In recent debate within education, the notion of barriers to learning has been reconceptualised to focus on systemic issues rather than deficits in individual learners. These barriers are factors which contribute to learning breakdown and exclusion. HIV / AIDS has been recognised as one of the factors which contributes to preventing children from participating in and benefiting from learning. In South Africa HIV/ AIDS has reached pandemic proportions. There has been a call for in depth qualitative micro-studies to supplement the numerous macro, quantitative studies on HIV / AIDS to explore contextualised experiences of HIV / AIDS and barriers to learning. This study was aimed at mapping barriers to learning in a context of HIV and AIDS amongst grade 6 and 9 learners in the Richmond district of KwaZulu-Natal. The study used semi- structured interviews and focus groups with participative methods of data collection. The total sample was 60 with an equal number of male and female participants. The data was analysed qualitatively using thematic analysis and the framework provided by Bronfenbrenner's theory with a particular focus on contextual factors to describe and analyse the barriers to learning in the study. The study found that psychosocial exclusionary factors that were located at different system levels in terms of Bronfenbrenner's theory exacerbated the impact of mv/ AIDS in the context of the study. The interconnectedness of, and the ripple effects amongst, these barriers to learning create additional challenges for the current education policies to minimize the impact of HIV / AIDS in formal education / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2006.

In South Africa commercial agriculture employs approximately 8.5% of the national workforce. Therefore, information about commercial farmers’ perceptions of and management responses to the HIV/AIDS pandemic are likely to be of interest to policy makers and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in the health sector, as well as practitioners in rural development and commercial agriculture. HIV/AIDS affects businesses such as commercial farms by decreasing productivity, increasing costs and therefore decreasing overall profitability. Farm business’ responses to the challenges posed by HIV/AIDS may advantage or disadvantage farm workers. For example, farm workers are highly vulnerable to burden-shifting activities (practices which reduce the cost of HIV/AIDS to the employer, such as the outsourcing of low-skilled jobs). However, farm businesses may also play a substantial role (e.g., by providing formal adult education or access to clinics) in addressing the HIV/AIDS epidemic in rural commercial farming areas of KwaZulu-Natal and in South Africa generally. This study presents an analysis of KwaZulu-Natal commercial farmers’ perceptions of and management responses to the HIV/AIDS pandemic. This analysis identifies the farm, business and personal characteristics of the various respondents. It is important to know this information because it assists in understanding why commercial farmers are responding as they are, which will in turn assist in future HIV/AIDS policy planning. The analysis is based on a postal census survey of Kwanalu (KwaZulu-Natal Agricultural Union) commercial farmer members in April and May 2007. Results suggest that, on average, Kwanalu members are highly concerned about the impact of HIV/AIDS on their businesses. A majority of respondents perceived HIV/AIDS to negatively affect the current and future profitability of farming, increase labour absenteeism and staff turnover rates, and reduce labour productivity. An analysis of variance (ANOVA) of the data shows that respondents’ management responses to the HIV/AIDS pandemic varied by farm size and enterprise type, but include paying higher than average wage rates to attract and retain healthy and productive workers, multi-skilling staff to provide back-up skills, and mechanisation to defer costs of HIV/AIDS. Respondents tended to believe that effective HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention programmes require an integrated approach between government, employers and employees. Two response indexes were calculated: (1) ranking by adopters only (only those who use a certain response are included) and (2) ranking by all respondents (a response is not used by a respondent automatically scores zero). The response indexes showed that resource-intensive HIV/AIDS services such as provision of antiretrovirals (ARVs) and nutritional supplements are ranked high by actual adopters, but relatively low overall (as only a small proportion of respondents are adopting these strategies) in the ranking by all respondents. Burden-shifting practices (e.g. mechanisation) are ranked relatively high in both rankings, indicating that respondents rate them as important in managing HIV/AIDS, and that many respondents are utilising them. Relatively inexpensive HIV/AIDS services (e.g. informal communication) are ranked low by actual adopters but high on the overall index as many respondents are using them (but doubt their effectiveness). A linear regression analysis was conducted on principal components from the response indexes to identify characteristics of “high” and “low” responders and of those who utilise burden shifting activities or HIV/AIDS services. The characteristics of “high” responders are that they perceive HIV/AIDS to impact on costs; they employ a high proportion of skilled labour; and they have high turnovers and high debt servicing obligations. Responders who employ large amounts of labour (particularly permanent labour); who perceive HIV/AIDS as the responsibility of the employer; who are older and more experienced; and who have a relatively high debt: asset ratio tend to use HIV/AIDS services to manage the impacts of HIV/AIDS. Many respondents already play an important but inexpensive role in HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment through encouraging voluntary HIV testing and providing staff with information and transport to clinics. Policy makers should take this into consideration when formulating HIV/AIDS policies to combat the pandemic.

HIV and AIDS have historically been associated with homosexuality and promiscuity (especially among blacks), evoking blame and stigma. The implication of sex in the spread of HIV and AIDS complicates matters as traditional ideas of pollution and contamination are evoked. These attitudes translate into a lack of support for people infected with and affected by HIV and AIDS. Moreover, such attitudes result in the stigmatisation of those people, leaving them with a poor self-image. Stigmatisation also leads to secrecy and non-disclosure of the disease allowing it to spread rapidly. This thesis deals with the issue of stigmatisation due to HIV and AIDS, looking specifically at the two congregations of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Southern Africa (ELCSA) in KwaZulu-Natal province. / Thesis (M.Th.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2007.

The study was motivated by a concern for the high vulnerability of poor African women to HIV/AIDS in South Africa and an understanding of their role in the growing informal trade sector in Durban. As the institution responsible for managing informal trade development, this study examines the role of local government in addressing AIDS vulnerability and impact within this economic sector. Local government in South Africa is at the centre of potentially conflicting policy agendas: promoting citizen participation in social and economic development while creating an efficient and competitive local economy. The research outlines how the challenge of meeting these divergent goals has influenced policy approaches to informal trade and the extent to which these constrain or support women traders and their enterprises. The study examines how this in turn influences their economic vulnerability to HIV/AIDS. The study also explores the institutional attitudes and current approaches to addressing HIV/AIDS in the informal trade sector and explores the potential for a targeted and integrated response. In-depth interviews with local government staff and external stakeholders were used to investigate institutional perspectives on the significance of HIV/AIDS and the importance of creating appropriate local level interventions within informal trade settings. Interviews also assessed current management and support strategies for informal trade and examined whether these create an enabling environment for women to protect themselves and their enterprises against the threat and impact of HIV/AIDS. Interviews were supported by an extensive review of gender and HIV/AIDS literature and analysis of relevant policy regarding informal economy and SMME development in South Africa. The study found that the multiple pressures on local government, as well as institutional restructuring and staff changes have inhibited progress towards implementing an effective management strategy for informal trade. A lack of regulation threatens the security and livelihoods of survivalist women traders, and high barriers to obtaining permits to trade impact negatively on women due to their multiple constraints and responsibilities. The study revealed that priority in providing holistic business support, including skills development and financial services, is skewed towards more profitable enterprises which has excluded most women traders. This has restricted women's productive capacity and enterprise development and heightened their economic vulnerability to HIV infection and impact. This is compounded by a lack of functional, representative organisations to convey the concerns of marginalised female traders to local government. It is likely that the prevalence of HIV/AIDS in informal markets in Durban is high. However, stigma and discrimination has prevented widespread disclosure. The vulnerability of women and the impact of HIV/AIDS on their enterprises and local economic development is recognised by staff working at street level, but not by key decision makers. This, in conjunction with the marginalisation of the sector as a whole, has influenced the lack of progress in developing a co-ordinated multidisciplinary response to HIV/AIDS among informal workers. Few interventions which directly address HIV/AIDS have been put in place in the informal workplace, largely because of a lack of understanding of the crisis; its conceptualisation as a health issue only; and the fixed location of local government's response within the health department. Acknowledging the resource and capacity constraints within local government, the study concludes by outlining a series of realistic potential interventions which can be mainstreamed within the standard functions of local government. A shift in thinking is required to conceptualise AIDS as a workplace issue, and recognise the significance of its economic impact. Women traders need to be considered as valuable and vulnerable workers, as well as mothers and carers and therefore as an important group for targeted HIV/AIDS interventions. The study calls for gender-sensitive measures to be implemented, which recognise the specific needs and constraints of women in the informal trade sector. / Thesis (M.Dev.Studies.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2004.

KwaZulu-Natal is the province worst affected by the disease burden of HIV and AIDS with 38.7% of pregnant women attending antenatal clinics (ANC) testing positive for HIV in 2008 (South Africa National Department of Health, 2008; Horwood et al, 2010). The lack of male partner involvement has been recognized as a contributing factor to poor programme adherence by women initiated into the prevention of mother-to-child-transmission (PMTCT) programme in South Africa (Peltzer et al, 2011a). Increasing male partner involvement in the services, therefore, has been acknowledged as one of the strategies that may have an impact in the success of the programme (DOH, 2008; Peltzer et al., 2011a; Reece et al, 2010; Vika et al, 2010) This study aimed to explore and describe male partner involvement in PMTCT services in a selected primary health care facility in KwaZulu-Natal. Five areas were investigated: demographic factors; knowledge; socio-cultural factors; programmatic factors; and the interrelationship between demographic factors, knowledge, socio-cultural factors and programmatic factors on male involvement in PMTCT. A quantitative exploratory descriptive design was conducted in November 2012 at a selected primary health care facility in KwaZulu-Natal. Questionnaires were issued to 90 men. The study revealed some association between certain variables of interest and male involvement. The study recommended that PMTCT programmes need to boost their awareness strategies as a means of increasing male involvement in the services. / Theses (M.N.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2013.

As the burden of HIV and AIDS ncreases in different communities of the world today, new organizations are being formed to help mitigate its impact. The current study assessed whether Christian fa th-based organizations (FBOs) were making any contribution to mitigate the impact HIV and AIDS in Pietermaritzburg area using a case study of the ESSA Christi AIDS Programme (ECAP). ECAP has been involved in training churches in HI and AIDS awareness, home-based and orphan care, assisting churches to initiate c urch-related projects, and facilitating the Church and AIDS course to the theology s udents at the Evangelical Seminary of Southern Africa (ESSA). The population of this study comp ised twenty (20) ESSA graduates who took the HIV and AIDS course between 19 9 and 2000. The self-administered questionnaire was sent to all twenty to assess hether they experienced any change in their thinking, attitude and behaviour to'jards people with AIDS as a result of taking the Church and AIDS course, and wHat HIV and AIDS-related activities they were involved in. An interview schedule with two phases, was used to collect data. The first phase elicited data from six (6) ECAP stakeholders to establish a brief historical background of ECAP. The second hase elicited data from ten (l0) church ministers in whose churches ECAP conduc ed its training to assess whether the ECAP's training programmes made any di erence in their attitude and behaviour towards people with AIDS, and what HIV a AIDS projects they started as a result of getting being trained. Although the study could not ge eralize the results because of the case study methodology, the results showed th t ECAP was making significant contribution to the fight against AIDS epidemic no only in the communities of Pietermaritzburg but also in other countries where the EISA graduates were working. However, lack of enough human and financial resour es is affecting ECAP's efficiency. Based on the findings in this study, recommen tions have been made to ECAP's method of recruiting churches for training, enues for training and its approach to HIV prevention methods. / Thesis (M.Th.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2006.

This study is about refugee women from the Great Lakes Region, who are living in Pietermaritzburg and face many challenges that contribute to their vulnerability to HIV and AIDS. These include the challenges of language barriers, lack of communication, gender based violence, and other socio-economic problems. This dissertation seeks to investigate critically some of the gender-based challenges that the refugee women from Great Lakes Region face in Pietermaritzburg which can make them vulnerable to HIV and AIDS. Though there is much literature written on the challenges of women refugees in Africa, there is not much written on the challenges of refugee women who live in cities. This study was involved to eight women and two male church leaders of the French-Swahili church in Pietermaritzburg where these refugee women fellowship. / Thesis (M.Th.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2007.

The special focus ofthe thesis is the ministry of healing and caring during the present HN/AIDS pandemic in Kwazulu-Natal. Hence the purpose of this thesis is to investigate Isaiah Shembe's Nazareth Church's healing and caring ministry to people living with HIV/AIDS and the affected members of their families in greater Pietermaritzburg area in Kwazulu-Natal. Healing and caring for the sick is the primary mission of this church. It is therefore important to investigate this church's healing and caring ministry to HIV/AIDS patients. This is important especially because it is generally believed that this disease is incurable. Does this church really heal or just care for these patients? In general this Church utilizes the healing and caring methods of both Jesus and African healing systems. Hence this study is a theological reflection on the effectiveness of the healing method that combines Jesus and African healing systems with special reference to HIV/AIDS. The study is therefore inspired by the assumption that the congregants of Shembe's Nazareth Church play an important role in fighting this killer disease in greater Pietermaritzburg area. Further the study reflected on both the successes and failures of this Church's ministry .The healing and caring ministry of iBandla lamaNazaretha makes a substantial contribution to the war against HIV/AIDS by the church and society. This exercise will hopefully help us to learn more as we strive to be relevant and true to the gospel even now in the time ofHIV/AIDS. / Thesis (M.Th.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2003.