Woman holding an AIDS awareness campaign in South Africa

Priority area HIV and AIDS prevention Informing young people about the risks

In no other country in the world are there as many people living with HIV as in South Africa. The spread of HIV and AIDS is jeopardising not only the country's economic development but also its social stability.

The immunodeficiency disease is a threat to the lives and livelihoods of countless families. Many children are caring for sick relatives. Some 1.2 million children have lost their parents to AIDS, putting them at heightened risk of economic and sexual exploitation.

German activities

Germany is supporting, among other measures, programmes to encourage voluntary HIV and tuberculosis testing in severely affected provinces, with a view to reducing the number of new cases. New community centres offer a range of care and training services for children who have lost their parents to AIDS and for other vulnerable children.

Technical Cooperation concentrates particularly on prevention efforts and health education for young people. The aim is for HIV and AIDS to become an integral part of the school curriculum. Teaching materials are provided and primary, secondary and vocational teachers are given training.

In cooperation with various non-governmental organisations, the BMZ is also supporting innovative prevention programmes that target those sections of the population that are not making use of the official HIV advisory services on offer.

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