Empowering women through HIV prevention programmes
Rambarath, Thirusha
In South Africa, women are the most affected and vulnerable group to HIV and have
shouldered most of the caretaking responsibilities. The current study aimed to empower
women through HIV prevention programmes, particularly those living with HIV. A qualitative
research design was adopted, and an interpretative phenomenological approach (IPA) was
used in this study. The researcher used in-depth interviews with seven black and three
Indian participants aged between 36 to 58 years old. A purposive sampling technique was
used to select the participants. The findings indicated that the women faced many
challenges in their lives. They experienced challenges, socio-economic, psychological as
well as emotional ones. Despite these challenges, the women were able to cope. However,
their coping strategies need to be enhanced. Cultural barriers were not a problem for the
women in this study. The theoretical framework adopted in the study comprised models and
theories with the social-ecological and feminist theories being the most applicable.
Recommendations for future research as well as for the Department of Health (DoH) and
the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA), were provided to facilitate HIV
prevention programmes to reduce the spread of HIV.
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