Outcomes of a community-based HIV/AIDS education programme for rural older women in Botswana

Abstract

This article describes the experience and outcomes of a community-based educational programme to prevent HIV infection in older rural women in Botswana and to utilize the women as resources to educate members of their communities in the prevention of the disease. The programme used the primary health-care approach to develop and test gender-specific and culturally-relevant materials for the older women. Programme evaluation employed a quasiexperimental design with older women in a second village serving as a control group. Six months after programme implementation, the older women in the target village were more knowledgeable about HIV/AIDS than those in the control village. The sexually-active women were practising safer sex, and all were collaborating with health personnel in community activities for HIV/AIDS prevention and care. These activities are continuing and are being sustained by the village health committee.