Supported by L’Initiative, the International AIDS Society (IAS) launches the fifth edition of its mentorship program, which aims to strengthen the skills and visibility of young professionals in the fight against AIDS.
- 20
mentor-mentee pairs trained
- €212,448 committed
by L’Initiative through L’Accélérateur
for the 2024-2025 period
The International AIDS Society (IAS), the largest network of professionals engaged in the fight against HIV, works to reduce the impact of the HIV pandemic through collective advocacy. To improve the relevance and sustainability of the response to the pandemic, the IAS focuses on training the next generation of professionals. To this end, the IAS Educational Fund has been launched. Among other things, this fund is dedicated to capacity building through a mentorship program—namely the IAS Mentorship Program.
Training the next generation of HIV professionals
This mentorship program connects young professionals under the age of 35 with at least three years of experience in the fight against HIV to seasoned experts in the field. The goal is to facilitate the transfer of skills, share experiences, and strengthen the autonomy and expertise of young researchers and professionals, while supporting their visibility as agents of change in the fight against AIDS.
A decisive support from L’Initiative
To support the fifth edition of the IAS Mentorship Program—which has been running since 2021—L’Initiative has committed €212,448 through L’Accélérateur for the 2024-2025 period. This support is in line with its strategy of prioritizing human resources in health. Nearly half of L’Accélérateur’s budget was dedicated to this initiative in 2023, with a focus on the initial and ongoing training of healthcare professionals. L’Initiative’s support for the IAS Mentorship Program will allow for the selection of twenty mentor-mentee pairs, double the number from the previous edition. At least 10 mentees will come from a country eligible for L’Initiative’s support. A Francophone component will also be developed within the IAS mentorship program. Through this, L’Initiative aims to strengthen local competencies for HIV care in the beneficiary countries.
A structured training program
The program lasts for six months and begins with individual mentorship sessions. Each mentee is paired with a mentor based on their interests and specialties. Specific objectives are set, such as publishing research data, acquiring advocacy skills, or launching a new project. The IAS organizes thematic training sessions on topics such as gender, stigma, and grant writing in the form of webinars. This year, the mentor-mentee pairs will receive support to participate in the 13th IAS Conference on HIV Science, which will take place in Kigali, Rwanda, in July 2025. This will be an opportunity to access the latest scientific advancements on HIV and meet various stakeholders in the global fight against AIDS. To continue sharing best practices after the six-month mentorship, the IAS maintains an alumni network for the program.
Apply now!
Would you like to receive professional support or mentor future leaders in the response to HIV?
Then this mentoring programme could be for you.
The deadline for applications is 20 December 2024 at 23:59 CET.
