and families about health in Amajuba District
29 November 2007
HIV and AIDS, sexually transmitted infections, tuberculosis, early and
unwanted pregnancy, child and drug abuse, suicide, poverty, and unemployment
are some of the challenges being addressed by Youth Ambassadors that have been
deployed in Amajuba District to educate families as part of the World AIDS Day
build up.
The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health will officially launch the Youth
Ambassadors Programme at the World AIDS Day event to be held at Osizweni
Stadium on 1 December 2007. It is aimed at reaching out to the young people
through out the province through person to person interaction.
This is a learnership programme in which the Department of Health will pay
for youth ambassadors to study for a Certificate in HIV and AIDS Management
while working in the field for a period of a year. During this time the
department will expose the Ambassadors to many health related careers with a
hope that they will be interested in one and then join the Department as
HealthCare workers in one of many fields in health.
The Ambassadors will also be deployed during outbreaks, such as cholera, to
move into areas and do health education.
The Ambassadors are conducting home visits, meeting with families and
individuals. It during these visits that they come across people who assistance
and then they need contact the relevant offices in order to provide the needed
help. They will pay special attention to counselling people to go for HIV
testing and for people to be checked for TB. They will also identify health
risks and report these to higher authorities. They will work closely with the
Health Department as well as other government structures in all districts.
The Ambassadors keep a daily log sheet of the number of families they visit,
problems identified, places where they referred them to and what follow-up
action is required. So far, from the 22 November to 28 November, they have
reached out to 6 000 households in the Amajuba District. In their visits they
have come across problems such as a low use of condoms, a lot of Antiretroviral
(ARVs) and tuberculosis treatment drop-outs and many other risky behaviour
patterns.
For more information please contact:
SSS Buthelezi
Cell: 082 055 5640
Roz Jordan
Cell: 082 772 6836
Issued by: Department of Health, KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government
29 November 2007
