Learning together: Towards an integrated participatory approach to youth, gender and HIV/AIDS interventions in rural KwaZulu-Natal Schools  

Despite the many efforts in South Africa to reduce the rate of transmission of HIV/AIDS, certain populations, most particularly youth - and within the youth population, young women between the ages of 15 and 19 - continue to be the most vulnerable.  It is estimated that over 60% of all new infections occur in youth between the ages of 15 and 25, with young women being infected earlier and at higher rates. Young women between the ages of 15 and 19 are acquiring 24% of all new infections.    What is apparent is that no one intervention or ‘sector’ can address all of the central factors – poverty, high rates of gender-based violence, cultural attitudes, and so on.   If communities are to play an effective role amongst youth in AIDS prevention and care, there is a need to consider ways of integrating the efforts of those working in the various sectors (health, community development, education). However, while an inter-sectoral integrated approach to HIV/AIDS intervention may be key, community, school, and health care workers often lack a space in which to explore strategies and lessons learned.  This project therefore asks two main questions: (1) how might participatory methodologies bring together the various sectors and partners working in the area of gender, youth and HIV/AIDS prevention and care in rural  areas?   This particular collection of photographs emanates from working with youth in grades 8 and 9 at a senior secondary school in the Vulindlela district.  The teachers in the school realised that stigma around HIV & AIDS was an issue that had to be addressed in school.  This created the opportunity to use visual participatory methodologies, in this instance photovoice, to engage the learners with stigma issues around HIV&AIDS.  Most of the photographs (staged as a representation of situations depicting stigma) were taken by youths, while some are photographs of the process of using photovoice. 

Project leader : Naydene de Lange This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Team members:  Claudia Mitchell, Relebohile Moletsane, Jean Stuart, Thabisile Buthelezi, Myra Taylor, Fikile Mazibuko   

This work is based on research supported by the National Research Foundation.  The team gratefully acknowledge the funding and support of the NRF.  Opinions expressed herein are those of the team and the NRF does not accept any liability in regard hereto. 

Centre for Visual Methodology for Social Change

Edgewood Campus University of KwaZulu-Natal 

http://cvm.za.org