The SHARP Programme (Sensible, Healthy and Responsible People)
Project History
Peer education at Mabopane District secondary schools
Beginning in 1996, SAPLER Population Trust piloted a programme of training young people (peer educators, called pioneers) from the community to provide sexuality education full time in secondary schools under the guidance of the guidance counsellor. 16 schools in Mabopane District, North West Province (30 km north of Pretoria) were provided with at least 2 terms of sexuality education, with most classes receiving a sexuality-education workshop each week in 1998.
The programme continued at 11 new schools at Mabopane at the beginning of 1999 and a further 10 schools in the second half of 1999. Funding has been provided by the North West Health Department’s Aids Awareness Fund for NGOs, SA Breweries and Anglo American.
Temporarily, the existing team is being kept in being at new schools in 2000 on half pay whilst funding is being sought. The department is anxious that the team have accredited training and apply for official permission to use the Life Skills curriculum, but has given permission to carry on temporarily.
“The perception within Sapler and among those working closely with the organisation has been that the pioneer project has been effective and should be extended to a far larger area. However, it was realised that that an independent review of the project was needed, both to reveal possible areas of difficulty overlooked by Sapler staff and to facilitate expansion of the programme should the review prove positive.
The Unisa Institute for Social and Health Sciences, which has extensive experience in community based work and in academic research, was accordingly approached to produce [this] independent evaluation report.”[31]
“Learners describe pioneers as willing to take their questions seriously, caring, open and having a high degree of personal integrity. Although they describe pioneers as keen to engage in open discussion, they are also seen as quite directive about key safe sex issues such as abstaining from sex, avoiding promiscuity and using contraceptives. Other stakeholders describe pioneers as having a strongly positive effect on learners.”[32]
Twinning clinics and schools and school health visits at Mabopane District
[31] ibid. Background to the evaluation Back
[32] ibid. Executive summary Back