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The prevention and control of the spread of HIV/AIDS infection remains a
priority of many governments, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, which is
estimated to host about 70 percent of the world’s HIV/AIDS victims (O’Sullivan
2000; USAID 2001; UNICEF, UNAIDS & WHO, 2002). The prevention efforts
regarding HIV/AIDS transmission need to ensure that people, particularly those
who are more vulnerable, such as youths,1
are not exposed to the HIV/AIDS
pandemic, and if exposed, have adequate knowledge and skills to prevent infections
(Barnett and Whiteside 2002; UNICEF, UNAIDS & WHO, 2002). This needs
an approach which provides vulnerable groups such as youths with information
and skills, and empowers them to participate in the design and
implementation of the programmes that target them (Colling 1998; Shapiro et al.,
2003). Two systems of knowledge dissemination exist, namely modern, such as
through mass media, and local, such as through stories. For the local methods of
knowledge dissemination, the communicator and audience must be present and
should speak the same language. On the other hand, in understanding the information
and skills provided through modern systems, two aspects are important:
one, reliable income for purchasing sources of information, such as radio and
newspapers, and second, education for using and understanding the information
and skills. Insisting on the role of education in acquiring knowledge about
HIV/AIDS through modern systems, UNICEF, UNAIDS & WHO (2002:26) note
that:
Good-quality education fosters analytical thinking and healthy habits.
Better educated young people are more likely to acquire the knowledge,
confidence and social skills to protect themselves from the virus. |
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