THE International AIDS Society, IAS, on Thursday, March 7 announced a new press fellowship series that aims to advance on-the-ground media coverage of the human and community impacts of implementing key HIV-related science and research.

The IAS Educational Fund Press Fellowship offers selected journalists the opportunity to gain first-hand experience by visiting implementers of HIV programmes and their clients through exclusively tailored field trips. Additionally, the fellowship will provide the opportunity to meet with scientific experts, to gain deep knowledge of HIV-related issues at the country level.

Journalists will be selected for one of the following press fellowship opportunities:

Accra, Ghana: May 11-13, 2019

Harare, Zimbabwe: June 24-25, 2019

The fellowship is introduced at a time when HIV is increasingly interconnected with the health and development fields.

Women and girls continue to be disproportionately affected: one in three women worldwide has experienced physical or sexual violence. Meanwhile, of the 195 countries in the world today, only 24 permit same-sex marriage, which further perpetuates a dangerous cycle of incarceration, infection and prejudice of people most vulnerable to HIV. Half of all new HIV infections are among key populations and their partners, who are still not getting the services they need.

“The HIV epidemic is not on track to end by 2030,” Mandy Sugrue, the communications director at the IAS, said. “How we connect the most breaking science to real-world realities on a national and community level is key.

“These fellowships will provide journalists the opportunity to speak directly with leaders on the forefront of scientific discovery, as well as healthcare professionals and individuals accessing their services. They will gain insights into translating global research to progress at the national and community level.”

The IAS Educational Fund Press Fellowship will present direct access to experts through specially convened briefings and events. Additionally, each fellowship will include site visits to community programmes working on the ground to address the most pressing issues in the host country.

Topics will include reaching key populations – men who have sex with men, LGBT communities, sex workers and people who inject drugs – as well as co-infections, addressing stigma and discrimination and human rights-related issues. There will also be a focus on the most critical science and research from the year and how it is being implemented within the country/region, including the development of safe and effective vaccine, prevention and treatment programmes.

The IAS Educational Fund Press Fellowship was developed from the IAS Educational Fund, which provides educational and training opportunities to frontline HIV professionals. The fellowship programme is made possible through an independent educational grant from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation.

The fellowship is intended for journalists interested in HIV and HIV-related issues. We welcome applications from journalists filing across all platforms, both traditional and digital. Each fellowship will select six journalists, including two national/local journalists, two regional journalists and two international journalists. Selected journalists will receive full travel and lodging and a daily stipend. Please note that selected local journalists will not receive lodging based on proximity to the fellowship meeting areas.

The applications for Ghana and Zimbabwe are now open and will close on Sunday, March 24, at 23:59 CET. The application can be found here.

For more information, please contact Michael Kessler at michael.kessler@intoon-media.com.

– Mar. 8, 2019 @ 17:05 GMT |