31 Aug 2015

Adherence to Antiretroviral Therapy by adolescents and children in Jwaneng has improved, thanks to the Jwaneng Teen Club. The teen club has brought children on treatment under one roof to boost their confidence and encourage good adherence to medication.

Piloted by the Botswana Baylor Children Clinic, the club is intended to provide life skills education, peer support, counselling and other youth-friendly services, which will ultimately lead to improved clinical and mental health outcomes.

Jwaneng District AIDS coordinator Ms Stella Keipeile told BOPA in an interview that the mandate of the club is to support adolescents who have disclosed their status, and their parents have consented to them registering with the club. She said their vision is to fight stigma and discrimination and empower the adolescents to live a normal life and see life in a different way.

“Adolescents living with HIV face different challenges that have a huge impact in their lives in general, especially their transition to adulthood,” she said.

Ms Keipeile said that they suffer isolation, which uniquely affects them both emotionally and psychologically. She said poor adherence was identified as a problem because the children depend on their guardians for supervision who are sometimes occupied.

With relevant stakeholders on board, especially professionals who include teachers, nurses and counsellors, Ms Keipeile affirmed that there is great improvement in adherence as well as self confidence and esteem. She said the sensitivity of the group is treated with due diligence, with more emphasis on protecting the children and their status. She said so far, parents are happy with the outcome of the club as there is self-acceptance, confidence and good adherence to medication.

She revealed that Majwe Mining Joint Venture donated P20 000 last year and P42 000 this year to the club towards events and capacity building activities.

Jwaneng is a mining town of 18 008 people. It’s HIV prevalence stands at 12.8 per cent, with females leading at 16.7 per cent while men remain at 8.5 per cent. Statistics from the District AIDS coordination office reveals that 3 615 people in the town are on ARVs, being 2 101 women and 1 414 men. Currently, a total of 100 children and adolescents below the age of 19 are on ART, of which 82 are between the ages of 10-19 years. Ends