02 May 2013

Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development has launched a capacity building programme to rejuvenate and refine skills for existing District HIV/AIDS Coordinators (DACs) personnel to enable them to address the changing HIV/AIDS environment.

The initiative called Applied Leadership Development Programme for DACs, which is a collaborative effort between the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development, National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors (NASTAD) and Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), was launched on April 29.

Speaking at the programme launch, Local Government and Rural Development permanent secretary, Mr Boipelo Khumomatlhare said he had no doubt that the capacity building initiative would go a long way in improving the coordination of HIV/AIDS at district level and building the competencies of the staff.

Mr Khumomatlhare said the DACs were critical to the management and coordination of the HIV/AIDS district response, adding that the initiative would also help to strengthen the coordination of the district response to HIV/AIDS. 

 “The Ministry continues to seek better ways to equip and support the DACs and other staff in responding to the ever changing landscape of the HIV/AIDS epidemic,” he added.

In 2011, Mr Khumomatlhare said the ministry in partnership with NASTAD and CDC, conducted a skills gap assessment of the DAC.

The gaps identified by the assessment included the following; planning, managing budgets, collaboration, monitoring and evaluation.

He said it was against this background that the Applied Leadership Development Programmed for the DACs was conceived. 

The ministry would monitor the implementation of the programme through the relevant fora and would also ensure that the programme was institutionalised within the administrative structures.

The launch attracted a wide range of professionals who shared a common interest in strengthening coordination of the District HIV/AIDS response. ENDS