The challenges that peer educators face at Stellenbosch University

• Main Author: Roussouw, Janine Carmen
• Other Authors: Laas, Anja
• Language: en_ZA
• Published: Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University 2013
• Subjects: Dissertations > Industrial psychology; Theses > Industrial psychology; Assignments > Industrial psychology; HIV infections > South Africa > Stellenbosch > Prevention; Peer counseling > South Arica > Stellenbosch
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/80465

Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2013. === ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The aim of this research study was to look at the challenges which student peer educators face at Stellenbosch University. Semi-structured interviews were done with male and female peer educators who are involved at the Office for Institutional HIV Co-ordination (OIHC), where the peer educators have been recruited and trained. Interviews were done to determine what the peer educators’ experiences are when they work on campus, go out into the community and even when they socialise with their friends. From listening to the peer educators’ experiences it was found that with safe sex messaging there are mixed responses from males and females. According to the peer educators, students would rather purchase another brand of condoms than the Choice condoms distributed on campus. It was also found that males did not have a problem with condoms being placed in their residences, while females had a problem with that. Regarding HIV testing, females are much more open and enthusiastic to go for an HIV test than males. Challenging someone’s risky sexual behaviour is a huge challenge for all peer educators, since behaviour change does not happen easily. Many students also used withdrawal as a form of contraception. In the community peer educators were faced with language barriers and married people were not very enthusiastic to go for an HIV test. Behaviour change is possible, but difficult to bring about. === AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die doel van die navorsingstudie was om te kyk na die uitdagings wat studente portuurgroep-opleiers ervaar by Stellenbosch Universiteit. Semi-gestruktureerde onderhoude is gedoen met manlike en vroulike portuurgroep-opleiers wie betrokke is by die Kantoor vir Institusionele MIV Ko-ordinering, waar die portuurgroep-opleiers opleiding ontvang het. Onderhoude is gedoen om te bepaal wat die portuurgroep-opleiers se ervarings was wanneer hulle gewerk het op kampus, in die gemeenskap, of met hulle vriende gekuier het. Deur na die portuurgroep-opleiers se ervarings te luister is daar gevind dat deur die oordra van veilige seks boodskappe daar gemengde reaksies was by mans en vroue. Volgens die portuurgroep-opleiers sal studente liewer ander kondome koop en gebruik as die Choice kondome wat op kampus versprei word. Daar is ook gevind dat mans in die koshuise nie ’n probleem gehad het as daar kondome in hulle koshuis geplaas word nie, terwyl vroue wel ’n probleem daarmee het. Wat MIV toetse betref was vroue meer entoesiasties om vir ‘n MIV toets te gaan as mans. Om iemand se seksuele gedrag uit te daag is baie moeilik aangesien gedragsverandering nie so maklik gebeur nie. Baie studente gebruik ook “withdrawal” as ‘n tipe voorbehoedmiddel. In die gemeenskap was daar taal probleme wat portuurgroep-opleiers ondervind het sowel as getroude mense wat nie optimisties was om vir ‘n MIV toets te gaan nie. Gedragsverandering is moontlik, maar baie moeilik.