Its 8 am, Friday morning Nachilala Nkombo, a 29 year old zambian living and working in zimbabwe is getting ready for another speaking engagement, this time at American University.

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Nkombo, who works for the american friends service committee Africa program, has spent the last month speaking to numerous students on the east coast about how the International Monetary Fund and World Bank policies have fueled the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Saturday, which is her last speaking engagement in the U.S., Nkombo will tell thousands of students about the conditions that countries must comply with to recieve debt relief from the IMF and World Bank.

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Also on Saturday, a coalition of Indian American groups and HIV/AIDS advocacy groups will protest the Indian embassy. India is the number one generic drugs exporter in the world, these drugs are more affordable and are exported to many countries in Africa. However, the President of India,Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, recently signed a patent ordinance which would allow companies to patent newly developed pharmacuetical drugs. Proponents of the patent legislation say that in order to comply with World Trade Organization this legislation is essential and it will not affect the vast amount of generic drugs on the market but Veeneeta Gupta, an opponet of the patent legislation and the campaign director of Stop HIV/AIDS in India disagrees.

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The patent legislation took effect on January 1. However, the Indian Parliament has 6 months to decide whether to ratify the patent ordinance or the new rule will automatically be voided.

For Free Speech Radio News, in Washington, DC, I am Selina Musuta