HIV Tests Come to South Africa's Schools

At a high school in Mtubatuba, some students recently underwent HIV testing at a mobile clinic brought in by Mpilonhle (Zulu for "good health"). Since 2007, the charity has sent teachers, social workers, and nurses to local schools. However, it is one of just a handful of organizations that offer school-based HIV testing in South Africa.

By age 16, half of South African youths have experienced sex, and 9 percent have acquired HIV by age 20. In February, the government endorsed expanded HIV testing for all students older than 12, even though some advocates worry that children will feel coerced and be emotionally unprepared for an HIV-positive diagnosis.

"We underestimate adolescents' knowledge," said pediatrician Michael Bennish, who founded Mpilonhle. "All adolescents, by definition, have elements of maturity and immaturity. With proper support and good counseling which is friendly to them, they can make a mature decision."

"I feel happy, I am able to tell my mum," said Nkosi Minenhle, 15. "And I know how to behave to remain negative."

About one-quarter of students declined Mpilonhle's rapid-testing offer.

"I am afraid," said one 17-year-old at Madwaleni high school, who has had sex with an older man and fears she has HIV. "Once I know that I am positive, my school work will be affected."

"You can't pretend that these teenagers are not sexually active, when they are," said Gugu Zulu, Mpilonhle's top educator. "They are no longer innocent angels."

"Because most parents are unemployed, to get things the kids will go out with sugar daddies to get money from them," said Andile Zulu, a Mpilonhle social worker. Of 12th-graders tested, 6 percent of females were HIV-positive, compared with less than 3 percent of boys.

The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.


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