CASH TRANSFERS AND CAREGIVERS: WORKING TOGETHER TO REDUCE VULNERABILITY AND HIV RISK AMONG ADOLESCENT GIRLS IN JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA

Naomi Hill,Leila Patel,Tessa † Hochfeld

doi:10.15270/57-1-909

Abstract

In South Africa adolescent girls have the highest HIV incidence of any sex or age cohort. Scalable HIV-prevention interventions targeting this group are critical for epidemic control. Reaching 12.2 million children, the Child Support Grant mitigates the socio-structural drivers of HIV risk. This qualitative study of eight adolescents and their caregivers in Westbury, Johannesburg, explored how caregiving increases protective potential. ‘Caregiving’ enhanced the HIV risk-reduction benefits of ‘cash’ when characterised by substantial positive caregiver-adolescent involvement and adequate levels of control and consistency. Results underpin the value of social protection as an HIV-prevention modality and endorse investment in caregiver support programmes.

Highlights

South Africa has the largest human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) epidemic in the world, with an estimated 7.2 million people living with HIV (Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, 2018)
Girls are physiologically at greater risk of HIV infection than males (Centre for Disease Control, 2018) and their vulnerability is compounded by low access to and/or uptake of prevention, testing and treatment services
AGYW are vulnerable to the socio-structural drivers of HIV risk, including poverty, under-development, economic inequality, gender inequality and sexual violence (Cluver, Orkin, Meinck, Boyes & Sherr, 2016; Hardee, Gay, Croce-Galis & Peltz, 2014; Wamoyi, Mshana, Mongi, Neke, Kapiga & Changalucha, 2014)

Summary

Introduction

South Africa has the largest human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) epidemic in the world, with an estimated 7.2 million people living with HIV (Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, 2018). AGYW are vulnerable to the socio-structural drivers of HIV risk, including poverty, under-development, economic inequality, gender inequality and sexual violence (Cluver, Orkin, Meinck, Boyes & Sherr, 2016; Hardee, Gay, Croce-Galis & Peltz, 2014; Wamoyi, Mshana, Mongi, Neke, Kapiga & Changalucha, 2014). Within this context, scalable interventions to reduce adolescent girls’ vulnerability to HIV infection are urgently needed

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