Nothing to Lose

Why bother?
There are so many vexing questions as to why South Africa has the highest incidence of HIV.
During my time here, four years going on five, I have come to believe that some of the biggest reasons are traditional ways of behavior that allows men to dominate women, poverty and a lack of education and consequently a loss of hope. If there is no hope, why bother to change your behaviour. I have also come to believe that transformation among those most affected by the virus, poor, black Africans, must come from within their own communities. People like me bring hope, but lasting change must come from within. I read with great interest a recent newspaper article with the title, Safe sex rings hollow if you have nothing to lose. The writer argues that in South Africa, those with nothing to lose have no reason to change the risky behaviours that lead to HIV. He says that: "the incidence of HIV spikes sharply when young people leave school because they feel aimless and unsupported. Unless we can give them a real sense of imminent possibility they will keep taking the risk because the alternatives do not provide much opportunity either.' What is the answer? Those involved with HIV must address these economic and social problems and not leave them to the government or even the business sectors. In other words those of us in HIV work must have a holistic approach. And then he makes the other point with which I strongly agree. "We should nurture a new leadership of young people drawn from the most marginalized communities. There are thousands of young people who are local leaders who have chosen to avoid the risk of HIV infection. They are the torchbearers for a new generation of South Africans who have decided that the risk is just not worth it."