MALE SPEAKER: And what I’d like to describe to you is the work of Love Life in which is the largest HIV prevention program aimed at young people in South Africa. But it is implemented in a very different way from conventional HIV approaches.

And in many ways, I guess that Love Life could be described as designer prevention. Prevention that is targeted, like designer (MS?), I guess. And prevention that is brand driven. We’re really trying to create a level of association for young people in the same way that they have strong association with Nike, Diesel, and Guess. And I hope to be able to demonstrate to you why we’re doing that.

And I’d really like to kick off by starting from where (MS?). And that is that the HIV epidemic in South Africa is driven by the sexual behavior of young people, and particularly by the gender dynamic that Steven Birch has spoken about.

Secondly, for us, the competition is Nike and Diesel and Guess. That’s the headspace of young South Africans. That’s where we have to focus on if we’re going to get to the level of association.

And thirdly, it is early days. We’re not coming here, saying that we have a success story. But there is only intermediary evidence that Love Life is at least on the right track. And that there is a possible for success in terms of changing the force of the epidemic within five years.

I’m sorry. I’m not sure why this is taking so long, but I’m – all right. Here we are. So three points: The sexual behavior of young South Africans is driving the HIV epidemic in South Africa. Our competition is Nike and Diesel and Guess. And it’s early days, but there’s some change that we’re on track for significant change.

We’re not sure exactly where we are in terms of the prevalence of the epidemic. The latest (MS?) survey suggests that amongst pregnant women, the prevalence is starting to plateau; at least the rate of increase is slowing down.

The – based on that prevalence survey, and these are projections based on prevalent surveys, it does appear that the HIV incidence may, in fact, be (MS?). But what this means is that the epidemic, and as I said, we’re not exactly sure where the epidemic may be maturing, but that does not necessarily mean that the underlying causes of this epidemic have been (MS?) at risk.

And I just wanted to demonstrate this growth, drawing on what Steven Birch has said, that the highest rates of new infection for girls is amongst the 15 to 20 year age group. For boys, for young men, a slightly higher age group. And this is essentially what is driving this epidemic.

This is what is sustaining incidents rate for the (MS?) that we have a prevalence rate of about 25 percent among sexually active adults. And so, if we’re going to do anything about the epidemic, we have to stop young people getting infected before they start. And we have to address the underlying causes of this epidemic, if in fact we’re going to starve it of its oxygen.

This is a curve showing the age at which young people start to have sex. And you can see that in South Africa by age 16.5, roughly half of young South Africans have had penetrative sex. We’re a significant proportion and predominantly girls, amongst 12 and 14 year olds, who have had penetrative sex.

Half our sexually active teenagers say that they’ve had more than one partner in the past three years. With a (MS?) with a significant number of young people having three – greater than three partners. And condom use that is actually worsened among sexually active young girls. And we know that young girls are starting to have sex because there’s a sperm association with transactional sex, with sex for money. And those girls are not only in a situation where they’re being forced to have sex, but where they’re having unsafe sex, a high rate of non condom use amongst 14 or 12 to 14 year old girls.

So we have a picture in South Africa where we have a list profile that is still very, very high risk for young South Africans. But in a way, this provides us with an opportunity, if we had this high rate of infection. And we were saying that young people who are (MS?) safe sex, it would be difficult to know where to go next. But it’s not like that. And we can see that young South Africans have a risk profile that is heavily skewed towards the high-risk side.

And if we can achieve a moderate shift in that risk profile away from high risk, to medium towards low risk, we can affect a massive reduction in the HIV epidemic. So the question is how do you get across to young people in South Africa?

And to some extent, income, gender, age, education predict whether or not teenagers have had sex. But personal attitudes, a sense of a future, a sense of aspiration predict the age at which young people start to have sex.

(MS?), girls particularly, forced and (MS?) girlfriends to have sex, a major predictor of the age of sexual debut. And the degree to which parents are willing to talk openly with their children about sex is a protective factor in addressing this epidemic.

When we have a look at South Africa, and try to design Love Life, we saw that unlike some sub Saharan African countries, there is high media penetration. Ninety nine percent access to television. Seventy five to radio. Sorry, 99 percent access to radio. Seventy five percent to television. A relatively sophisticated marketing and advertising milieu.

And with the young people who will tell you today, their interests are grand of pop icons. It’s music. That’s the headspace of young South Africa. And whether you’re in a – coming from a poor area or a rich area, you want to read Cosmo. You want to be part of this increasingly globalized environment.

And so for that reason, we designed Love Life as a new lifestyle brand for young South Africans. And like any brand, there’s the advertising, but there has to be the product if you’re going to sustain the inventions with young people.

And so, we combine on the one hand a high-powered media campaign with services, outreach and institutional support, to give young people a substantive experience of a different lifestyle.

This machine’s a little bit slow. So it’s not – well, I’ve lost my track, train of thought, but I’m just waiting for the machine to catch up. I’d like to just show you some elements of the (MS?) of size of Love Life before I try and bring it all together.

Sexual helplines, free sexual helplines for young people, where we’re taking the between 40 and 50,000 calls a month from young people. And a similar helpline for parents. Twelve active Love Life Y centers that serve as regional hubs for the rest of our service prevention. And some of the young people will speak about those.

I’m not sure we’re going to get through this presentation with this. You know, if this works I’ll go back to it, but I’m just going to abandon this, all right. And we’ll see if it catches up with us a little bit later.

The Love Life franchise, 60 NGOs involved, franchised by Love Life, involved in putting across the Love Life message of positive lifestyle and (MS?) choice. The adolescent (MS?) clinic initiative, working with government in partnership with the Department of Health. And I’m really delighted that the Minister of Health is with us today, and trying to – as Peter Piard (MS?) said, make public separate clinics places where we are providing optimal HIV services, HIV prevention, creating a bridge with treatment care and support.

And trying to make a more (MS?) to young people who attend those services. And the Groundbreaker program, which is a national volunteer service for, at the moment, 350 young people who run with us Love Life’s programs. And some of that would be described today.

The Love Life games, which is the largest inter-school sports development program in South Africa involving 250,000 young people and regional level up, involving 11,000 schools around the country. A festival of lifestyle, combining sports, arts, culture, debating. And then (MS?) outreach vehicles, the (MS?) units. And (MS?).

A big purple train that goes around to rural sightings, providing access to Love Life, where you go to fixed facilities. What I’m trying to give you is a sense for the combination of media and of services combining, to provide young people with a positive lifestyle experience.

Now (MS?). And we cannot show significant declines in prevalence. What we have been able to show is a strong sense of identification with Love Life and with its messages. 62 percent use the Love Train. Sixty two percent of young South Africans know of Love Life and of being exposed to it.

Most young people identify strongly with Love Life. Three-quarters of those who know of Love Life, say that it makes them think about safer choices, and was different, and they were interested. Three-quarters of young South Africans who have been exposed to Love Life say that they have taken some action as a result of Love Life. That’s roughly 1 in 2 young people in South Africa.

Most of them have talked to the family, their friends, or looked for more information on sex and sexuality. Parents, and so a few parents know Love Life. Only 41 percent. And this was before (MS?) found that parents campaign that we’ll talk a little bit about. But of the 40 percent of parents who knew of Love Life, 80 percent said that it had provided them with an opportunity to talk about sexuality and HIV.

And young people say that they’re now more aware of the risk of unprotected sex that they talk about it. And notably, two-thirds of young South Africans exposed to Love Life say that it has encouraged them to delay or abstain from sex.

And this impacts – this apparently impacts is even more marked among sexually active South Africans, who know of Love Life. 80 percent say that they’re now using condoms when having sex. 70 percent say they’ve reduced the number of sexual partners.

And there’s a difference between young people that are exposed from those who are not exposed to Love Life. A 14 percent difference in young people who have been exposed to Love Life, saying that they have changed their sexual behavior.

These are very early findings. But our goal is to halve the rate of new infection of HIV amongst 15 to 20 year olds within five years. This is the first trinket of evidence that we have that at least there’s a strong association with a positive lifestyle message that we’re putting across.

Self reported sexual behavior appears to be changing as a result of the combination of interventions. But as I say, young people predominantly ascribing that to the work of Love Life. Thank you very much. And I apologize for the technical problems that we’ve experienced.

I’d like to hand over now to Harper Mabasoula (MS?), who’s Love Life’s Director of Outreach. He’s going to be moderating a discussion and an opportunity for you to direct questions at the young people and at Harper and myself.

HARPER MABSOULA (MS?): Thank you, Dr. Arlessy (MS?). Ladies and gentlemen, I think now we (MS?) for a very interesting session. And likely now (MS?) presentations and slides. Because some of the experience that are situated and next to me here. And (MS?) and slight (MS?).

Thank you for (MS?). The family we were (MS?) to a presentation from (MS?). I want to touch on two things. But if (MS?).

The first piece comes – prevention should be prevalent. And often, it will set a couple of trends. And adapting HIV, it’s a youth driven epidemic. And what I want to say loud and clear here that HIV prevention should be youth driven as well. And as young people who – leadership role in terms of (MS?), to make sure that you really create a situation where much as we are seen as the problems, we should be seen as the solution.

So these young people that are here in front of you are actually driving the level of problems and are already involved with the Love Life programs. I don’t want to waste any more time. I’m going to ask (MS?) to introduce himself and tell us what he’s doing within the Love Life programs.

MALE SPEAKER: Hola. I’m Bernardo Tabagu (MS?). I’m a Groundbreaker, which is one of Love Life’s volunteer’s program. I’m one of the (MS?) and 50 volunteers of Love Life. I’m involved in an outside broadcasting unit, which is (MS?), where we travel around the country in many areas, educating young people in the form of a radio.

Why a radio? 50 percent of young people and 58 percent of young people in South Africa, they listen to radio daily. It is one of the most accessible ways – where we could educate young people. Also, we tried (MS?), which is that (MS?) where young people can go to, not only for clinical services, as well as to get information.

(MS?) we would get young people like me, that will be talking with other young people, as well as educating them. We also have volunteers at Love Life. Fifty percent of us (MS?) part of the advisory board of Love Life. We make decisions that affect us. We know what we’re going through.

So as young people who are from 50 percent of advisory board, we are making relevant decisions at Love Life.

MALE SPEAKER: Thank you. I think (MS?) from Tina.

TINA: Hi. I’m Tina Hime (MS?) from South Africa. And I’m 15 years of age. (MS?). I think everybody knows about in 1994 in actions that have taken place in South Africa. And we also know – we all know that the youth was extremely involved in the struggle for freedom and political problems that had taken place. Things like, “Mommy, I need food”.

Yes, there is like what is happening. But then, in order the youth of then, they had a motive. They had a motive of a struggle that were like – they had to get through the apartheid that was taken place. So after the 1994, the new generation came about. That is us.

So now the question that comes in mind, where are we going? What – where – do we have a future? Yes, we do. And Love Life is taking an extreme role in helping us find our future, and helping us ensure that we have a successful future, by protecting ourselves from the HIV and AIDS epidemic.

So it gives us a sense of belonging we – that we are going to make it where the future – we are like going to be the future President and everything. And you know, that is what Love Life does for us. You know, as you go to the centers everyday, we get information. We get motivated, you know. You start setting your own goals.

After seven years I want to be a doctor. After eight years, I’m going to be a cardiologist or something like that. So Love Life is taking a very important role, not only by preventing this HIV/AIDS, but also motivating young kids, giving them the sense of – giving them – letting them know that they will bond with a reason. They have a reason of being (MS?). And they go to use their chance and make themselves heard. Thank You.

(Applause)

FEMALE SPEAKER: Laila. And I’m also coming from Johannesburg in South Africa. I’m also one of those young people that are dedicated to making a difference in the lives of other young people out there. I’m involved with Love Life as a motivational and groundbreaker. And I train young people at the Love Life youth centers, the social centers, partners, in the national (MS?) initiative.

I am also involved with a program called Mission in Africa, which is a program that was initiated by Professor Robert Schwan (MS?), which is a clean-up mission in Africa. Basically, I just want to share with you something very special. And I just want you to realize how special and different Love Life is to me and these young people that are in front of you.

Love Life is different in a sense that ever since I’ve been part of Love Life, I have never been told what I should do or what I shouldn’t do. Love Life has been very well aware of the circumstances that I have been through as a young person. And in that sense, and with many to help me make right choices and decisions.

Love Life has informed me of the risks that I could be – that I could involve myself when I (MS?) to any form of sexual activities. And that has helped me as a young person to start making good and informed choices of all my life.

Since we all know that young people are the drivers of the epidemic of the HIV/AIDS. And we also are the ones that are going to drive the epidemic down. We are the ones that are going to make sure that we drive the prevention of HIV/AIDS.

I just want to tell you that, as well, Love Life is important for young people because it also helps us. It teaches us – helps us with the reactions – helps us through – deal with the courses of our actions. For example, the reasons (MS?) be sexually active as young people. The peer pressure, coercion, transactional sex and many others.

Love Life has helped me as a young person to take charge of my life and make the right choices, so that I can be able to drive the epidemic of HIV/AIDS right down. Thank you.

(Applause)

MALE SPEAKER: Thank you so much. I wish I could wave a magic wand and take you all to South Africa to see the scope of this program, but especially what these unbelievable, amazing young people are doing.

Another young person I want to introduce, another groundbreaker is Peter McLorry (MS?). Peter McLorry is the chief executive officer of the South African Broadcasting Corporation, the SABC has made a huge commitment to Love Life and to HIV prevention. It is a commitment worth tens of millions of dollars. It is a multi-year commitment. It is unprecedented in my experience as a commitment made by major media company.

Now I think there’s an introduction to Peter. We have a short video. And then we’ll hear from Peter himself. So (MS?).

PETER MCLORRY (MS?): Generations – waiting for a presentation to load up. So I’m not sure if I’m doing that one or this one. So I’ll start in the interim, while we get this going.

I think the best place to start is to say that our approach at the SABC to prevention and the whole issue around HIV and AIDS (MS?) part of a national priority strategy, which encompasses not just the SABC together with the NGOs, such as Love Life, but it’s intimately related to both government – official government departments approach to how we increase awareness and therefore, prevention.

It’s been essential piece to our thinking. And therefore, when we met with the Kaiser Foundation just over a year ago, and we entered into a five-year multiple agreement, it was principally around the following factors. We are the public broadcaster. And although we are by and large self-funding, we are clear about our mandate. It’s a very clear public mandate that’s got to address people that have been historically disadvantaged, as well as those that have been advantaged over the years.

We have three terrestrial channels – television channels and two satellite channels. We have 19 radio stations. And we broadcast in 11 different languages. And as we begin to get that around your head, you begin to see that we probably have the potential of having the greatest impact in the form of education, information, and entertainment in our part of the world.

Consequently, as we begin to look at the national priorities, or as we begin to do so, awareness was at a particular level. There’s no doubt about that, from the commitment of our government we were clear where that’s a very, very high level.

We had a specific role to play, given those who have overpenetration in terms of radio, you swap it 95 percent, as well as television, roughly about 78 percent and increasing to about 85 percent in certain areas.

So what did we decide to do? We’ve developed a range of television programs. You’ve seen some of the promos that have showcased on that video. They’re both around brands and brand association. The one thing we’re clear about our youth is that it has increasingly become brand conscious and entertainment driven, entertainment media conscious.

A consequence of that has been if we don’t have programming that is both entertaining and informative, we’re likely to lose them. We compete with a number of other channels, both in radio and television. And therefore, the cutting edge nature of our programs is particularly important.

With Love Life, we have this come to groundbreakers. We also showcase the Love Life games and a range of other programs. With Sesame Street, we’re going into our second term of something called Takalani (MS?) Sesame Street, aimed at younger kids. And the one that’s coming on stream this year is actually aiming at six-year olds and under in terms of education around issues of HIV and AIDS, and beginning that awareness at a very, very early age.

We’ve also linked that to the kind of icons we have that showcase in our channels. The one thing you’ll all be aware of in terms of youth culture is that be they VJs, DJs, continuity announcers, they become high impact names in different households.

So how do we use them in outreach programs? Principally around this, you also recognize very early that whatever we may do on screen or on television is not enough. It’s critical that it’s linked to off air activity. And Love Life here has been the principal partner.

You’ve heard the youngsters today talk about the clinic, the radio, infiltrators they’re using the radio. And the trains that we use. And we’ve realized that brand extension in that sense has meant that lifestyle choices begin to be influenced. We recognize they haven’t changed or ultimately exist, but they’re beginning to look at them in a very different light, relative to where they were a number of years ago.

So what have we decided going further, going to the next step? And I’m sorry; I’m ad libbing here because I don’t think the presentation’s going to come up. And I’m happy to take questions in detail later. One would decide of going further.

Given that these brands have become pan-African brands, a number of our channels showcase on the rest of our continent via satellite. A number of our programs are being sold into neighboring countries. We decided to see how we further extend, how we further extend those into areas where there is – there are levels of deprivation, etc.

And in that regard, we’ve done the following. One on the educational front, there are new set of programs that are being driven. And it’s not education as in rote education. If you look at a number of our programs, they deal with issues of prison life, the consequences of crime, what happens in those environments, etc.

So we’ve drawn them right away across to deal with not only 15 to 29 or 25 year olds, but we’ve gone down the chain to six to 10 year olds, 10 to 15 year olds. And with the new focus on creating opportunities to talk, focus on parents in particular.

Getting parents and children to talk about the issues that affect them daily. And allowing them to express in more direct ways the very challenges that they have. I’m sorry that all the staff, etc., that would have sat in my presentation didn’t come up, but I’m happy to take questions. Thank you.

MALE SPEAKER: Thank you very much, Peter. And I’d like to announce a new Kaiser program, the Powerpoint Prevention Program. We would be very happy to take questions, especially the young people here, if you have any. The floor is yours.

CHERYL FISHER: Hi, my name is Cheryl Fisher. I’m from the United States. I just have a quick question about youth in culture and entertainment. Do you involve hip-hop artists in South Africa as far as working with the youth and helping?

MALE SPEAKER: Yes, there’s a couple of (MS?). I think one of the (MS?), the guy who was shown this, called Mendoza, and the young people really identify with Mendoza precisely because of his (MS?) and the kind of music that he plays. And that cuts across all the racial lines.

MALE SPEAKER: Other questions? I want to thank all of you, especially all of you, and thank you all for coming. Thanks.

(Applause)