Eastern Cape AIDS Council

Goal

To ensure effective management of HIV/AIDS response in the province.

Programme Purpose

The purpose of this programme is assists the province to effectively manage the Province’s response to HIV/AIDS. This programme also focuses on conducting the secretariat work for the Eastern Cape Council.

Description of the Programme

The Eastern Cape AIDS Council was established in 2001 as an organ to coordinate and champion the response against the HIV and AIDS pandemic in the Eastern Cape Province.

The Eastern Cape AIDS Council (ECAC) is a multi-stakeholder body mandated to advise the Eastern Cape Provincial Government on all issues relating to HIV/AIDS and to ensure a comprehensive multi sectoral response to the pandemic in the province. ECAC was established to ensuring greater co-operation between government and organs of civil society in the battle against HIV/AIDS. As a multi-sectoral body ECAC includes government departments and the broader civil society formations. The main purpose of this multi sectoral body is to facilitate planning, coordinate implementation, mobilize resources and monitor and evaluate the delivery and impact of HIV/AIDS interventions. ECAC plays an advisory, coordination, resource mobilization, advocacy, monitoring and facilitation role.

The work in the Province is guided by the Provincial Strategic Plan which is a document that is used to coordinate, strengthen and measure the provincial multi sectoral effort expended towards the fight against HIV/AIDS and STI. The PSP is a multi-sectoral plan that requires the contribution of all sectors of society in the fight against HIV/AIDS in the Eastern Cape Province. The successful implementation of this plan will make a significant dent in the fight against HIV/AIDS in the province. The ECAC secretariat strives to provide overall advice on the implementation of this plan through the following components i.e. planning, social mobilization, communication and advocacy, research and monitoring and evaluation respectively.

During his address at World AIDS Day at 01 Deceber 2009, President Mr. Jacob Zuma made announcements of changes to South African HIV policy. most notably, expanding the groups eligible for antiretroviral treatment. These announcements had far reaching implications and suggest a major makeover of the HIV/AIDS landscape at the policy level. The South African government has embarked on a HIV counselling and testing campaign, and ECAC hosts the nerve centre for this campaign.

ECAC Projects

• HIV Counselling and testing campaign
• World AIDS Day
• Political economy of HIV and AIDS Conference
• Provincial Strategic Plan
• Human Rights Count
• Youth and HIV/AIDS
• The Steps for Future Films on HIV/AIDS project
• The Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission (PMTCT) and Anti-Retroviral Treatment (ART) research studies.

Publications

• Provincial Strategic Plan on HIV/AIDS 2012-2016
• Review of the PSP 2007-2011
• AIDS Council Induction Handbook
  Provincial Strategic Plan
• Report from World AIDS Day 2009
• Annual Report 2009/2010
• ECAC Company Profile
• Human Rights Count
• Farm Workers and HIV
• Social Determinants of HIV
• Conference Report: The Political Economy of HIV and AIDS in the Eastern Cape

ECAC Personnel

• Mr Vuyisa Dayile
  Programme Manager and Head of Secretariat
  
  
• Ms Nomonde Hlatshaneni
  Impact, Mitigation and Human Rights Coordinator
  
  

• Dr Pelisa Dana
  Senior HIV and AIDS Researcher
   
• Ms Nophiwe Ludidi 
  Treatment, Care and Support Coordinator

 

• Mr Lulama Mpahla
  Youth Coordinator
  
  
• Ms Bulelwa Mhlonhlo
  Events Coordinator