Global AIDS - Botswana

Botswana AIDS Melbourne

This is an organisation formed in November, 2003, at the University of Melbourne by medical students from Botswana , determined to make an impact on HIV/AIDS in Botswana that's claiming so many lives there.

BAM's leader is Maxwell Nhlatho.

One of Maxwell's first assignments as President of BAM was to join in a global debate with his country's President Mogae in a hook-up arranged by the BBC as part of a news special on HIV/AIDS, leading up to World AIDS Day, 2003.

Click here for the transcript of that interview, including Maxwell's contribution.

Maxwell Nhlatho
President, Botswana AIDS Melbourne, Faculty of Medicine, University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Email: mdnmax@yahoo.co.uk

Aims and Objectives

1. To develop the most effective HIV prevention strategies for Botswana.

2. To evaluate the effectiveness of promoting ABC – Abstinence, Be Faithful, Condoms, as an HIV preventive strategy for Botswana.

3. To promote male circumcision for HIV prevention in Botswana.

4. To pioneer youth-to-youth HIV prevention programmes in Botswana schools, and to disseminate the information on a dedicated website, www.firstaids.info.

5. To raise HIV/AIDS awareness within the University of Melbourne, and to relay the latest research findings back to our colleagues in Botswana.

6. To train a group of Botswana medical students in the University of Melbourne, so that they will be able to teach HIV/AIDS in the new Medical School to be established in Gaborone in 2007.

7. To provide input to the development of the Australian wesbsites, www.aids.net.au and www.circumcision.com.au, so that they reflect the challenges and achievements of Botswana.

8. To liaise with the Botswana High Commission in Canberra and the Ministry of Health in Gaborone, so that they are kept informed about all of the above activities.