Evaluation of an HIV peer education programme in the workplace

Bibliography: p. 113-118.The private sector in South Africa has a keen interest in ensuring that all employees are fully educated on issues related to HIV/AIDS (especially transmission mechanisms) to avoid losing a large proportion of the workforce and incurring a subsequent drop in productivity. In 1977, Woolworths, a South African retail company, implemented an HIV peer education programme for its employees. The broad aim of the programme is to reduce the HIV infection rate among staff by providing educational material on safe sexual practices, discussing various issues connected to HIV such as sexuality and modes of transmission and by providing free condoms to staff. The objective of this study is to provide a thorough and realistic evaluation of the Woolworths HIV/AIDS peer education programme. A formal evaluation is required to understand the current position of the programme and to determine its future direction