Global clothing brand helps South Africans to know their status

To tackle the general unwillingness on the part of South Africans to submit themselves for testing, one private company is providing the public - and especially the youth - with free testing, counselling and urging them to ‘work it out for themselves'.

Levi Strauss South Africa has already tested over 90 000 people for the virus as part of its ongoing Levi Strauss Red for Life campaign.

This year, a new part of its campaign is currently being rolled out on university campuses around SA and a number of innovative techniques are being used to encourage students to take responsibility for both themselves and others by knowing their status. The campaign also aims to highlight the fact that HIV and AIDS is a shared problem that can be beaten with a united effort.

Debbie Gebhardt, Marketing Director for Levi Strauss South Africa, says South Africans generally continue to believe that they are not at risk despite estimates indicating that there are presently 5.6 million South Africans infected with HIV. Figures indicate there are 510 000 new HIV infections annually and it's estimated that there will be 370 000 AIDS related deaths in this year alone.

Stats could actually be much worse

The 2005 survey estimated that only 30,3% of South Africans have been tested for HIV/AIDS. Many experts believe the stats are much worse.

“While nearly 80% of South Africans know where to go in order to get tested, the majority of those who have not been tested believe that they are not at risk. The frightening thing is that of those who have never been tested, according to the national average more than one out of ten will be HIV positive,” Gebhardt says.

Other reasons often given for not being tested include trusting one's partner, being afraid of knowing one's status and not feeling ready to take an HIV test. While females are more likely than males to take the test, the statistics show that 57% of sexually active females in the age group 15 to 24 have never used contraception.

“Against the background of these statistics, our message to students is simple: you're intelligent. Here are the truths. Work it out for yourself.

Students are a particularly vulnerable group, and by encouraging them to work it out for themselves our Red For Life hopes to ensure that whatever they get up to after class does not derail their years of hard study and sacrifice,” says Gebhardt.

Comprehensive and customised

“The campaign provides a comprehensive, customised approach to creating an open, informed dialogue around HIV and AIDS. In addition to providing free counselling and testing for students together with partner New Start, the campaign emphasizes the importance of knowledge and personal responsibility.

Students who test positive are given four months of free counselling and comprehensive referrals to ensure that that their transition into medical monitoring and wellness management programmes is speedy and properly monitored.

A highlight of the campaign will be the Levi's Rage for the Revolution concert in Johannesburg on Saturday 8 November. The musicians taking part in the concert -Jozi, Tidal Waves, Flat Stanley, Malaika, aKING, L'vovo, Ntando, DJ Euphonik and DJ Oskido - will themselves all undergo testing, and have attended a personal Levi's Red for Life interactive workshop on HIV/AIDS. Students only qualify to win free VIP entry to the concert if they have been tested.

Levi's Red for Life is part of the company's global efforts to tackle the AIDS pandemic. To date, the company has donated over $50 million to HIV and AIDS-related initiatives around the world.

“The campaign has been created to make as big an impact as possible on South Africa's youth - those people whose daily lives are caught in the pandemic's deadly shadow. Its aims are to significantly increase the number of people who have been tested for HIV/AIDS, and to highlight the honest HIV truths and risks in South Africa while doing everything possible to give people the power to “work it out for themselves” concludes Gebhardt.