RHIVA KZN

Eyethu Impilo (Our Lives) is the apt name proposed by learners for the Youth Friendly Health Centres (YFCH) that have been set up to service all RHIVA schools. These mobile clinics were introduced because learners felt there was no confidentiality in their local clinics and were therefore not keen to get help there.

The services offered in the mobile health centre are:

• Sexual and reproductive health information: contraception, sexually transmitted infections (STI) and HIV related issues.
• Career guidance, with access to the internet
• Displays of books relevant to adolescents, including teen novels such as the popular titles Sugar Daddy and Broken Promises.

How the YFHC works

• Each RHIVA school is visited twice a month for two successive days where possible.
• Afternoon information sessions are conducted by primary health care professionals –

“Aaaa…..li…li….li….saphindesadlasingasaqali!” These ululations are prominent at RHIVA advocacy events thus far, and express the profound impact RHIVA has had within the Vulindlela community. The RHIVA team recently hosted advocacy events across 14 RHIVA schools. This year’s advocacy work encompasses RHIVA learners, parents and community members.

A high point has been the presentation of certificates to parents who participated in the gardening training last year. Community members were very happy and emphasized that MIET AFRICA has been the only organization that caters for their needs as communities.

For the RHIVA learners, a giant board game on Staying Healthy has been the highlight of the advocacy event as they have had an opportunity to play in bigger groups and interact with their peers. In most of the schools we found it difficult to stop the learners from playing the game when the time was up!  They were highly delighted to receive individual boardgames,

A Grade 12 learner at Huba High who joined the Reducing HIV in Adolescents(RHIVA) programme two years ago, celebrates what she has gained:

“… to test for HIV/AIDS is a wonderful experience with a reward at the end… because I know my status and can keep living healthy by the knowledge I am getting from RHIVA …and the best part is…this information is for free, absolutely no costs involved…”.

The learner says she has even improved academically since RHIVA has taught her that education and hard work will enable her to pursue her dreams for the future. With both her parents deceased, the RHIVA cash incentives enable her to buy her own toiletries – a big help at home where her grandmother is already struggling to feed them.

“I’m aiming to make my grandmother and myself proud with the information that I’ve gained from this wonderful youth project…