The presentation summarizes the work of SAHARA (Social Aspects of HIV/AIDS Research Alliance) in Southern Africa. Key points include strengthening SAHARA's capacity and leadership with a new director, prioritizing research on topics like multiple concurrent partnerships and orphans/vulnerable children, and proposing a new fundraising model to move from project-based to multi-year core funding to allow for more strategic planning.

1. SAHARA UPDATE PRESENTATION TO
CONTINENTAL ADVISORY BOARD
Nancy (Refilwe) Phaswana-Mafuya (PhD)
Director,SAHARA

2. • Key SAHARA Objectives
• Core Research Priorities
• Achievements
• Main Challenge: Funding/Current Fundraising Model
• Proposed new Fundraising Model for SAHARA
• Future Plans
• Acknowledgements
• The end

3. 1. Establish and facilitate research networks, partnerships and alliances
2. Strengthen SAHARA core office human resource capacity
3. Strengthen SAHARA strategic direction
4. Convene 2009 SAHARA Conference
5. Publish SAHARA journal and distribute copies to regions
6. Widely disseminate evidence-based information and best practices
7. Strengthen SAHARA Information systems
8. Build and sustain capacity in SSA for high quality research, analysis
and intervention on the social aspects of HIV/AIDS
9. Generate scientific material (i.e. implement research) on identified
research priorities outlined in the 2008-2010 strategic plan

4. • OVC interventions and care
• Stigma and disclosure, particularly among pregnant women
• Gender violence and HIV risk reduction
• Alcohol and HIV risk reduction
• Barriers and readiness for male circumcision
• Culture and AIDS
• Social Aspects of HIV vaccines
• Multiple Concurrent Sexual Partners (2008 CAB Recommendation)
• HIV Testing & Counseling (HTC)
• Prevention Mother To Child Transmission (PMTCT)

6. Fresh Commitment to SAHARA by HSRC
• Immediate replacement of former Director
• Allocation of staff
• Budget allocation
• Infrastructural Support
• Joint proposal writing

7. Strengthened Human Resource Capacity
Director Prof Refilwe Nancy Phaswana-Mafuya, wef 01 Oct 09
Senior staff members CRS: Dr Njeri Wabiri, East/Central Africa Liaison
SRM: Mr Adlai Davids, West Africa Liaison
RS: Dr Cily Tabane, Southern Africa Liaison
SAHARA J Editor: To be appointed, position advertised
Research Trainees PhD Trainees:
Mercy Banyini, SAHARA J
Mr Seth Mkhonto, website update
Master’s Trainee:
Mr John Masekoameng, wef 01/01/2010
Administration staff Administration:
Edgar Joshua: Financial Manager
Thandiwe Mgengo: Temp Personal Assistant
Nolonwabo Mhlanga: Personal Assistant, wef 01/01/2010
Miliswa Kota: Office Administrator, wef 01/01/2010

8. Strengthened Strategic Direction
SAHARA’s Strategic Management Process
Social-economic, International
Cultural and Ethical Quality Issues
Issues
Issues
Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4 Step 5
Establishing Formulating Implementing Undertaking
Environmental
Organizational Organizational Organizational Strategic
Analysis
Direction Strategies Strategies Control
Knowledge Capacity Information Networking Enabling
Production Building Dissemination Management
Environment
• SAHARA Strategic Framework 2008-2010
• SAHARA Research Strategy
• SAHARA Information Dissemination Strategy
• Energizing and strengthening SAHARA’s networks, partnerships and alliances

9. Interaction with Regions
• Senior Management Team meeting: 2 July 2008
• Senior Management Team meeting: 21 Nov 2008
• East/Central Africa RAB: 30 Nov 09
• Southern Africa RAB: 30 Nov 09
• SAHARA Lekgotla: September 2008
• Appointment of National Focal Points

10. SAHARA Conference 2009
• Thanks to Prof Geoffrey Setswe, Conference Convener, for
sterling work in arranging the conference
• Sponsors HSRC, CDC, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation,
UNDP, UNFPA and UNAIDS
• Nationally and Internationally recognized HIV/AIDS Experts
• Comprehensive list of network members - 320 delegates
• High quality papers, posters, skills development workshops &
round tables

11. SAHARA J and website
• Production of SAHARA J has continued on a quarterly basis (3 issues)
• Copies have been sent to regional offices
• IBSS and ISI indexed
• Sociological and Political Science Abstracts
• Full text links from PubMed
• Online Directory of Open Access Journals
• Appointment of new editor in progress (budgeted for)
• Regular updates and maintenance of the SAHARA website

12. SAHARA Exhibitions and Paper Presentations
• XVIIth International AIDS Conference held in Mexico City, 3rd – 8th
August 2008 and institutions, attracts 22 000 delegates from all over
the world
• The 4th South African AIDS Conference – Durban 31st – 4th April
2009
• The 5th IAS HIV Pathogenesis , Treatment and Prevention
Conference held in Cape Town 19th – 22nd July 2009, attracts about
5,000 delegates from all over the world
• The 9th AIDS Impact conference which took place in Botswana from
the 22nd – 25th September 2009
• In addition, papers were presented in all above-mentioned
conferences

13. Completed Project: SAHARA/WHO Research Partnership
• Output
• Monograph on acceleration of HIV prevention in the African Region:
Towards an operations Research agenda for the scale up of effective
interventions
• Contribution to Policy
• Prof Geoffrey Setswe presented Report at the WHO-AFRO Expert
Meeting on HIV prevention on 28 – 29 April 2009
• Dissemination
• Prof Geoffrey Setswe gave a PDM2009 Broadcast Lecture on 13 June
2009
• Prof Nancy Phaswana-Mafuya gave a keynote address at the Rwanda
HIV Prevention Conference, 1-2 Oct 09
• Prof Geoffrey Setswe facilitated workshop at the SAHARA 2009
Conference on Implementing behavioural HIV prevention interventions

14. Completed Project: SADC PMTCT/HTC Project
• Outputs
• Setswe, G., Wabiri, N., Seager, J. & Peltzer, K. (2009). The development of
harmonized minimum standards for guidance on HIV testing and counseling
(HTC) in the SADC region: assessment report on HTC policy reviews.
• Peltzer, K., Wabiri, N., Seager, J. & Setswe, G. (2009). Regional minimum
standards for guidance on prevention of mother to child transmission
(PMTCT) in the SADC region.
• Setswe, G., Wabiri, N., Seager, J. & Peltzer, K. (2009). Regional minimum
standards for guidance on HIV testing and counseling (HTC) in the SADC
region.
• Contribution to Policy
• Conducted SADC Consensus Building Workshop on PMTCT/HTC minimum
standards 25th-27th May 2009 in Elephant Hills Hotel, Victoria Falls,
Zimbabwe
• Presented findings to SADC AIDS Authorities in Kinshasa, DRC, 14-16
October 09
• In November 2009, the PMTCT and HTC minimum standards were
approved by the joint Ministers of Health and Ministers
responsible for HIV/AIDS

15. Ongoing project: Risky behaviours associated with blood
borne STIs among male ex-offenders in South Africa,
Ivory Coast, France and Canada
Outputs
• Report on recommendations to community organizations working with ex-
offenders on how to best intervene with at-risk groups in the prevention of
HIV and other blood borne STIs.
• Report on the findings regarding the knowledge of the interaction between
cultural and sub-cultural factors and motivational and cognitive factors
maintaining or discouraging these at-risk behaviours
Contribution to Policy
• To present a report on the research findings to the Department of
Correctional Services, Department of Health and Department of Social
Development in South Africa
Dissemination
• Presented the research findings to partners in Canada, France, Ivory
Coast, South Africa at a conference organized by the Canadian partners in
Ivory Coast, 15 -19 February 2010
• Present research findings to partners in South Africa at workshops
organized by the HSRC, April 2010

16. New Project: KAPB Survey in Zambia/ South Africa
• Regional Baseline Survey
• To establish Children’s KAPB in Relation to Sexuality and Gender,
Access to Sexuality and HIV Information and Sexual and Reproductive
Health Services in Zambia and South Africa
• Funded by Save the Children, Sweden in Nov 09
• Contribution
• Regional programme on children’s rights in Southern Africa for HIV
impact mitigation and prevention measures
• Effective national child protection systems

17. Multiple Concurrent Sexual Partnerships
• Expression of Interest submitted to the National AIDS
Coordinating Agency
• Objective: to assess the specific dimensions of MCSP such as
the social and cultural drivers and the various sources of
vulnerability in household, family, and community settings in
Botswana (Nov 09)
• Proposal submitted to conduct Lesotho follow up survey on
MCSP among Basotho men: Results of exposure to a multi level
media campaign (Nov 09)
• MCP Roundtable at the SAHARA conference

18. Orphans and Vulnerable Children
The following proposals have been submitted:
• Identifying the Determinants of HIV Infection Among Children Aged 5-
14 Years in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Botswana: The Healthy
Children Project
• The extent, nature & consequences of Child-headed Households in
sub-Sahara Africa
• Evaluation of Best Practice OVC Interventions at Six Sites in
Botswana, South Africa, and Zimbabwe

19. • Currently SAHARA funding comes from:
• Parliamentary Grant of the South African Government which is mainly
used to support SAHARA’s internal capacity to conduct its core functions
• External funding for research projects: competitive bids: tenders/ RFPs
• This type of funding model is volatile:
• prevents us from working in a number of strategic areas, e.g.
• Not being able to implement identified research priorities
• Limits our ability to build capacity
• Have not been able to fund any activities including research in other
regions

20. • Multi-year, multi-million funding
• Form fundraising committee
• Identify relevant donors
• Approach donors in search of core support
• Hold initial discussions with donors
• Present strategic plan and budget to donors
• Get donors to pledge their support
• Sign bilateral agreements with with each donor for a 5-year period or longer

21. • Implement agreed upon fundraising model
• Strengthen SAHARA Strategic direction
• Implement agreed upon plan of action
• Implement CAB recommendations
• 2011 SAHARA Conference

22. • Prof Geoffrey Setswe for his contribution to
SAHARA while Acting Director
• Dr Olive Shisana, Prof Leickness Simbayi
and Dr Njeri Wabiri for their input on the
presentation
• Prof John Seager for editing the presentation