The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has
awarded funding of USD 350,000 to IOM's Regional Office for
Southern Africa to undertake a regional assessment on HIV
vulnerability in the context of migration and population mobility
in eight countries within the Southern African Development
Community (SADC).

The assessment, to be conducted over a five-month period, will
concentrate primarily on labour and economic migrants employed in
the agriculture, mining, transport, construction, maritime, and
informal cross border trade sectors; and at a secondary level on
irregular migrants.

The project aims to assess gaps in national and regional
policies and legislation, as well as HIV prevention programme
responses with regard to HIV vulnerability of mobile
populations.

"The project will assist USAID in forming a regional strategy
for addressing HIV prevention within migrant settings and can also
be used as an advocacy and resource mobilization tool," explained
Karen Kasan, Director of USAID's Regional HIV Programme.

The assessment will be undertaken in Angola, Lesotho, Malawi,
Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland and Zambia.

For more information please contact:

Nosipho Theyise

Tel: +27 12 342 2789

E-mail: "mailto:ntheyise@iom.int" target="_blank" title=
"">ntheyise@iom.int