Project ARM: John Shaw Memorial Scholarship Call for Application

Project ARM—Africa for Rectal Microbicides—is a long-term, sustained project which aims to develop community capacity around rectal microbicide advocacy in order to ensure broad participation in research activities and well-informed community input into the development of an African rectal microbicide agenda. The end goal is enhanced rectal microbicide advocacy in Africa as well as the planning and implementation of rectal microbicide trials on the continent. Project ARM is coordinated by International Rectal Microbicide Advocates (IRMA). First year funding for Project ARM has been secured from the United States National Institutes of Health – Office of AIDS Research and the New Venture Fund. AVAC is also partnering with IRMA on this initiative.

Project ARM evolved from discussions initiated by IRMA through its listserv, and from input received from African advocates and partners at two informal meetings held in conjunction with the Microbicides 2010 (Pittsburgh) and AIDS 2010 (Vienna) conferences. A working group was formed following the Microbicides 2010 meeting, and has guided this process ever since. There are now 60 working group members including advocates and community members, researchers, funders and policy-makers from 10 African countries, as well as a few key international partners.

In order to develop an African rectal microbicide agenda that articulates research, advocacy and community mobilisation strategies, IRMA is hosting a working meeting on 2-3 December 2011 in Addis Ababa as part of Project ARM. This invite-only meeting is taking place prior to the 16th International Conference on AIDS and STIs in Africa (ICASA, December 4–8), and is considered an official satellite session.

PLEASE NOTE: This is a working meeting—not a workshop, nor a conference.

The objectives of the December working meeting are:

• To promote a common understanding of how rectal microbicide (RM) research and advocacy is proceeding, the potential role that African RM research and advocacy could play, and the various African contexts within which RMs would be introduced.
• To enhance the capacity of African community advocates to participate in RM agenda-setting, research and mobilisation efforts.
• To stimulate strategies for African community mobilization around RMs; to put RMs on the research agenda in Africa; and, to develop an African RM research agenda that is part of a global RM research agenda.

AIMS OF THE SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAMME 

1. To strengthen research literacy and advocacy capacity amongst IRMA membership in Africa
2. To promote and enhance the role and standing of IRMA within the microbicide community in Africa
3. To facilitate the involvement of well-informed and active members of the African research and advocacy communities in the development of an African rectal microbicides agenda
4. To ensure diversity in participation at the meeting, including from researchers and community members, women and men, gay men and other men who have sex with men, people living with HIV, and different regions of Africa

We are covering the travel costs of more than 30 of the 40 meeting participants—most of which are Africans—including speakers, organisers, invited guests, and key partners. This includes an additional 12 scholarships for Africans through this call for applications.

For more information, please send an email to rectalmicro@gmail.com.

[If an item is not written by an IRMA member, it should not be construed that IRMA has taken a position on the article's content, whether in support or in opposition.]