"Alarming" new data

The Angolan ministry of health has released "new and alarming data" suggesting a sharp rise in the HIV-positive rate among women attending selected ante-natal clinics, UNICEF said in its latest situation report.

In 1999, the sero-prevalence rate among ante-natal clinic attendees was 3.4 percent. The result of a recent study supported by the UN childrens' agency - gathered in identical circumstances - demonstrated an 8.6 percent sero-positive rate. Approximately 40 percent of Angolan women attend pre-natal clinics.

"Further, it is believed that women who attend pre-natal consultations are somewhat protected from HIV as they are among those who have access to the health infrastructure," the UNICEF November-December situation report said.

UNICEF's HIV/AIDS project works with three large national NGOs who serve as mentors to over 20 smaller youth NGOs in three provinces. The mentoring organisations facilitate the youths’ work in the communities through peer-to-peer education and the establishment of youth information centres.

Additionally, collaboration has continued with the three mentoring institutions in the development of four training modules: social marketing, administration of projects, methodologies that aim to reach the most marginalised sectors of the population, and the participation of youth in the monitoring and evaluation process.