A preventative group work programme on HIV/AIDS for high school learners in a rural area

Abstract

There is a well-documented evidence to confirm that the largest number of people living with the HI-virus is in Africa and especially in South Africa. The prospect of a significant breakthrough in treatment looks uncertain at present and for this reason the impact of HIV and AIDS in South Africa must be taken very seriously. In 1999 surveys estimated about 3,5 million people infected by HIV and 150 000 with AIDS. The figure was expected to rise to 5-7 million HIV-infected people over the next 5 years. Experts calculated that on average 1500 people get infected each day in South Africa! South Africa has one of the most rapidly spreading pandemics in the world. High school learners are a high-risk group. Prevention programmes are important to minimize the infection rate amongst adolescents and young adults. The researcher has therefore concentrated on the prevention of HIV/AIDS among learners at high school level in a rural area between the ages 16-18 years. A survey was undertaken with the purpose of preventing HIV/AIDS among learners from the Thejane Secondary school in a rural area in Thaba Nchu. The aim of this research was: 8 To evaluate the effectiveness of a group work programme for high school learners in the prevention of HIV/AIDS in a rural area. To reach this aim, a prevention programme was designed for these high school learners through which knowledge about the nature of HIV/AIDS as well as knowledge about values and attitudes were given to them. A small group of ten learners were chosen as the research group and ten learners as the control group. Group work as a method of social work was chosen to achieve the aim of the study. The group work programme was successfully presented in 9 sessions of one to one and a half hour each during school time. The programme was in particular suited, not only to improve the knowledge of the learners about the nature of HIV/AIDS, but also to broaden their insight with regard to the important role of a healthy lifestyle as well as the importance of being assertive. The programme was evaluated by measuring at two occasions. The results obtained by this evaluation showed that the group work programme brought about a significant difference in the knowledge, insight, attitudes and beliefs about HIV/AIDS as well as the important role of values. The single system design was used to measure the effect of the programme. The results of the measuring indicated that group work intervention was successful in implementing the desired change.