The article seeks to sensitize the development community, particularly outside the education sector, about the issues surrounding education as a vehicle for promoting sustainable development in an AIDS environment in Africa.

This report is the second assessment of the responsiveness to HIV of Education Sector Plans which have been appraised and endorsed by the Education for All Fast Track Initiative (EFA-FTI).

Background: The HIV/AIDS epidemic remains of global significance and there is a need to target (a) the adolescent age-groups in which most new infections occur; and (b) sub-Saharan Africa where the greatest burden of the epidemic lies.

In 2008, sexual and reproductive health (SRH) rights as well as related issues in the context of HIV and human rights were identified as key advocacy issues for the AIDS and Rights Alliance for Southern Africa (ARASA).

The sub-Saharan Africa is one of the hardest hit regions by the HIV/AIDS pandemic.

The paper examines the degree to which orphans and other vulnerable children is addressed in national development instruments in eastern and southern Africa, assuming that integration brings tangible benefits for orphans and vulnerable children.

This report documents the findings of a study on the quality and effectiveness of collaboration among partners involved in the HIV and AIDS response in the education sector.

The MEMA kwa Vijana (Tanzania) and Regai Dzive Shiri (Zimbabwe) adolescent sexual and reproductive health intervention trials focused on developing skills and changing attitudes and self-efficacy to change behaviours.

This research conducted at the University of the Western Cape (UWC) aimed to gain insights into the way in which new technologies could be employed in the fight against HIV and AIDS in a tertiary education context.

This study is an article extracted from "Studies in Family Planning", special issue on "Adolescent sexual and reproductive health in Sub-Saharan Africa", published in December 2008.