“Yes, Africa Needs Rectal Microbicides” IRMA/AVAC teleconferenceSeptember 27, 2011Jim Pickett, IRMA Chair
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Developing an African rectal microbicide agenda that articulates research, advocacy and community mobilisation strategies
Today
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• Who is IRMA?• What is Project ARM?– Goals, objectives
• ICASA 2011 satellite• Then what?
Who is IRMA?
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Mission: support development of safe, effective,
acceptable, and accessible
rectal microbicides for all who need them
AFC secretariat
1000+ advocates, scientists, funders, policymakers from
6 continents – IRMA-ALC and IRMA Nigeria
chapters
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Born 2005
Report includes:
Updated resource tracking
& funding projectio
ns
Overview IRMA
activities
Updated Research snapshot
Advocacy goals
Global context
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rectalmicrobicides.org
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Highly active moderated listserv, website, blog, Facebook, Twitter, teleconferences
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Survey now available in English, Spanish, French, Russian and Chinese. Portuguese, Thai and German are coming.
rectalmicrobicides.org
What is Project ARM?
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• Long-term, sustained project of IRMA to develop community capacity around rectal microbicide advocacy– ensure broad participation in guiding research activities – ensure well-informed community input into development of
African rectal microbicide research and implementation agenda.
• Project ARM born from series of community consultations with African advocates and allies at Microbicides 2010 , AIDS 2010 and through IRMA listserv
• First-year funding provided by National Institutes of Health/Office of AIDS Research, New Venture Fund
• AVAC an organizing partner 9
• Project ARM’s activities will lead to expanded African rectal microbicide education and advocacy.
• Project ARM’s activities will support the planning and implementation of rectal microbicide clinical trials in Africa in an environment that is as safe as possible for participants.
• Project ARM’s activities will support the eventual rollout of safe, effective, acceptable and accessible rectal microbicides for African men, women, and transgender individuals.
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Goals
• Centerpiece activity– Working/strategy meeting in advance of ICASA 2011
(International Conference on AIDS and STIs in Africa) – Addis, Ababa, Ethiopia, December 2 – 3, 2011– 40 individuals will participate – Africans/allies– Scholarship program to support additional 12
Africans to attend (plus invited presenters and stakeholders)• 150+ Africans submitted scholarship applications• Scoring now underway – announcement October 3
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at ICASA 2011
• Capacity-building– Enhance capacity of African community advocates to participate in rectal
microbicide agenda-setting, research and mobilisation efforts
• Setting the stage and context– Promote a common understanding of how rectal microbicide research is
proceeding, potential role that African rectal microbicide research and advocacy, and various African contexts within which rectal microbicides would be introduced
• Setting the agenda– Develop strategies for community mobilization and more African
involvement in rectal microbicides; put rectal microbicides on biomedical HIV-prevention research agenda in Africa; and, develop an African rectal microbicide research agenda that is part of global efforts
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at ICASA 2011
• Project ARM video (IRMA, Pop Council, others)– Educate communities and policymakers about
prevalence of anal intercourse among men and women in Africa and associated HIV/STI risks
– Make case for why rectal microbicides are needed in Africa
– Provide information about existing HIV prevention strategies for anal intercourse, including guidance about condom-compatible lubricants
• Produce report for release at Microbicides 2012 in Sydney, Australia– Detailing outcomes from Addis - African-specific
strategy
• Follow through! 13
Next steps
“IF YOU THINK YOU’RE TOO SMALL TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE, YOU’VE NEVER SPENT THE NIGHT WITH A MOSQUITO.” – AFRICAN SAYING