South Africa

The HIV epidemic in South Africa’s is among the world’s most severe and bears a female face:  In 2005, an estimated 57% of all HIV-infected South African adults were women.  Between 1997 and 2004, the mortality rate among women aged 20–39 years more than tripled.  Accompanying – indeed helping drive – the HIV epidemic in South Africa is a second epidemic of sexual and domestic violence towards women.  Violence and the threat of violence increase women’s vulnerability for infection from HIV and other undesired reproductive health outcomes.

Since 1995, EngenderHealth’s work in South Africa has focused most notably on transforming men’s attitudes and behaviors to reduce gender-based violence.  We also have worked to improve reproductive health services, including screening for and treating sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and HIV.

 
Involving Men As Partners®
In an effort to address gender-based violence – part of a larger effort to reduce the spread of HIV – EngenderHealth launched its landmark Men As Partners® (MAP) in South Africa in 1996. The program, which includes a series of workshops, peer-education initiatives, and media outreach, challenges men’s attitudes and behaviors that compromise their own health and safety, as well as the health and safety of women and children.  Project milestones include:

• The first Men As Partners Week in South Africa, held in April 2007 and co-sponsored with local partners.  The week marked the launch of a media campaign with the theme “I am a partner,” designed to help men understand what it means to be a true partner in relationships, families, and communities.
• Tens of thousands of men have participated in MAP workshops and community activities. Evaluations prove the transformative impact of the program on men’s behavior, and the positive results yielded by challenging and changing the norms of masculinity in the country.
• Finalist as for a prestigious Red Ribbon Award at the XVI International AIDS Conference in recognition of MAP’s innovative contribution to reducing the spread of HIV in South Africa.  

 
Promoting Quality Health Care
In developing countries, cervical cancer is the leading cause of death due to cancer among women, and 80 percent of deaths from cervical cancer occur in the developing world.  Screening is largely unavailable, or is very costly, making it out-of-reach for poor women.  As part of our commitment to making quality reproductive health care available to people in the world’s poorest communities, EngenderHealth has collaborated with Columbia University, the University of Cape Town, and the Cancer Society of South Africa (CANSA) to investigate the safety, efficacy, and feasibility of a low-cost cervical cancer screening method.  Known as the “screen and treat” approach—involving visual inspection of the cervix and DNA testing, followed by cryotherapy treatment for women testing positive—this low-cost strategy could save the lives of a quarter of a million women annually.