Pathways to Action: HIV/AIDS Prevention, Children and Young People in South Africa

Summary

This report is an attempt to take stock of what has happened in respect of the response to HIV/AIDS by children and young people in South Africa, as well as the societal response to the needs of young people. Whilst in this report we do discuss some of the difficulties associated with evaluating specific programmes, our emphasis is more on understanding the conceptual underpinnings of programmes. The specific aims and objectives of this literature review are to:

•Comprehensively review the current state of knowledge about the response of children and young people in South Africa to HIV/AIDS, and to develop an understanding of what we know in this area;

• Develop an understanding of the gaps in what we know and how our knowledge base needs to be improved;

• Develop an overview of the programmes which have been developed for assisting children and young people to deal with the risks of HIV infection and positive responses to the challenges of living in an advanced HIV/AIDS epidemic and
• Develop a conceptual framework for understanding preventive behaviour, care, support and social mobilisation, taking into account key features of the South African context.