AN EVALUATION OF HEALTH PROMOTERS’ PEER EDUCATION PROGRAMME ADMINISTERED AT THE DURBAN UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY

July 2008

This study evaluated the efficacy of DramAidE’s Health Promoters Peer Education Programme administered at the Durban University of technology. The study was conducted to determine how peer educators address HIV/AIDS issues and whether participants of their workshops are able to personalize their risk of HIV/AIDS. The study also sought to determine the extent to which the programme adopted communication for social change and participatory education methods. Data was collected through interviews with health promoters, project co-ordinators, peer educators and focus group discussions with participants attending workshops. Participant observation was also conducted in order to gain first hand experience. The key findings suggest that HIV/AIDS and related issues were effectively addressed by peer educators in workshops but that they were ineffective at allowing participants to personalize their risk of HIV/AIDS. Communication for Social Change as well as Participatory Education approaches were found to have been administered. However the study also located room for improvement with regard to both approaches. The study suggests that the programme needs to broaden its target market by including all DUT students and that peer educators needed more training workshops. The subject matter of workshops should also be more inclusive of participant’s content and peer educators need to share more personal experiences with their participants.

Keywords: Peer education; HIV/AIDS; Participatory Education; Communication for social change and DUT.

Click here to view document