A key element to successful interventions is to target pre-adolescent youngsters who are still at low risk of being infected. With this in mind, the AmaQhawe (Champions) Family Project was adapted from a programme originally developed in the USA: the Collaborative HIV/AIDS Adolescent Mental Health Project (CHAMP). AmaQhawe is a collaborative project between the HSRC, the School of Psychology at the University of KwaZulu-Natal and USA-based collaborators, funded by the National Institute of Mental Health. The programme's basic aim is to strengthen the families of pre-adolescent children, and their communities and social networks. Families that are part of a social network tend to be better at reducing risk for their children. Evidence shows that in addition to education about HIV/AIDS, communication, parental warmth (as opposed to a punitive parenting style) and active monitoring of children helps to reduce risk behaviour in adolescents. The South African version of the CHAMPS manual was based on findings from a focused ethnographic study that identified a breakdown in traditional customs of bringing up adolescents, particularly in sexual and other behavioural practices. The study revealed that parents felt disempowered; communication between parents and children was poor; and parents used punitive methods to discipline their children. It also revealed poor knowledge of HIV/AIDS and how it was transmitted, and parents or caregivers did not know how to deal with the loss of family members who died from AIDS. Families that are part of a
social network tend to be
better at reducing risk for
their children |
Since parents were sensitive about discussing sex and puberty with their children and many had low literacy levels, a cartoon-based storyline was used to introduce various topics, for example, parent?child communication, puberty and dealing with the stigma of HIV/AIDS. The cartoon characters provide the necessary distance from the topic to allow parents (and other caregivers) and children to talk through the cartoon characters. The cartoon characters and storyline mirror the problems that confront families and open up avenues of discussion. The sessions are delivered to multiple family groups, facilitated by trained community workers. Participants can take home a booklet, which allows other family members who did not attend the sessions ? usually adult males ? to also become familiar with the material. Community leaders, who are members of the CHAMP-SA Board overseeing the project, play an important role in working at a community level by addressing issues of common concern, such as spaza shops that might sell alcohol to young people. In this way they help influence youth behaviour in the community. A preliminary evaluation of the programme, among 288 (out of 450) families, reveals that the programme is having a positive effect on key processes, such as parent or caregiver communication with children about sensitive topics; parental monitoring; neighbourhood social control; and stigma in families exposed to the programme, compared to the matched control families. The following graphs illustrate the positive effects of the preliminary analysis of the programme, which was administered to 228 out of 450 families. The next step is to determine the longer-term impact CHAMP-SA has had on adolescent risk behaviour among the original child participants, who have now reached adolescence. CHAMP now faces the challenge of disseminating the programme more widely to other areas where the need for community and school-based interventions has been identified. To this end, CHAMP is establishing itself as a non-profit organisation so it can solicit the necessary funding. | Figure 1. Caregiver communication (child)
This figure shows that children in the CHAMP intervention
group had much better communication with their caregivers
on issues related to alcohol, drugs, sex, and puberty than
their control peers. | Figure 2. Parental monitoring (child)
CHAMP group children experienced greater enforcement of family rules regarding their behaviour. | | Figure 3. Stigma (child)
The same children were significantly less stigmatising of
others with HIV/AIDS. | Figure 4. Family decision-making (adult)
CHAMP caregivers and parents were more often involved in making decisions about their child?s activities related to school and social life. | | Figure 5. Parental monitoring (adult)
CHAMP parents or caregivers were much more involved
in monitoring their children compared to other families. | Figure 6. Neighbourhood Social Control
CHAMP adult caregivers were much more likely to intervene in their neighbourhood given negative social conditions such as kids skipping school or boys harassing girls. |
|
Professor Arvin Bhana is a Research Director in the Child, Youth and Family Development Programme, and Professor Inge Petersen is Head of the School of Psychology, University of KwaZulu-Natal. | 
