RESEARCH REPORT 2020
HIV/AIDS UNIT
CAPE PENINSULA UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY
90
Ms Melanie Marais
The unit believes that its contribution added to the prevention of Covid-19 amongst many of CPUT’s students, staff and contractors.
maraisme@cput.ac.za
CPUT’s HIV/Aids Unit offers a wide variety of services including HIV counselling and testing, ongoing care and support, community outreach programmes and workshops for students, staff and the community.
HIV Association, Partners in Sexual Health and Sonke Gender Justice. The Wellness Mobile services continued to reach campuses and residences bringing important services to students across all campuses and residences. This included awareness campaigns about male and female health, alcohol and substance abuse, healthy lifestyle choices and gender-based violence (GBV). STUDENT DEVELOPMENT DURING COVID-19
INTRODUCTION The year 2020 posed a new and different set of challenges with the Covid-19 pandemic. While everyone was faced with various lockdowns starting with a very strict Lockdown Level 5, with many uncertainties about the future, the HIV/ Aids Unit still needed to continue serving CPUT’s students. One of the major challenges was how to reach students across all campuses. Staff and students quickly learned the art and advantages of virtual engagement. HEALTH SCREENING Health screening of students is usually conducted throughout the year. Before the pandemic started, the unit continued screening CPUT students for HIV, sexually transmitted infections and tuberculosis. Services reached students through a health screening team consisting of service providers such as the TB
Against the backdrop of the Position Statement on the Institutional Response to GBV, Men’s Forum Pledge and the Amajita’s Men’s Programme (launched in 2018), the campaign for Student Development took a completely different shape due to Covid-19 safety regulations. The unit conducted a webinar on Young Women Empowerment in August. The Amajita’s Men’s webinar also took place in August. Students across CPUT’s campuses as well as students from neighbouring institutions were invited to participate in the well-attended webinars.
