The SHARP Programme (Sensible, Healthy and Responsible People)
People concerned with the population trends in South Africa formed the Sapler Population Trust in 1990[34]. SAPLER produced a survey of family planning in South Africa in 1995, now published on its website www.population.org.za, along with other material.
SAPLER’s pilot school sexuality education project in Mabopane District, North West, started in 1996, is the origin of this proposal. SAPLER advocates a high priority for family planning by government, civil society and commerce that is now developing.
Family planning includes safe sex practice, the promotion of voluntary HIV counselling and testing, responsible teenage sexuality and the widespread training and employment of youth and rural women in community service.
The AIDS pandemic, the unemployment crisis, the current destitution of 8-9 million Africans[35], the abuse of women and children and environmental resource limits all have a strong need for family planning in common (and indeed are different facets of a single national crisis). SAPLER made substantial input to the White Paper on Population Policy in 1997 and most recently on the Draft Policy on HIV/AIDS and STDs in Schools.
The National Institude for Community Development and Management (NICDAM)
NICDAM was founded by The National Institute for Public
Administration Management (NIPAM), Cotlands Baby Sanctuary, SAPLER Population Trust and
other organisations to serve as a joint forum to develop, implement and manage projects on
enablement, capacity building and social reconstruction of Southern African communities. It is a registered educational and community
trust. Programmes include:
NICDAM has undertaken to assist SAPLER to develop this project further. Project co-ordination, management, liaison, co-ordination of training, community participation, monitoring and evaluation as well as financial management, is among this organisation’s administrative commitments.
NICDAM identified the necessity for the establishment of a broad-spectrum Management & Implementation Team to support the SHARP Programme. The following criteria were considered in the sourcing of partners:
· Strong administrative and financial skills, management, co-ordination
· Recognised accreditation, support, and dissemination of course material
· Development of effective, interactive technological training systems
NICDAM has been instrumental in identifying and developing the project to include the following role players:
· SAPLER Population Trust
· NICDAM
· District Education Systems
· Local NGOs and CBOs
· District Health Systems
· ATICCS
· Tertiary Educational Institutions
Sapler is intended to develop the programme, and facilitate advice to the project by the Mabopane District Pioneers (full time school peer sexuality educators) and by the St Peter’s Mandlenkosi Family Health Company (twinning clinics and schools and piloting school health visits) and their stakeholders, and by other organisations in Mabopane District.
It provides consultation, research, advocacy and promotion in support of the project. It has a joint role with NICDAM with respect to liaison with the Departments of Education and Health on provincial and national level.
North West Education Department
The department is examining the project on the basis that sexuality-education by a peer sexuality educator under the mentorship of the guidance counsellor makes best use of the both the community youth and guidance counsellor. Programme endorsement is necessary to attract funding from government, foreign donors and the private sector.
The department, through the Joint Project Committee, is able to ensure that training is properly accredited and that operational reporting and programme evaluation takes place and is reviewed within the department.
It also has to determine, in consultation with districts, which schools are most deserving and should receive services. The department should also provide guidelines to districts so that other related programmes do not conflict with or duplicate the programme.
The SHARP district manager reports to the education district manager and to the education circuit managers and the soon to by established life skills master trainers who will train and monitor guidance counsellors according to the Business Plan[36].
The role of the local NGO or CBO is to provide a base, an ethos, a context and a voice for the peer sex-educator. The programme is not intended to supplant the local organisation, but rather to provide only those things that are best done from the centre – curriculum, training, policy and monitoring and evaluation of the school programme.
The health district system is intended to provide co-ordination for primary health care providers and to develop a health district information system. Liaison with the HDS and sharing information with the HDIS is necessary, especially if school health visits are put in place.
ATICCS will be consulted and their help sourced when needed.
Tertiary Educational Institutions
Vista will assist us in adapting our training material to the outcomes based education model and assist us with accreditation.
Honorary trustees include Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Mr Frank Talbot, ex director of the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History, the internationally renowned couple Paul and Ann Ehrlich, authors of the book “The Population Explosion”, Dr John Hanks of WWF-SA and John Ledger of Endangered Wildlife. Back
[35] Thabo Mebi, in a speech quoted in “Africa- the time has come”, 1999, Tafelberg . Mafube Back
[36] Department of Education, North West Province, “Business Plan: HIV/AIDS Life Skills Education; Secondary Schools; December 1999” Back