The HIV/AIDS Education Programme

The goal of the project is to raise awareness around HIV and AIDS, and provide biomedical services including HIV Testing Services (HTS) as a core service.

Specific objectives:

To create awareness in order to prevent the spread of new HIV infections through information sharing.
To provide HIV and TB care support among the AYP.
To encourage AYP to know their HIV sero-status and access other layered services.
To encourage young people to delay sexual encounter at a tender age.
To provide technical skills and training to enable young people to start income generating projects. Peer education to assist in disseminating information and support amongst peers.
Arts and culture for edutainment focusing on social ills and curbing idling.

The HIV and AIDS prevention has got two response Projects:

A. The community Mobilisation and Skills Development Project.

The Project seeks to motivate the AYP and the general community on healthy living, and assist identifying community challenges, and facilitate Behavioural Community Interventions (BCIs) to encourage the mitigation and prevention of HIV and AIDS, teenage pregnancies, stigma and discrimination and gendered violence.

Furthermore, it also accommodate the unemployed youth and young graduates to acquire work experience sharpening their leadership skills for the labour market. The project encourages volunteerism at all levels of leadership:

Youth leadership development, Goal setting and character building- Community skills and career path discovery: Human Rights and Advocacy.

The project activities include:

Abstinence Walk; to promote abstinence and youth solidarity to combat stigma, reinforce information and to do away with negative behaviour.
TB door to door campaign; Raising TB awareness and education in the community and tracing defaulters.
Awareness and life skills; Informed AYP who are able to elevate self-esteem and coping mechanism.
Community Capacity Enhancement Methodology (Community Dialogues); Community members share ideas and speak openly and confidently about issues affecting them and the community.
Community Social Mobilisation; For medical Male Circumcision (MMC), and demand creation for layered services.
Youth Training Camps; brings community Health Workers from different provinces together for networking and learn from their experiences and best practices in Public Health.
Clinic Health talks; Peer health sessions held and conducted in local clinics.
Heritage celebration; To reconnect AYP and the community to their heritage and culture, while instilling good value systems on HIV and AIDS prevention.
Youth Leadership development; Capacity building and skilling of AYP.
Community radio for Human Rights and Advocacy, HIV and AIDS and gendered related matters affecting AYP and the community.

B. The HIV Testing Services (HTS) Project

The HIV Testing Services directorate is purposed to promote the Greater Involvement of Persons Affected (GIPA) Principles in HIV Management, Care and Support. The National Laboratory Services (NHLS) has officially enrolled Zakheni to provide HIV Serology for Proficiency Testing and recognised by the National Department of Health (NdoH). The AYP's confidentiality and dignity becomes a priority for a commitment to deliver a long and healthy life for all South Africans, increasing life expectancy and promoting health life style among AYP and the community.

Specific Objectives:

To mobilise people for HIV Testing Services.
To provide AYP individual competency on treatment adherence and literacy on HIV and TB.
To ensure and affective referral system for AYP found and or living with HIV and TB in response to other layered services.
To add value to 30 clinics working in partnership with Zakheni, promote Combination Prevention Services (CPS) including Male and Female condoms in the community

The project activities include:

HIV testing, TB, Diabetes, Blood Pressure, Haemoglobin and Body Mass (weight) screening, and Viral load monitoring.
Linkage to Care and referral support.
Provide treatment adherence counselling and Treatment literacy

Zakheni peer mentor demonstrating
male condom usage to AGYW's

HTS team stationed at their usual spot at PNP offering
health care services to AGYW's

Linkage officer recently gave a health talk
to AGYW's at Winterveldt .

HTS team offering health services to AGYW's

HTS team offering AGYW with health services
at Winterveldt