HEAIDS aims to assist institutions to respond sensitively, appropriately and effectively to the HIV/AIDS pandemic through:

• Programmes to prevent the spread of HIV among students and staff. In South Africa, students - and particularly female students - fall into the age group that experiences the steepest rise in HIV prevalence.
• Programmes to provide treatment, care and support to students and staff who are living with HIV/AIDS. Many young South Africans are already HIV positive by their late teens. The rate is about one in 10 among young women aged 19 years.

HEAIDS' short-term support takes the form of financial grants to improve service capacity, access to training and other resources. In the longer-term, HEAIDS impact should be felt in terms of policy and planning support and advocacy for sustainable funding.

The population served

Collectively South Africa's 23 public institutions of higher education cater for about 750 000 students and employ some 50 000 full-time personnel. Ideally, HIV/AIDS interventions should reach this entire population of nearly 800 000 people. Approximately 40% of students pursue higher education through distance learning or part-time study. Their access to HIV/AIDS programmes is limited because they are not present on campus for any length of time.

Current response

The HIV/AIDS interventions undertaken by institutions include:

• HIV prevention activities, such as peer education and other educational interventions, condom distribution, and awareness campaigns.
• Voluntary counselling and testing services, usually through campus health clinics.
• Health services relevant to HIV/AIDS, including:
  • Treatment for STIs.
  • HIV prophylaxis after sexual assault.
  • Treatment for opportunistic infections. A few campuses offer TB treatment.

The range of services offered and the scale of service provision differs among institutions and even among different campuses of a single university. By the end of 2007, no institution was accredited by the Health Department to provide antiretroviral treatment (ART) for AIDS. However, most campus health clinics had well established procedures for referring students and employees in need of ART to private and public health facilities. Some were able to supervise ART once the individual had been stabilised on treatment.

HEAIDS's support

At the beginning of 2008, HEAIDS disbursed some R59 million in grants to 21 institutions. Individual allocations ranged from R1.5 million to R3 million. In most cases funding is being used to improve service provision such as building or expanding clinic facilities, introducing mobile clinics or augmenting skilled staff.

HEAIDS also concluded two important agreements that will give institutions access to resources to enhance their work:

• In terms of an agreement with the Foundation for Professional Development (FPD), the training wing of the South African Medical Association, institutional health personnel will have access to a range of training courses at no charge.
• An arrangement with the Centre for HIV/AIDS Networking (HIVAN) provides institutions easy access to an extensive database of HIV/AIDS services - HIV911 - which can be used to make effective referrals. The database can be accessed on line or by telephone on 0860 HIV (448) 911.