Taking the lead in HIV prevention

Estelle Heideman, currently a MPhil student of the Africa Centre who completed the PDM in 2001, was awarded a scholarship under a leadership initiative in the US. It entails an eight week training programme to help cultivate women leaders in South Africa who can make major contributions to HIV prevention advocacy at local, regional and national levels.

Heideman, the HIV/AIDS Coordinator at Lengau Agri Development Centre (Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, UFS), has been working on a number of farms in the southern Free State since 2006, in collaboration with the University’s Directorate Community Service and Free State Rural development programme. The prevention plan that captured the interest of the US panel of judges is an eight week programme among farm workers in the Philippolis district that aims to equip them to take control of their lives by knowing their HIV status and living a healthy lifestyle.

The Leadership Initiative provides a structured, support programme that enables participants to exchange best practices in the approach to HIV prevention that can be adapted to local circumstances. The programme is underwritten by the MAC AIDS Fund and managed by the HIV Centre for Clinical and Behavioral Studies at Columbia University (New York City) and the UCLA Program in Global Health at University of California (Los Angeles). The training period involves participating in an orientation overview, attending regular scheduled prevention seminars and policy meetings, as well as holding meetings with mentors. At the conclusion of the programme, the Leadership Initiative will, among other benefits, provide funds for the participants to carry out their prevention programme in South Africa. We sincerely congratulate Heideman on this noble achievement.