SUMMARY:

The Scripture Union (SU) Life Skills Program implements education and training activities focusing on

abstinence and being faithful (AB) HIV prevention for both in- and out-of-school youth. It is values-based,

volunteer driven and aims to assist in the development of sexual and life decision-making skills by youth in

order to prevent HIV exposure and infection. Community church members are trained to deliver prevention

messages to local youth and provide small group discussions around prevention issues. The emphasis will

be on gender through discouraging violence, coercion and abuse against women and the girl child as well

as respect shown for one another, regardless of gender, and human capacity building. The target

populations are children, youth teachers and religious leaders. SU targets youth and children in school aged

10 - 18 years drawn from disadvantaged communities.

BACKGROUND:

SU has worked with youth in South Africa since 1924. The Sakhulutsha, SU's HIV and AIDS Life Skills

Program, started in 1992 and is ongoing. The South African National Department of Health (NDOH) and

Department of Education have funded SU's program for the past ten years, and since 2005, PEPFAR co -

funded SU through a NDOH cooperative agreement. In FY 2007 SU became a prime PEPFAR partner.

Using PEPFR funding SU has established youth programs in five South African provinces (Gauteng,

Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga and Western Cape). In FY 2008, SU will expand

geographically to the Northern Cape Province to fill a need in one of South Africa's underserved areas.

ACTIVITIES AND EXPECTED RESULTS:

ACTIVITY 1: Small Groups in School

SU will implement a peer education program to target youth in their formative years and equip them with

skills to help them learn more about each other and discuss issues of love, respect and equality. These

skills will help youth to make informed decisions about sexual activity and avoid HIV infection. The HIV

prevention programs are run with in- and out-of-school youth, and consist of 12 modules presented over 12

weeks. The program uses a small group model, and trained volunteers from the community will run these

programs. The ratio of 10:1, the ideal small group model, is maintained.

ACTIVITY 2: Breakaway Workshops

SU believes that societal norms and behavior change must be examined in order to address the challenges

of HIV and AIDS in a proper way. SU uses single gender camps and discussions in classrooms (through the

participation of school principals) to help young people to view each other as equals and to develop respect

for one another, regardless of gender. Life skills training and a holistic learning experience which enhances

HIV and AIDS education programs will also be implemented. Topics to be covered will include male norms

and behaviors as well as gender roles and equity to discourage discrimination, violence, coercion and

abuse against women and the girl child. SU will also run activities at eight camp-sites using the same small

group model, but the full course in these programs will be completed over a period of three to five days.

Trust is built up between group leaders and participants and this ensures open and effective dialogue. The

single sex approach allows SU staff to focus on gender specific issues -- particularly those relating to girls -

and topics include abstinence skills and the power to say no. Participants will be encouraged to access

voluntary counseling and testing (VCT) sites so that they can know their status and plan for their future.

ACTIVITY 3: Youth Development Programs

SU Youth Development Programs (holiday clubs) are run during school holidays when youth are most likely

to be bored, and this may lead to vulnerability and engagement in unsafe sexual behavior. The holiday

clubs will be run in community centers and in church and school halls. Life skills activities will be presented

to youth to facilitate sustained HIV prevention and to encourage youth to learn their HIV status by getting

tested so that they can plan for their future. SU encourages youth to be compassionate and also to

volunteer in their communities and be involved in the response to the HIV epidemic. Programs will be run by

trained community members who are familiar with local customs and social norms, and so will be ideally

placed to gain the trust of the members of the community.

ACTIVITY 4: HIV Prevention Programs

SU will conduct and expand leadership training for community leaders, and in particular, for pastors, so that

they can support and lead HIV prevention programs for both in- and out-of-school youth. Volunteers will be

trained using an HIV and AIDS education program that has been tested for effectiveness by SU using

qualitative methods. Using the 12-module life skills program, volunteers will be equipped to lead small group

discussions with youth about AB-based prevention of HIV which includes abstinence for 10-14 year olds,

encourage delayed sexual debut and secondary abstinence for those who have started sexual activity and

reduction of sexual partners and CT for youth at risk. This project will establish sustained relationships

between the community leaders/pastors and the youth because the leaders and volunteers are community-

based. Community workers will also focus on empowering and training female leaders to run youth

development programs, and development of more female leaders will ensure that the needs of girls within

the community are met.

ACTIVITY 5: Course/Camp Combination Intervention

In FY 2008, SU will introduce a new type of activity, namely a course/camp combination. This will allow the

benefits of both types of venues to be combined for excellent synergy. SU will be running l 78 course/camps

to maximize the impact of prevention messages and reinforce healthy behavior. The course/camp combo is

a hybrid of six modules run over six weeks at schools with the balance of the modules run over two days at

a camp site. Sustainability is achieved through development of well-trained youth leaders and peer

educators. Scripture Union will continue to develop their funding base to expand AB prevention programs to

disadvantaged communities in South Africa.

SU will reach a significant number of youth and children with behavior changing messages. The results will

Activity Narrative: contribute towards PEPFAR goal of preventing seven million infections by 2010. These results will also

contribute to the South African response to preventing HIV infection among young people especially young

girls.