Africa FORUM 2009: FORUM CONTENT 

The Problem
HIV/AIDS and food and nutrition security (FNS) are inextricably linked. Food and nutrition insecurity are structural issues contributing to the spread of HIV, where hungry people may turn to unsafe practices, such as transactional sex, in order to feed themselves. Once infected, malnutrition increases susceptibility to opportunistic infection and hastens the onset of AIDS. As people living with HIV become sick, they are unable to farm and engage in other livelihood activities, threatening the nutrition and economic security of themselves and their families. For people on antiretroviral treatment, inadequate caloric intake has been clearly identified as the principal reason for the failure of clinical response to anti-retroviral therapy. 

Donors, policy makers, and practitioners alike are increasingly calling for the need to scale up successful practices in integrated HIV/AIDS and FNS programming. Populations especially in need of FNS support include HIV-positive children, pregnant and lactating women, and adults from food insecure households, as well as adults with HIV-related illnesses who are severely malnourished. Many people with HIV need FNS support in order to protect their nutritional status prior to starting HV treatment, and others need it to establish themselves on antiretroviral or tuberculosis treatment. Growing numbers of children affected by the pandemic are also in need of secure access to food and good nutrition.

Sustainable, community-based approaches that address the intersecting issues of HIV/AIDS, FNS, and livelihoods will increase the ability to prevent and treat HIV, and are key to improving the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of interventions.
 
Africa Forum 2009
Project Concern International (PCI) and partners are hosting Africa Forum 2009, scheduled for June 21st - 26th, 2009, in Malawi. The Forum will provide an important opportunity for local and international NGOs, public health and development organizations, and select policy makers to share experiences in integrating HIV/AIDS and FNS programmingboth to strengthen collective efforts, as well as to inform policy decisions based on ‘frontline’ realities. Unlike traditional, power-point driven academic conferences, Africa Forum 2009 will be a participatory event. It will facilitate interactive learning methodologies and hands-on skills building sessions to build the capacity of local program implementers. Ultimately, the Forum will initiate the creation of country-based mechanisms to help practitioners, policy makers and donors integrate HIV/AIDS and FNS strategies into national plans.

The Africa Forum 2009 builds upon the 2006 conference hosted by PCI and several other organizations in Lusaka, Zambia. The upcoming Forum will focus on the priorities identified by over 200 field-based African practitioners at this 2006 event, and examine the impact that the current world food crisis is having on those infected and/or affected by HIV/AIDS. It will also serve as a platform for continued relationship-building between implementing organizations to foster collaborative learning, and the incorporation of such learning into the design, funding and delivery of future programs.
 
Specific Objectives of the Africa Forum 2009

• Enhance learning and information sharing between Forum delegates, key donors, and policy makers and/or influencers;
• Increase the capacity of practitioners to scale up successful HIV/FNS interventions identified in their countries or the region; and
• Facilitate the process for delegates to create country-based mechanisms for sustainable field-based learning and advocacy through the PCI CoP model.

Planned Strategies and Activities
To achieve the conference objectives, the following strategies and activities will be implemented based on the conference’s principal themes: presentations; panel discussions; debates; skills building workshops; program site visits; new tool or technology demonstrations; networking and relationship-building events; and post-conference follow-up.
 
Planned Outputs and Outcomes

• Enhanced sharing of programmatic best practices in HIV/FNS programming, and increased capacity in the ‘how to’ of implementation, among frontline practitioners and key policy makers;
• Enhanced capacity on the ‘how to’ of setting up, implementing, managing, and sustaining CoPs;
• New and strengthened networks for information sharing, action, and advocacy;
• Diffusion of documented information between practitioners, donors, and key policy makers/influencers. 

Contact Information
For more information, please contact the Africa Forum 2009 organizing team at: AF09@projectconcern.org.