge.
Recommendations: Develop policies and programmes aiming at the conservation and use of agro-biodiversity and indigenous knowledge as local resources to
mitigate HIV/AIDS impact, enhance food security and improve the nutrition-health
interface among the rural poor.
Presenting author: Marcela Villarreal, F.A.O., Via delle Terme di Caracalla,
00100 - Rome, Italy, Tel.: [phone], Fax: [phone], E-mail:
[email protected]
ThOrG15111 Developing district-level early warning and
decision support systems to assist in managing
and mitigating the impact of HIV/AIDS on education
P.J. Badcock-Walters', W.A. Heard2, D.N. Wilson2. 1'University of Natal,
HEARD, Durban, South Africa; 2EduAction, Durban, South Africa
Issues: The impact of HIV/AIDS on Africa's education sector is profound and is
eroding the delivery of learning, teaching and development to an unprecedented
degree. The primary impact of the disease is to exacerbate existing levels of
dysfunction and make an already bad situation worse. Conventional education
management information systems (EMIS), even where they are functional, do not
capture or provide the kind of indicators required to guide response to this crisis,
or provide data regularly enough to identify trends.
Description: To meet this need, a District-Level Education Monitoring System
(DEMO) has been developed, to capture a limited number of key management
and HIV/AIDS indicators on a monthly basis in schools. DEMO is designed to
facilitate the processing and analysis of these data at the local level and guide
immediate management response at the school, circuit and district levels. This
system has been piloted in eighty-seven schools in the Dannhauser District of
KwaZulu Natal, the worst affected of South Africa's nine provinces, over a sixmonth period.
Lessons learnt: The resultant time-series of monthly returns, by age and gender,
has provided an insight into trends and the geographic variability of impact, measuring declining enrolment, absenteeism, drop out, orphaning, economic stress,
pregnancy, morbidity and mortality by school. A key dividend has been the empowerment of local officials, who employ management checklists to develop innovative and effective responses to this new information, and monitor trends.
Recommendations: DEMO application will be expanded in KwaZulu Natal and
piloted in other African countries; this should open the way to creating a new generation of HIV/AIDS sensitive decision support systems and should be considered
by all interested parties.
Presenting author: Peter Badcock-Walters, HEARD, University of Natal, Durban,
4041, South Africa, Tel.: [phone], Fax: [phone], E-mail: peterbw
@eastcoast.co.za
ThOrG1512 AIDS and primary school enrollment in
Northwestern Tanzania
M. Ainsworth1, K. Beegle1, G. Koda2. 1The World Bank, Washington DC, United
States; 2University of Dar es Salaam, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
The AIDS epidemic is leaving many African children parentless. The loss of a parent could reduce a child's schooling if families are unable to pay fees, the demand
for a child's time at home increases or guardians are less motivated to invest in
orphans. The evidence of this relationship is largely anecdotal. It is important to
understand which children are most affected and which policy instruments are
likely to have an impact on enrollment. The objective of this study is to measure
the impact of adult deaths and orphan status on enrollment of primary aged children.
We focus on the enrollment of children age 7-14, using data from a longitudinal
household survey conducted from 1991-1994 in Tanzania. The data come from

the Kagera region of Tanzania, which at the time of the study was the area of
Tanzania hardest-hit by the AIDS epidemic. We use econometric techniques appropriate for the panel data.
Our initial analysis suggests that adult deaths result in delayed enrollment of
young children, with no different for enrollment of older children. Young maternal orphans are held back but they eventually enroll at the same rates as others.
The impact of an adult death depends on economic status: children with low eco