Status Update Edition 2

ST TUS UPDATE

An HIV/AIDS Unit Initiative.

JUNE 2013 | EDITION 2

From the Head of Department

Greetings and a warm welcome to our second issue of Status Update.

We couldn’t be more excited to have achieved so much with limited resources. This success is as a result of the partnerships we forged in this period. For this I would like to thank all our internal and external

stakeholders for their support and commitment to mitigating the impacts of the HIV/ AIDS pandemic.

This issue brings you snippets of student and staff voices that have participated in the programmes of the HIV/AIDS Unit and its partners.

We extend our heartfelt thanks to all students and staff that share their stories, ask questions, and provide us with comments either on Facebook, Twitter, through the Mobile Wellness Unit or at our offices. This is

UPCOMING EVENTS

29 July

Launch of the ZAZI Campaign in CPUT Cape Town campus.

ZAZI is a campaign aimed at empowering young women in South Africa. Zonke is one of the ambassadors of the campaign and she will be performing at the Piazza on the day.

SCO&HIV/AIDS Unit awareness campaign: 05-07 July

To kick start women’s month, the Student Christian Organisation will be collaborating with the HIV/ AIDS Unit on a HIV testing campaign in Cape Town Campus

so inspiring for the HIV/AIDS Unit team.

As we await the return of the HoD, Prof. Ashraf Mohammed, from leave, I wish to thank Ms. Elisabet Smit for her overwhelming support for the HIV/ AIDS Unit.

To all our stakeholders, we appreciate your support and are so happy to work with you.

Enjoy this issue with warmest regards.

www.cput.ac.za

Projects Officer, on behalf of HOD

You are encouraged to direct any HIV-related questions to the Health Promoter anonymously. They can be inboxed to the HIV/AIDS Unit Facebook page or as a direct message on twitter. Please note that some of your questions may be published in this newsletter anonymously.

PEs: Training for edutaining PE Teambuilding: The climb

The HIV/AIDS Unit hosted an in-house training programme for Peer Educators at the Western Cape College of Nursing from 3 – 5 April.

The training was held to further enlighten Peer Educators on the Peer Education Programme and to equip them as young leaders on the verge of making a difference by mitigating the impact of HIV/ AIDS.

The in-house training is a 3-day training programme, which includes a strategic planning session, where Peer Educators sit together and decide on the activities that they would like to implement during the course of the year. This year the training was merged with the Drama In AIDS Education (DRAMAIDE) workshop, which was facilitated by Mr. Duduza Ngcobo, a representative from DRAMAIDE.

The workshop groomed the Peer Educators in terms of facilitation skills and informing their peers about HIV/AIDS, STI and TB, using edutainment. Peer Educators where trained to use performing arts to get the messages across.

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‘I respect these people and they are amazing to work with’

Treatment Action Campaign, facilitated the last session which focused on AntiRetroviral Therapy (ART). PEs had a lot to say about the event.

Busisiwe Silwana, a Peer Assistant at the Bellville Campus said, “I love how my knowledge improved greatly in just a period of 3 days and I got to understand issues I thought I already knew best, even better.”

The Peer Educators have already started to apply their knowledge and to implement the ideas they brought forward at the strategic planning.

2013 is a great and exciting year for them.

The HIV/AIDS Unit Peer Education Programme took things a step further on a team building expedition on Saturday, 13 April.

The staff and PEs went hiking up Table Mountain, facilitated by Anette Grobler, the Student Development Officer at the Student Affairs Department. Anette had interesting charactergrooming activities for the group. The hike was part of the PE in-house training programme that took place on 6 April, but was postponed due to unfavorable weather conditions.

The instruction for the hike was not to see who can summit first but that teams ensured that all their members summit together and safely.

Before embarking on the hike, Anette facilitated some communication exercises in 4 teams of 8 people each. The instruction for the hike was not to see who can summit first but that teams ensured that all their members summit together and safely. No prize was awarded to the first team up the mountain to ensure that the competitive nature of the male students in groups did not impact negatively on the females in the groups.

“I learnt that as a team, you can encourage one another to keep going without having to put pressure on each other,” Ntombizethu Bakubaku, Office Management and Technology Intern, HIV/AIDS Unit.

Anette also informed the teams how old and precious the mountain is and that it is theirs to look after.

Although it was not a mountain clean-up exercise, she chose to award airtime to the value of R60 (for each member) to the team who collected the most rubble on the mountain during their climb. This resulted in a number of full refuse bags collected en-route.

“I may look white on the outside but I am totally green!! I love nature and I love the environment. I want you to start practicing taking care of it now as a team and you will realize that it is something you can do just as well on your own,” said Anette.

“FIrST THINgS FIrST” Get tested! Journal Club Day: finding room for improvement

The 2013 “First Things First” campaign took place at various CPUT campuses from February to March with the aim of encouraging students to know their status, to lead a healthy lifestyle and to practice safer sex.

During the drive, Peer Educators promoted the abstinence club, correct and consistent condom use and disseminated HIV/AIDS information to participants.

As of 20 March 2013, a total of 2 559 students and staff members tested for HIV across all CPUT campuses and 2 residences, of which 1 770 were female and 789 were male.

‘It is safe, quick and hygienic’

Students were happy with the entire campaign. Babalwa Kepe commented, “The nurse told me I need to remind myself of how I feel when testing so that I can avoid putting myself at risk. Lucky Rambuda said that he was really pleased with the

“First

entire process, “It is safe, quick and hygienic”, he added.

The campaign goes beyond mere testing and the numbers that it has reached. Every student or staff member who tested positive was immediately referred to accessible treatment and enrolled into the care and support programme managed by the CPUT HIV/

AIDS Unit.

The HIV/AIDS Unit wishes to apologise for the delay in providing incentives to the staff and students concerned. Those who still have not received theirs are encouraged to collect it from the HIV/AIDS Unit office at their respective campuses or the Mobile Wellness Unit.

The HIV/AIDS Unit dedicated the entire day on 26 April to perception evaluation, with the aim of identifying areas that need improvement as well as maintain good standards in areas where the Unit is currently performing well.

It started off with a Journal Club Day at the Cape Town Hotel School, Granger Bay Campus, where the HIV/ AIDS Unit reviewed all evaluations from workshops and Peer Education events that took place since the beginning of the year.

Recommendations from an analysis of the evaluations form part of the HIV/AIDS Unit Quality Improvement Plan (QIP). Four Public Relations Volunteers presented their findings on the perception survey they conducted for the HIV/ AIDS Unit at the Cape Town Campus.

The survey results show that the HIV/AIDS Unit needs to improve their online communication as the Facebook page had few followers.

Dr Hilda Vember presented

her Doctoral thesis on the evaluation of the Peer Education Programme at CPUT.

The highlight of the presentation was striving to build Peer Educators as role models in CPUT.

The Journal Club Day is a quarterly review and appreciations of stakeholders’ impact to the design and implementation the HIV/AIDS Unit’s programmes.

‘It is important to have a

Journal Club Day so that we can reflect on our activities in order to know where we need to improve our services’

Staff appreciated the importance of the Journal Club Day. “It is important to have a Journal Club Day so that we can reflect on our activities in order to know where we need to improve our services,” says Paul Birth, a German Volunteer at the HIV/AIDS Unit.

PHYSICAL WELLNESS DAY: Healthy

and positive living

The wellness cluster and student affairs commemorated Physical Wellness Day at the Cape Town Campus on Monday, 22 April.

Physical Wellness Day is aimed at encouraging positive living and a healthy lifestyle within the CPUT community.

The departments involved had stalls to disseminate physical wellness information.

One of the ways in which they showcased physical wellness was through a twenty-four minute exercise programme, facilitated by Virgin Active.

The Wellness Mobile Unit was also available to offer free HIV counseling and testing.

Based on the number of participants in various activities, and the students’ feedback, requesting more events like these, we can safely say that the event had a positive impact.

Spreading the word AT OPEN DAY

Many students flocked to the HIV/AIDS Unit stall at CPUT’s 2013 Open Day event, from Thursday, 9 May to Saturday, 11 May at the Multipurpose hall.

Peer Educators mobilised learners; promoting abstinence and correct condom use. At the exit point of the hall was an exhibition of the Wellness Mobile Unit, dissemination of HIV/ AIDS, STI and TB information as well as face painting by Peer Educators.

Overall the event was a great success and the HIV/AIDS Unit is always thrilled to be part of such an event.

ExPANDINg

oUr TEAm: Pr VoLUNTEErS

Four Public Relations

Volunteers have recently joined the HIV/AIDS Unit for the period of May to November 2013.

They are working closely with the Public Relations Intern, Ms Nomtika Mjwana, to complete their modules for the year.

The four volunteers, Jessica Lobi, Lemmuela Dhladhla, Yolanda Matshawu and Alice Metebe are required to complete twelve modules by implementing what they have been taught in their first year as well as by applying some of the knowledge they are gaining throughout their second year. They volunteer every Wednesday from 09H00 to 13H00.

One of the highlights since they started was conducting a perception survey, which they later reported on in a form of a presentation to the entire HIV/AIDS Unit staff. This perception survey formed part of their Implementation of Research Module.

“They are eager to learn, very vibrant and fun to work with,” said Nomtika.

CanDlelight MeMorial

The HIV/AIDS Unit partnered with Act in Faith Ministry to commemorate the 30th International Candlelight Memorial on Saturday, 18 May, and Malmesbury Prison on Friday, 24 May.

The theme for this year’s memorial was “In Solidarity”. The aim of the events was to remember those who lost their lives to HIV/AIDS and to join hands with all in our community who work together in the fight against HIV/AIDS.

Ms Ann Ray and Mr Derrick

CELEBRATING OUR NURSES

2013 Nurses Day celebrations took place on Friday, 3 May, at the Bellville Campus Auditorium.

Fine, co-authors of Whisper Not – a book in which fifteen Africans talk about life and love beyond HIV –encouraged participants to reflect on their own lives as they remember those who passed on.

More words of encouragement came from Ms Andiswa Gqiba, a Health Promoter at the HIV/AIDS Unit as well as Mr David Oliver and Mr Johannes Bastian, Leaders of the Ravensmead community.

For entertainment, Peer Educators and some church members rendered a number

of various items.

In a similar fashion, various speakers from CPUT, Sonke Gender Justice and TB and HIV Care Association encouraged inmates at Malmesbury Correctional Center to get tested as an entry point to care and support. They also called for increased access to treatment, reduction of human rights violation and stigma & discrimination.

The International AIDS Candlelight Memorial reminds us of the impact that HIV/ AIDS has on our daily lives.

The HIV/AIDS Unit partnered with the Department of Nursing (Post Graduate) in commemorating this day.

The HIV/AIDS Unit Peer Educators performed a play entitled Crossroads. This play focused on the different attitudes portrayed by the nurses at healthcare facilities. Ms. Kgaugelo

Madisha, a former Peer Facilitator, who is currently a volunteer at the HIV/ AIDS Unit, directed the play. Mobile Wellness Unit (MWU) Nurse, Sr. Jeanette Stoffels, also partnered with the Bellville Campus Clinic to offer BMI, blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol tests.

Young men and women voiced out different perceptions on how they view women in society and how women portray themselves.

“Women should stop being so theoretical about knowing themselves and expressing what they think. Actions speak louder than words. We have the power to bring change, we just hold back many at times and we end up not being able to come out and practice that which we say we can do,” said Vuyo, one of the students residing at City Edge Residence.

g room IN g Yo UN g

EN o F C HA r ACTE r

The CPUT HIV/AIDS Unit had a focus group discussion at City Edge Residence, Cape Town Campus, on Thursday, 23 May. The theme was “Women Empowerment”. Since this was the first group discussion for the year and the only one this semester, the HIV/AIDS Unit went all out to ensure that it would be a success. With staffing limitations and time constraints, we were only able to do one session this semester.

Students had to watch

season 1, episode 19 of Intersexions, an episode that focuses on the life of a young woman who leaves home to pursue her dreams. She then meets a boy who pretends to be in love with her knowing exactly what he is after, so the choice was in the young woman’s hands: allowing another person to abuse her emotionally or continue to work on pursuing her dreams.

Participants had to discuss the life of the young woman in the episode and how it relates to their own lives, facilitated by three Peer Educators.

SElf CarE

Dealing with people day in day out in the area of HIV/AIDS, STIs and TB can be very stressful.

Staff self-care initiatives are therefore employed to provide personal rejuvenation occasions to the HIV/AIDS Unit staff at least once every semester.

UNISA Conference

When asked what primarily attracted them to attend the group discussions, the students responded that it was the way in which the posters were designed.

Lukholo, another City Edge student said “It drew my attention because women are rarely seen as beings with such great power and this is not only from the opposite sex, but we as women also tend to turn a blind eye on the great potential and abilities we have.”

There will be more group discussions taking place in the second semester.

Students should be on the lookout for the ZAZI campaign, which was developed to empower young women in Higher Education Institutions.

On Thursday, 18 April, and Tuesday, 23 April, our staff was treated to a wide range of facial and body treatments at the CPUT Wellness Clinic. “The student therapist had magical hands, I feel so much better,” said Sr. Jeanette Stoffels, a professional nurse at the HIV/AIDS Unit.

The HIV/AIDS Unit continues to see to it that its staff members are well taken care of to ensure that they remain happy and focused.

UNISA’s college of Human Sciences hosted the 2nd National Biennial conference in collaboration with HEAIDS with a specific focus on current and new research in the field of social behaviour change towards the prevention of HIV, STIs and TB in Africa.

Mr. Alex Semba, Projects Officer HIV/AIDS Unit, Dr. Hilda Vember, Senior Lecturer at the Department of Nursing (Postgraduate), Mr Mbongiseni Mbatha, Chairperson at the Cape Town Local SRC, Mr. Mihla Manciya, President of the Central SRC, and Mr. Nkokheli Mankayi, Peer Facilitator –HIV/AIDS Unit represented CPUT at the conference.

The 3-day conference was very informative and highlighted an array of areas for HEIs to focus on in order to achieve zero infections, zero stigma and discrimination and zero AIDS-related deaths. One of the highlights was Dr. Vember’s presentation on a Peer Education Programme evaluation which was highly applauded for its recommendations that call for “role model” characteristics of our Peer Educators. Other take-home messages included the need for escalating efforts to minimize vulnerability due to poverty, LBGTI matters, the importance of mainstreaming, and dealing with alcohol and drug abuse.

The delegation wishes to extend sincere gratitude to the Executive Dean of Student Affairs and Services, Executive Management, and respective line management for allowing them the opportunity to participate in such an effective national conference.

Bellville Peer e ducator takes initiative

Dedicated Bellville Peer Educator, Zanele Shude, took initiative and invited students to collect condoms and get lessons on correct usage from her room during the second term. The HIV/AIDS Unit took a few minutes of her time to find out about her life as a Peer Educator.

Briefly tell us about your life as a peer educator.

My life as a Peer Educator has been exciting. Students see me as a leader, a role model and someone they envy. My life has changed. I am very conscious about my well-being and I understand things more clearly now. I have developed good listening and communication skills. My friend Zizipho Mlungu introduced me to the programme and during that time I was going through a challenging phase in my life and I had to take one step forward to learn. Being a Peer Educator is really fun and it is great because you learn and grow every day.

What triggered the idea to offer your service to students?

I am a loving and caring person and I enjoy working with people. One of my goals in life is to make a difference in the community and have an impact on someone’s life in a positive way. I believe we are the future and we should make a difference in this world.

How has the response been?

Students are curious and love to know more. They are hungry for knowledge. Since I started distributing condoms from my room a few months ago,

students came and I showed them how to put on a male and female condom. The response I get is funny because students enjoy sex topics so if you make it exciting while demonstrating they see you as the coolest peer and they start arriving in numbers.

Q What are the risks that come with such kind of work?

A Well the only risk I put myself in is when I am having a one-onone session with a male student because sometimes when I demonstrate how to put on a condom, I normally get some flirty remarks but I try to contain myself although I really dislike it.

Q How would you encourage students to practice safe sex?

A I always first tell them about the ABCs and also that abstinence is the best way to stay safe. By practicing safer sex it prevents STDs, unwanted pregnancy, HIV/Aids, etc. Females should take control – this is the 21st century. It’s time that we as women show men that, actually, we run this world and by that we should first love ourselves. If a man loves you he’ll respect your values and your principles.

Ask Your Health Promoter

Last term we informed students to inbox the HIV/ AIDS Unit Facebook page any queries that they have regarding HIV/AIDS, STIs, TB and any related matters. We have had a number of posts and we encourage students to continue posting their queries.

We are more than willing to respond and we always try to make time to read all your queries. Like our page and follow us on twitter and we will respond.

UESTI o N

Is it possible for HIV negative women to have a baby with an HIV positive man but the baby does not get infected?

HP A NSWE r S

Thank you for your question. I have to begin by saying that there are many ways that a HIV negative person can have a baby with an HIV positive man and have an HIV negative baby:

1. They can adopt;

2. They can have what is called a ‘sperm wash’ and conceive by in-vitro fertilization; or

3. They can take the RISK of unprotected sex. I am emphasizing RISK because anything can happen.

Let me elaborate on the last point. If the male partner is on treatment (ARVs) and his viral load is undetectable and his CD4 count is above 600, the chances of him infecting you are very minimal. Please note “chances”. This means that you and your partner need to see a doctor together and explain that you would like to have a child together. The Doctor then ensures that your male partner is monitored in terms if CD4 count and viral load.

I hope this helps.

CPUT’s HIV/AIDS Policy

The Institutional HIV/AIDS Policy is now available in a student-friendly brochure. It is being disseminated to all stakeholders through the HIV/ AIDS Unit, orientation programmes, stalls at various campaigns, libraries and key point areas where staff and students can access it. All departments who would like a presentation on the policy are welcome to schedule an appointment at the HIV/AIDS Unit.

YOUr HIV/AIDS UNIT

We are here to ensure that students and staff members make informed decisions on their holistic health care and lifestyle. We are committed to providing a safe learning and working environment to protect you from becoming infected with HIV, STI & TB while studying at CPUT.

Ashraf Mohammed HOD [email protected]

Alex Semba Projects officer [email protected]

Rene Williams Admin Assistant [email protected]

Andiswa Gqiba Health Promoter [email protected]

Jeanette Stoffels Professional Nurse [email protected]

Sebastian Schuth International Volunteer [email protected]

Nomtika Mjwana PR Intern [email protected]

Kgaugelo Madisha Peer Facilitator [email protected]

Nkokheli Mankayi Peer Facilitator [email protected]

Shafiek Adams Mobile Wellness Unit Driver [email protected]

Simphiwe Nkuzo OMT Intern [email protected]

Ntombizethu Bakubaku OMT Intern [email protected]

Paul Birth International Volunteer [email protected]

Reception: +27 21 460 4253 Head of Department: +27 21 460 4252

Fax: +27 21 460 4244

www.cput.ac.za/hivaids