ASRU Outreach in 2008
| Mapping Our Lives |
Educational material to promote treatment
literacy and adherence entailing the production of life sized ‘body
maps’, journey maps and memory books are provided on request (and
are available online). |
| The Visual Body Map |
An anatomically correct, yet simple visual aid
for teaching human biology, with accompanying manual. Designed for
use in clinics, HIV-positive support groups and schools. We provide
these materials on the web and on request. |
| Treatment advocacy through art |
A collaborative project with David Krut
Publishing to raise AIDS awareness and support for HAART by
distributing high-quality prints of body maps (the proceeds of which
are divided equally between those who painted them, and the AIDS
outreach program). |
| Fostering collaborations between biomedicine
and traditional healers |
Jo Wreford has been working with HOPE Cape Town
(HIV Outreach Program and Education) to train Traditional Health
Practitioners (THPs) in western medical understandings of HIV/AIDS
and its treatment, and Voluntary Counselling and Testing (VCT). The
project aims to improve relationships between THPs and medical
personnel; to encourage cross-referrals; to prevent possible
interactions between THP remedies and ARVs and to encourage more men
to test for HIV. Outreach activities also include giving lectures to
medical students (Jo Wreford). |
Background
The Visual Materials Project
In 2004, ASRU embarked on project to develop educational materials for use in schools and in support groups for adults on treatment. This project arose in response to the pressing need for clear and informative visual materials about the biology of the human body and the effect of antiretrovirals. This project is being managed by Bobby Pryce-Fitchen. This project is a collaborative project with Linzi Rabinowitz, who is currently working on an Oxford-based AIDS educational project.
Community Adherence Project
The Community Adherence project is collaboration between ASRU and Absolute Return for Kids (ARK). In partnership with local government, ARK provides anti-retroviral treatment to mothers and other caregivers infected with HIV/AIDS. ASRU researchers collaborated with ARK doctors and community workers to develop an HIV/AIDS and ARV-treatment literacy programme materials for community health workers. The curriculum is currently under review in the Mpumalanga, Kwa-Zulu Natal, Eastern Cape and Western Cape provinces, for adaptation to the local context.
This training programme for lay people is extensive and allows for the training and mentoring of community adherence workers by clinic staff. These community adherence workers, based at the primary level act as the interface between the clinic staff and the community, helping patients understand their treatment and health condition, helping them to disclose to their families, and helping their families support those in need of ARVs.
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