Protecting sex workers in Mpumalanga

For this project we conducted extensive research in the Gert Sibande District in Mpumalanga, which showed that many young women engaged in commercial sex work and transactional sex. This is as a result of very high unemployment levels among women in the area. It is also probably the reason why HIV infection levels in this area are among the highest in the country.

The team designed a peer-education programme and clinical services to reach sex workers in the district. We focused on taverns, since these seemed to be where sex workers found their clients. The sex workers also went on a course to explain to them how to reduce their risk of contracting HIV.

The programme is considered a best-practice example of working with key and vulnerable populations. A magazine produced for the sex workers as part of the programme has proven so popular that it is now distributed by the Department of Health throughout the country.

We showed that using innovation, combined with a respectful and engaged approach to the target audience, could result in a ground-breaking programme in this very difficult area.