Implementing Multiple Gender Strategies to Improve HIV and ... - ICRW

WOMEN’S HEALTH COOP, PRETORIA
LEAD ORGANIZATIONS:
COUNTRY:
HIV PROGRAM AREA:
RTI International
South Africa
Prevention
OVERVIEW:
The Women’s Health CoOp, Pretoria intervention seeks to empower at-risk women, particularly drug
users and sex workers, through education and skills training on reducing HIV risk and drug use. This
includes one-on-one counseling sessions on risk and safer behaviors, as well as life skills training to
build assertiveness, improve partner communication skills, and teach violence prevention strategies.
The program also teaches women about the link between drug use and risk of sexual violence.
Program evaluations show a statistically significant decrease in overall drug and alcohol abuse
among participants, and an increase in the percentage of women using condoms with their main
partner. Key findings include that staff should be at similar education, income, and class levels as
those of the clients targeted by the program, and links should be made with local community service
providers for referrals.
BACKGROUND
HIV & AIDS
Program Goals
The Women’s Health CoOp, Pretoria project seeks to equip female sex
workers and other at-risk women with increased knowledge about the links
between alcohol and drug use and sexual risk and victimization. It also
works to help women reduce substance use, improve communication with
their partners, use condoms more effectively, and use specific violence
prevention strategies.
Gender Strategies
Addressed
Reducing violence and coercion
Addressing male norms and behaviors
Increasing women’s legal protection
Increasing women’s access to income and productive resources
Other: women’s empowerment
Description of
Intervention
The Women’s Health CoOp, Pretoria intervention was an empowermentbased
HIV intervention designed to reduce sexual risk, substance use, and
victimization among at-risk and underserved women, including female sex
workers and other vulnerable women in South Africa. The intervention
contained education and skills training on reducing HIV risk and drug use
within the South African context (Wechsberg et al., 2005).
During two one-hour individualized sessions held within two weeks,
enrollees were offered counseling on personal risk and contextual issues of
risk identified from their baseline interviews. During these sessions, a
counselor used cue cards to present information on HIV, drug use and
associated sexual risk, risk reduction methods such as male and female
condoms, and communicating with partners on safer sex practices. The
counselor also discussed the HIV antibody test and steps the participants
could take to prevent the spread of HIV (Wechsberg et al., 2005).
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