Themes for the Campaign
UTech continues to emphasise the importance of abstention, fidelity, consistent condom use and the importance of knowledge to fight HIV, as well as caring for and respecting those living with HIV and AIDS (PLWHA).
In 2005/06, one of the major emphases in the Ministry of Health's programme is the expansion of HIV testing in Jamaica. Therefore, several elements of the UTech HIV and AIDS education programme are complementary to that focus. A new emphasis in the "knowledge" theme for the 2005 HAAD is, "Been tested lately?" Accompanying this theme are cycles of HIV testing over the year (beginning with registration for testing at the HAAD), and the mounting of a competition to develop a mobile Health Clinic for Jamaica, which will incorporate HIV testing and education as features of its services.
Caribbean School of Architecture - competition to develop a Mobile Health Clinic for Jamaica
In 2003, the Head of the Caribbean School of Architecture, in response to the University's policy of infusing information about HIV and AIDS into all curricula, challenged the Master's of Architecture students, as their initial course assignment, to design a mobile health clinic suitable for Jamaican geography and circumstances, following the guidelines of an all-Africa competition being mounted by the non-governmental organisation Architecture for Humanity (http://www.architectureforhumanity.org/projects) at the time. The students' conceptual designs were displayed at the initial HAAD exhibition in 2003, and again at the 2004 exhibition.
In memory of its initiator, the late E. Nadine Isaacs, and in light of the need to move health services (including HIV testing) out of the urban setting and into rural Jamaica, the Caribbean School of Architecture challenged the 2005/06 Master's of Architecture students to undertake the same assignment again.
UNESCO is providing the first prize money for the winning entry.
The competition will be judged by a panel of experts from the fields of architecture, design and health, and the University is in negotiation with both PAHO and the Global Fund for AIDS to fund the development and testing of the prototype of the winning entry in 2006.
This initiative, called the E. Nadine Isaacs Memorial Mobile Health Clinic Design Competition, is an exciting initiative that will allow the University and its HIV and AIDS Education campaign to make a positive contribution to national development in the fields of health and architectural design.
HIV and AIDS Portal - a participatory year-round electronic learning system for the University community
The concept of making a portal dedicated to HIV and AIDS education and information available to the members of the UTech community through the University's Intranet has been discussed for the past two years. Vilcomm International mounted a shell of the portal design for testing with the students and staff in 2003/04, and a sole source proposal was presented to the Ministry of Health in 2004/05.
The potential of this electronic resource has become more apparent with the maturing of the HIV and AIDS education programme at UTech and the availability of trained Peer Counsellors to join in the initiative.
Therefore, in 2005/06 the HIV and AIDS Steering Committee is placing extra energy and focus on the development and implementation of the University Portal for HIV and AIDS education. The University has requested funding support for developing the Portal from the HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control Project through its HADDS and through private sector partners.
The Committee hopes that the Minister will be able to launch the Portal when he opens the third annual HAAD on November 30, 2005.
Third annual HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (HAAD), November 30, 2005
The third annual HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (HAAD) will be mounted on the Front Lawn of the University campus from 1:30 -5:00 p.m. on November 30, 2005. The Minister of Health has been invited to open the event, as he has done for the past two years.
Currently in advanced stages of planning, the 2005 HAAD, operating under the theme "Been tested lately?" has invited 45 organisations - Ministries, government agencies, non-governmental and faith-based organisations, private sector companies and academic institutions in Jamaica to mount exhibits at the HAAD. The winning entry of the E. Nadine Isaacs Memorial Mobile Health Clinic Design Competition will be announced, and the UTech HIV and AIDS education portal will be launched.
The very popular Speakers' Corner from 2004 has been expanded to have more speakers on topics of interest, and two dramatic presentations, Trevor Rhone's musical, "Positive" and ASHE Troupe's "Vibes" will be mounted in the Alfred Sangster Auditorium to complement the activities of the exhibition.
Role of the Ministry of Health's HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control Programme: The contribution of the HIV/AIDS Demand Driven Sub-Project (HADDS)
Since the inception of the University's HIV and AIDS education campaign, it has received increasing contributions to the mounting of various events through grants from the HADDS. From the initial HADDS contribution to the mounting of the Graffiti Competition in 2003, the partnership between the HIV/AIDS Steering Committee and the HADDS grant programme has continued to grow. In 2004 and again in 2005, the HADDS has - and is providing - infrastructural support for the mounting of the exhibition including advertising and signage, the FAME-FM outside broadcast at the exhibition, and the provision of tents and basic display elements for exhibitors. In 2004 the grant also supported elements of the companion activities such as the inaugural videoconference in the highly-successful Africa/Caribbean videoconference series and the videotaping of the "Songlink: Music with a Message".
The University values the collaborative partnership it has developed with the Ministry of Health in the fight against HIV and AIDS in Jamaica.