Welcome to SAHARA

The Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) established SAHARA on 7 August 2001 as an alliance of partners in order to conduct, support and use social sciences research to prevent the further spread of HIV and mitigate the impact of its devastation in sub-Saharan Africa.

The HSRC is the administrative host organisation for SAHARA with all funding and finance issues being handled through the HSRC. SAHARA Head Office is housed within the HAST research programme/group of the HSRC which plays both a coordination and support role to SAHARA.

SAHARA is composed of: a Secretariat in Port Elizabeth, South Africa; three regional directorates for East and Central Africa, Southern Africa, and West Africa. Headed by a Director, the SAHARA Secretariat is responsible for the overall management of the SAHARA network; donor liaison and fundraising; communication and dissemination of information and best practice; development and maintenance of partnerships, alliances and networks; capacity development; convening of meetings and conferences; and strategic coordination of multi-country projects.

With the HSRC as its parent organization, SAHARA has a continent-wide reach, with networks and projects in a number of African countries.
SAHARA's work at the continental, regional and country levels finds relevance at the country level through the activities of national focal points, national approaches (including local research, interventions, policies and programs) are reinforced by SAHARA's international networks.

The organisational structure of SAHARA is a flexible, loosely structured and decentralised network of regional and national partners (including policy makers, programme planners, researchers, NGOs, community groups, donors and multilateral agencies) who use social science research to prevent the spread of HIV and mitigate its devastating impact in sub-Saharan Africa.