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CORVALLIS - Twelve faculty members and community-based health care workers from the African countries of Botswana and Lesotho will visit Oregon State University for about two weeks beginning May 30 as part of a program to link academic institutions and community-based organizations working on HIV and AIDS prevention in their countries.

The program is funded by a grant to OSU from the U.S. Department of State.

While in Oregon, the visitors will work with OSU faculty members and community-based organizations - including the largest AIDS service agency, Cascades AIDS Project in Portland - to get ideas about more efficient and effective ways of organizing AIDS and HIV prevention programs in Botswana and Lesotho.

Prevention won't be easy, says Donna Champeau, an associate professor of public health at OSU.

"Botswana has the highest reported rate of HIV infection in all of Africa at about 35 percent of the population," she said. "Yet they have a strong commitment from the government to fight HIV and AIDS, and relatively good social and physical infrastructure. Reported rates in Lesotho are lower, but resources also are more limited. Both countries face a number of significant barriers, from religion to gender roles to a lack of resources.

"It seems bleak," Champeau added, "but there are some positive signs. People are making tremendous efforts to bring awareness of HIV issues to the people, from signs on the streets, to education in the schools."

Each country is sending four faculty members and two community members to OSU, where they will receive leadership training, discuss research results, tour local and county facilities, and meet with a variety of people whose careers revolve around HIV education. The visitors will spend five days in Portland beginning June 7 with a similar agenda.

"Given the scope of the problem in the two countries - and the scarcity of resources - the best chance for success in HIV prevention is utilizing indigenous networks and communities of health professionals and community-based organizations," Champeau said.

That community-based model is one that has worked well in other areas, according to Marion McNamara, co-director of OSU's Office of International Research and Development. OSU faculty members have had success in developing countries by working at the community level on education, disaster relief, and health and safety issues.

"The community level is where things get done," she said. "A familiar, respected face will have a lot more credibility than complete strangers." Training those familiar faces is one of the goals of the OSU-based project.

The project is a collaborative effort between faculty from OSU, the University of Botswana, and the National University of Lesotho, and community-based organizations from all three countries.