SOUTH AFRICAN PEER EDUCATOR MINI CONFERENCES

The South African Peer Educators Association (SAPEA) held 1 day mini Peer Educator Conferences in Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, Durban, Johannesburg and Bloemfontein during October 2012.. The focus was on Gender Based Violence, Workplace Wellness and HIV & AIDS.

The South African Peer Educators Association (SAPEA) is an association that specialises in the development and support of Peer Educators in South Africa.

The conference was targeted at Peer Educators, Wellness Champions, HR Managers, Occupational Health Personnel, Employee Wellness Coordinators and HIV  and AIDS Workplace Co-ordinators.

The program covered the following:

Session 1: The Relationship between violence and HIV & AIDS  

Session 2: Rape and Post Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP)

Session 3: Culture – Is culture a driver of violence?

Session 4: Substance Abuse and Pregnancy – A closer look at Foetal Alcohol Syndrome

SOUTH AFRICAN PEER EDUCATORS ASSOCIATION - SAPEA

Peer Educator Programmes form an important part of wellness programmes within companies and communities. Peer Educators’ contribution to the national response to HIV and AIDS is significant and Peer Educators need to be supported if they are to contribute effectively over the long term.

Sufficient and appropriate internal and external support for Peer Educators prevents burnout and is a key contributor to the success with which they carry out their responsibilities.

 SABCOHA’s Peer Educator Programme provides support and care for Peer Educators via a telephonic support line. In addition, management and HIV coordinators in companies and communities are encouraged to offer support to their Peer Educators, and to give them a sense of belonging and being valued.

SAPEA was formed during the first National Peer Educators Conference held by SABCOHA in October 2011 and aims to build an active support network of Peer Educators throughout South Africa.

Membership of SAPEA is open to all Peer Educators, Wellness Champions and Coordinators both in workplaces and communities.

Benefits of Membership

• Professional telephonic support for all Peer Educators who need debriefing or seek information and advice on challenges they experience as Peer Educators - available Monday to Friday from 07h00 to 15h00.
• Two support calls per annum from the SABCOHA Peer Educator Coordinator to all paid up members on the database.
• Monthly support and information SMS’s.
• Quarterly newsletters.
• Voting rights during the SAPEA Bi-Annual General Meeting.

Membership Fees

Membership fees of R100 plus VAT = R114.00 to be paid annually. On receipt of proof of payment and a completed membership form, SABCOHA will issue you with a membership card which will be valid for a year from date of payment.

For more information:  call HAROLD BOKABA on 011 447 3175 or sms 45080 and start your message with the keyword SABCOHA.

Download and complete the attached registration form. 

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In offering HIV-related education, counselling and support in the workplace, peer educators are in many respects at the coalface of the epidemic. Research shows that over 80 percent of the country's peer educators know someone who is HIV-positive or who has died of an AIDS-related illness.  Any company intent on creating an effective HIV/AIDS programme will need to establish a strong peer education component.     SABCOHA aims to offer the right type of support to business for Peer Educators.

Contact: Harold Bakoba for more information: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it   or 073 610 8779

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Presentations for the SAPEA conference

 South African Peer Educator Association "SAPEA" Mandate 135.50 Kb

 Gender Based Violence And HIV/AIDS 2.50 Mb

 Group Discussions 100.50 Kb

 Rape and Post Exposure Prophylaxis’s (PEP) 1.19 Mb

 Substance Abuse - A closer look at "Fetal Alcoholic Syndrome" 1.36 Mb

Workplace HIV/AIDS peer educators in South African companies - Dr David Dickinson

Talking about Peer Educators (May 2007)

The latest research findings of "Talking About AIDS: A study of informal activities undertaken by workplace HIV/AIDS peer educators in a South African company" by David Dickinson, associate professor at Wits Business School, shed new light on the "black box" that is the often confidential and intimate interactions that take place between peer educators and their peers.

Dickinson's research - based on the diary recordings over 20 months of seven peer educators at a large mining house - "scrutinizes the ‘informal activity' that comprises a critical aspect of peer education".

Presented at the Wits Business School in May 2007, Dickinson's findings bear out many of his earlier research findings (see below). But given the range of environments that peer educators operate in, these findings can only be "tentatively generalised to other peer educators whose specific situations and activities may differ from those outlined here", writes Dickinson.

Some key points emerged from the research into this particular group of peer educators:

• Common topics are condoms and femidoms and open talk on HIV/AIDS.
• Peer educators respond to "sexual networks" - for example, a miner who has a wife at home and a girlfriend near the mine - and identify the "pressure points" of these networks where HIV transmission can be limited.
• Peer educators are taken more seriously and have more power if they participate in workplace structures such as unions.
• Most informal encounters occur because the peer educator is known and is approached by peers.
• Most peer educators are African which contributes to the "racialising" of the epidemic. More white peer educators are needed to counter this and to prevent prevalence levels rising among whites.
• In the absence of a cure from western medicine, many people continue to hold alternative health beliefs in the treatment of HIV/AIDS. This creates complex problems for peer educators. Greater collaboration with alternative health practitioners is needed.
• Peer educators' oral language skills are extensive but ability to read and write is mixed. Training needs to be tailored to match the true literacy levels of peer educators.
• Sometimes unproductive interactions such as "soap operas", which drain the energy of peer educators, or uncreative, formal activity which alienates peers, occurs between peer educators and peers.
• Peer educators benefit from regular meetings with each other.

To download the full report click here: wbs_peer_review_report_2007 1.66 Mb

(Members will receive hard copies of the report by mail.)

Case study: Five large SA companies

In the largest research project into peer educators in SA and the globe to date, Dickinson conducted research in five large South African companies with a combined workforce of more than 120 000 permanent and non-permanent employees. Together, the companies have around 1 780 peer educators – on average one peer educator to 69 employees. He gathered research data by means of questionnaires, interviews and participatory observation.

Key findings

There is an over-representation of women – particularly African women – among peer educators, when compared with the company’s employee profile;

• There are very few peer educators in the symbolically important ranks of top and senior management;

• Around half of peer educators are volunteers and around 20 percent are elected by colleagues;

Peer educators play several key roles: influencer; adviser; stigma buster; normaliser; sex talker; family builder; and condom king;

1. While peer educators are trained, gaps in training are apparent and refresher courses are needed. Most HIV/AIDS programmes are under-resourced;
2. Although peer educators are motivated by concern for others, many believe they should receive payment for their work, which is extensive and not always visible;
3. An estimated 150 000 peer educators around the country participate in more than 20 million conversations around HIV/AIDS every year;
4. The organisation of peer educators within and between companies is vastly uneven:
5. There is a lack of synergy between peer educators and unions;
6. The environment in which a peer educator works is often vastly different from that outlined in company policy – usually due to production pressure;
7. Peer educators need to deal with many different beliefs and attitudes and many show enormous flexibility in this regard;
8. Peer education falls somewhere between activism and professionalism – both extremes should be avoided;
9. In diverse ways peer educators make a major contribution to the national response to HIV/AIDS.

Research material

• Summary article on Dickinson’s research: File size: 1015.50 Kb
• The full research report File size: 790.38 Kb
• A presentation of the research File size: 1.38 Mb.

Related articles

• Standard Bank's seasoned peer educator:
• Unliver's peer eductor's call for recognition for volunteers
• Peer educator forum in Cape Town (Informer)

Related publications

• Informer newspaper

Lifeline's Peer Talk newsletters:

• Peer Talk - Jan/Feb 2007 503.36 Kb
• Peer Talk - March 2007 472.92 Kb
• Peer Talk - April 2007 365.09 Kb
• Peer Talk - May/June 2007 396.62 Kb
• Peer Talk - July 2007 589.43 Kb
• Peer Talk - August 2007 401.78 Kb
• Peer Talk - Sept 2007 1.99 Mb
• Peer Talk - October 2007 1.70 Mb