Netherlands: Short course HIV and food and nutrition security with fellowship opportunity

Although the AIDS epidemic has been forced into decline, the number of people living with HIV continues to increase. The access to antiretroviral therapy is globally increasing, resulting that people are living longer and healthier lives. Food and nutrition security is vital to continue this positive trend. Lack of food and nutrition security undermines the adherence to the antiretroviral therapy and may hasten the progression to the AIDS phase. At the same time it also reduce the productivity and working capacity of people living with HIV, sending them in a downwards spiral of malnutrition, ill-health and food and nutrition insecurity.

HIV as a cause of food and nutrition insecurity

Despite the success of 15.8 million people accessing anti-retroviral therapy, still an unacceptable high number of people are getting newly infected with HIV. In 2014, 1.2 million people died from AIDS related deaths. Food and nutrition security is of fundamental importance in this context. Good nutrition will keep people living with HIV healthier for longer and reduces the risk of HIV infection and transmission.
Communities depending on agriculture for their livelihoods, in particularly, have been affected by the epidemic, given the implications of reduced labor power compromising the ability of affected individual, households and communities to feed themselves. The response to the AIDS epidemic need to be holistic, multi-sectorial, and grounded in the three fundamental principles: prevention, care and treatment.
This course focus on the interrelationship between food, nutrition security and HIV using a Human Rights-Based Approach. It discusses the actions that can be taken to provide nutrition security to people living with HIV, their families and communities. Highly skilled experts will facilitate the course to provide you with the knowledge and skills to design and strengthen the implementation of programs to mitigate the negative effects of HIV on livelihoods. In addition, the course is highly interactive, building on the participant’s own experiences and cases.
Course objectives
Upon completion of this course you will:

• have insight into the medical aspects of HIV, AIDS and their relation to nutritional status;
• undertand the interrelation between food and nutrition security and HIV;
• have strengthened your competence to design a programme to address the negative impacts of HIV on food and nutrition security, using a Human rights-based approach;
• Have clear ideas on how to lobby /advocate to integrate HIV in policies and programs.

Entry requirements
Applicants should have a BSc or equivalent in the field of food and nutrition, home economics, agriculture, medicine or a related field, and have at least three years of professional experience in governmental or local non-governmental organisation related to the field of the course. Proficiency in English is required.

More information about how to apply can be found here: http://www.wur.nl/en/Expertise-Services/Research-Institutes/centre-for-development-innovation/short-...