Be wise: condomise

Dear reader, 

Impressed by what I heard about the children in Phumlani primary school - a lot of classes are full of orphans, as their parents died of aids. You can read some data underneath.  
After this report, I wil concentrate on more pleasant aspects of my stay in Hluhluwe. 
Yours affectionately.

HIV/AIDS in South Africa is a prominent health concern; South Africa is believed to have more people with HIV/AIDS than any other country in the world.

Although new infections among mature age groups in South Africa remain high, new infections among teenagers seem to be on the decline. HIV/AIDS prevalence figures in the 15–19 year age group for 2005, 2006 and 2007 were 16%, 14% and 13% respectively.

The Human Sciences Research Council, a South African institution, estimates 10.9% of all South Africans have HIV/AIDS. Additionally, the Central Intelligence Agency estimates that 310,000 individuals died in South Africa from HIV/AIDS in the year 2009.

More than 30% of young adults and more than 80% of older adults know the truth about HIV/AIDS.

In 2008, more than half (55%) of all South Africans infected with HIV reside in the KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng provinces.

The four main HIV/AIDS awareness campaigns in South Africa are Khomanani (funded by the government), LoveLife (primarily privately funded), Soul City (a television drama for adults) and Soul Buddyz (a television series for teenagers). 

There are several challenges in educating today’s youth in South Africa. The drop-out rate is exceptionally high, particularly for girls who are forced to care for parents with AIDS and manage the household.  How a child performs in school can be an indicator of their overall well-being and children not enrolled in school are more vulnerable to neglect and abuse.  Senior schools charge fees and all schools require uniforms, which orphans cannot afford.

ASAP (African Solutions to African Problems) provides access to pre-school, primary, secondary and tertiary education in order to yield healthy, self-reliant young adults who contribute back to the community.  Our trained child care workers monitor the children’s attendance and progress and advocate for child rights in school, conducting strategic planning meetings with the Department of Education.

An encouraging finding is that more South Africans are aware of their HIV status. This is largely due to the success of the National HIV Counselling and Testing (HCT) campaign.  Females are substantially more aware of their HIV status than males due to the additional effect of the Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission (PMTCT) programme.

 Some people believe the country is on the right track with regard to the provision of ARV treatment resulting in a substantial increase in survival among people living with HIV. The successful national HIV counselling and testing (HCT) campaign and also increased coverage of PMTCT programmes among women should be sustained.