HIV/Aids Unit

Ms Melanie Marais

maraisme@cput.ac.za

HIV/AIDS UNIT

The unit believes that its contribution added to the prevention of Covid-19 amongst many of CPUT’s students, staff and contractors.

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.

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 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

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.

YOUNG WOMEN EMPOWERMENT WEBINAR

AMAJITA’S MEN’S WEBINAR

NEW NAME FOR HEAIDS PROJECT

The Higher Education Aids (HEAids) project was renamed Higher Education and Training Health Wellness and Development Centre (Higher Health). Higher Health is an implementing agency for DHET and DSI working under USAf. Higher Health is a representative body of 26 South African universities and 50 TVET colleges. It is a non-profit company that supports higher education institutions and TVET colleges in responding to student health, wellness and development.

“Through Higher Health, CPUT has for years been receiving support in terms of funding to strengthen our existing health screening and student development programmes,” said Ms Melanie Marais, head of the HIV/Aids Unit. “We pride ourselves on a vibrant peer education programme where students are trained to engage their peers on topics related to HIV, STI and TB risk reduction; responses to gender-based violence; impact of substance and alcohol abuse; gender diversity; mental health awareness and promoting a safe space for all students.”

CPUT peer educators started the year with a Condom Awareness Week, encouraging their peers to get to know their health statuses and adopt safer lifestyle practices. On 14 February, they were visible across most campuses with self-initiated Valentine’s Day interventions.

“Our motto in supporting One Smart CPUT is to improve well-being and inspire success for all our students,” added Ms Marais. They were also visible at the first Gender-Based Violence Student Leadership Dialogue that took place 29 February in the Bellville Campus Auditorium, where students engaged in this much needed discussion.

Higher Health represents South African universities and TVET colleges

PEER EDUCATION

A five-day Peer Education training course took place in January at the Bellville Campus. Its key focus areas included: Gender training; Leadership and personal development; HIV, STI and TB awareness and prevention; Gender-based violence and first responder training; Facilitating discussion groups, Men’s Health and Women’s Health; Healthy choices; and Good citizenship. At the end of the course, an evaluation of the programme was conducted.

The above interventions include activities before the Covid-19 lockdown commenced and virtual discussions since lockdown. The HIV/Aids Unit actively used social media to its advantage and reached over 200 000 viewers through social media interventions. Students actively participated in the Covid-19 awareness programmes by developing their own educational video clips. At the end of the year, for the first time, the unit hosted its Peer Education Award Ceremony virtually as most students were spread across the country and so it wasn’t possible to host any face-to-face activities.

THE AMAJITA’S MEN’S PROGRAMME

Formerly known as Amajita’s Men’s Health Campaign in 2018, The Amajita Men’s Programme was reintroduced at CPUT through a thought-provoking webinar in 2020, which was hosted by the HIV/Aids Unit and attracted more than 60 participants. The programme serves to bring young CPUT men together to work on solutions and to take ownership of pertinent psycho-social issues. This includes addressing men’s involvement in health-seeking activities, encouraging men to reduce risky behaviour, and challenging gender inequalities that are driving the rapid spread of HIV and Aids.

Ms Melanie Marais, Head of the HIV/Aids Unit, said, “We aim to mobilise men from all five campuses as we want to have more men who seek to be responsible and are ready to be at the forefront of the fight against gender-based violence. We strive to work hand-in-hand with the SRC leadership, together with all student structures, to be able to get more student involvement.”

“This programme aims to ensure that CPUT and our communities are safer with these men, and that they’ll be able to support others to be better men. The Amajita’s Men’s Programme creates a platform for men to reprimand one another on things that are normalised by our societies but are a criminal offence in law as we seek to unlearn what was entrenched in us by our communities and also the household we grew up in.” Ms Marais acknowledged the speakers as well as Higher Health and the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation for funding the programme.

To get involved in the programme, please email to MfisaT@cput.ac.za or MaraisMe@ cput.ac.za

A webinar reintroduced the Amajita’s Men’s Programme

COVID-19 AWARENESS

The HIV/Aids Unit was at the forefront in terms of this pandemic, serving on the Covid-19 Health Cluster and the Covid-19 Command Committee. Here the unit’s focus area, similar to HIV prevention, included the provision of personal protective wear (PPE) and awareness programmes in terms of knowledge about the pandemic and how to prevent it. Staff from the unit sourced and distributed masks and hand sanitisers across all CPUT campuses and campus residences. In partnership with MCD, the unit contributed to the development of content for Covid-19 posters and facilitated their distribution to all campuses and residences. The unit successfully facilitated the process of centralising PPE so that all staff can order directly from the Central Stores on campus. Bulk SMSes were sent to students and staff in terms of mental health and how to use the Health Screening App that was developed by Higher Health. The unit believes that its contribution added to the prevention of Covid-19 amongst many of CPUT’s students, staff and contractors.

EXTERNAL FUNDS

The HIV/Aids Unit received funds from two funders: • Michael and Susan Dell Foundation • Higher Health CONCLUSION

These funds made it possible for the unit to strengthen its virtual interactions and the capacity of students to engage with one another during the pandemic. Training was also provided for these students to develop e-portfolios. Over 600 students were reached through engagements and over 70 peer educators and interns developed an e-portfolio.

In summary, the unit’s staff learned to adjust to a new way of communication and were able to achieve their objectives of improving students’ life experiences through the the unit’s interventions.

WEBINAR

Division of Student Affairs HOSTED BY CPUT HIV/AIDS UNIT You are cordially invited to join and participate in the

YOUNG WOMEN EMPOWERMENT

Saturday, 8 August 2020 11:00 – 14:00

Purpose: To empower young women from our own institution and neighbouring post-schooling institutions within Western Cape with skills and knowledge on the following: • Personal and Leadership development • Job seeking • Self-acceptance and Personal safety There will be Motivational Advice from Higher Health Perspective.

EMPOWERING YOUNG WOMEN

Personal and leadership development were among the objectives of the successful annual Young Women Empowerment Conference which took place in August. Close to 60 female students from CPUT and neighbouring tertiary institutions participated in the webinar event, which was hosted by the HIV/Aids Unit and took place online due to the coronavirus pandemic. Ms Melanie Marais, head of the unit, said the conference was aimed at developing students holistically outside the classroom in terms of leadership, health-seeking behaviour, social justice and healthy lifestyle choices.

“Some questions that were raised included how we can involve students with disabilities in the peer education programme, the role of our male counterparts in addressing gender-based violence, and starting your own business,” she said. The speakers included Higher Health Regional Manager: Cape Region, Ms Joy Oba; alumna, philanthropist and former CPUT mentor and peer educator, Ms Ntombozuko Bota; alumna and youth sector speaker on emotional intelligence wellness, Ms Siyasanga Nokama; Student Affairs Dean Ms Prem Coopoo; Central SRC President Ms Phinda Swaartbooi; and Ms Marais.

Ms Marais acknowledged Higher Health and the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation for generously sponsoring the event. She also thanked Peer Education Officer Dr Elma Maleka, Mr Tumiso Mfisa and peer educators for putting together such a successful event.

SEND EMAIL BY 4 AUGUST 2020

To join the Young Women Empowerment Webinar, send an email to MALEKAE@cput.ac.za You will then be sent a link to join online via Microsoft Teams