At the same time as the national HCT campaign was targeting first year students on the Rhodes campus, the University was also engaging with the Grahamstown community around the issue of HIV/AIDS.
The Centre for Social Development (CSD) and the Rhodes University Student Representative Council (SRC) launched a “safe sex” campaign on Valentine’s Day in an effort to highlight the ongoing awareness that needs to be maintained around the HIV/AIDS epidemic affecting our country and our local community. South Africa has one of the most severe HIV and AIDS epidemics in the world, with an estimated 5,7million people living with the virus.
The launch targeted patrons of taverns in the areas where the CSD’s community facilitators are currently active such as Joza, Tantyi and Fingo Village. Condoms were distributed by the community facilitators as well as student volunteers. The Community Development Practitioners (CDPs), as these facilitators are formally known, are trained by the CSD to reach out into the community from the base of the pre-school, and they assist in identifying vulnerable families and cases of abuse or neglect. They also facilitate family literacy programmes and community food gardens.
Mr Ntsikilelo Kulati, newly appointed Manager of Community Development at the CSD, says the message of responsible sex was well received by both the tavern owners and their patrons. Some people even requested that tavern owners display posters in their tavern providing information on the disease and where they can go for testing and support.
The SRC together with CSD have committed to engage other stakeholders in ensuring this campaign continues throughout the year. At least once a month the focus will be on promoting safe sex through the distribution of condoms, promoting voluntary counselling and testing, and promoting gender equality through discussions and workshops. Information on these events will be available through the SRC’s Community Engagement office as well as the CSD’s Community Development office.