July 2003

Involving Youth in the Care and Support of People Affected by HIV and AIDS

Trained youth caregivers, Nchelenge district. Photo credit: Katie Schenk Horizons/Population Council

Young people in Zambia trained to provide care and support to individuals and families affected by AIDS have proven to be a vital resource to their communities. In a country where adult HIV prevalence is 13 percent among males and 18 percent among females, reaching 23 percent in urban areas (Zambia DHS 2001-2002), communities are seeking new ways of helping those infected and affected by the disease.

As the needs of people living with HIV and AIDS (PLHA) and orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) continue to escalate, results from an intervention study by the Horizons Program, in partnership with Care International and Family Health Trust, provide a promising picture of young peoples’ potential to contribute to community-based care and support activities. The study also indicates that involving young people in the care and support of persons affected by HIV and AIDS may have a positive effect on their adoption of some protective behaviors.

• Study Description
• Data Collection and Analysis
• Description of the Intervention
• Key Findings
• Lessons Learned for Replication and Scale-up and Next Steps
• PDF format of summary (123 KB)

This research summary was written by: Eka Esu-Williams, Scott Geibel, Joseph Motsepe, and Katie Schenk, Horizons/Population Council; Moses Zulu, Mantumbusa Community Anti-AIDS Club; and Petronella Bweupe, Catholic Diocese, Mansa.

Local partners for the study included the AIDS Task Force, District Health Management Team, Mansa Catholic Diocese, St. Paul’s Mission Hospital, Luapula Foundation, and the Ministry of Education. We are also very grateful to all the people of Luapula and Northern provinces who agreed to participate in this research as respondents and caregivers.

For further information, please contact Eka Esu-Williams at ewilliams@pcjoburg.org.za or Katie Schenk at kschenk@popcouncil.org.

Suggested citation: Esu-Williams, E. et al. 2003. “Involving Youth in the Care and Support of People Affected by HIV and AIDS,” Horizons Research Summary. Washington, D.C.: Population Council.

About Horizons

Horizons conducts global operations research to improve prevention, care, and support program. Horizons is implemented by the Population Council under a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Agency for International Development. Horizons is implemented by the Population Council in partnership with the International Center for Research on Women (ICRW), the Program for Appropriate Technology in Health (PATH), the International HIV/AIDS Alliance, Tulane University, Family Health International (FHI), and Johns Hopkins University.

Copyright © 2003 The Population Council

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19 Nov 2007