MADaboutART

MADaboutART's HIV and empowerment programme is designed for children and young people. The organisers aim to build knowledge and skills through delivering accurate and accessible HIV education in a way that is engaging to children and young people, within the context of building life skills and self-confidence. They also aim to empower children and young people to self-advocate and protect themselves from HIV/AIDS, as well as provide care and support for orphans and vulnerable children.

MADaboutART has established an art and education centre in Nekkies, a township outside Knysna in the Western Cape of South Africa and runs a variety of projects from this centre:

• Life skills education - The life skills programme intends to reduce young people's vulnerability and increase their problem-solving ability. An important part of this programme is "hero-booking". A hero book is a book made by a young person in which they become the hero of their lives by recognising and applying skills to overcome problems in storybooks they write.
• After-school MAD clubs - In an environment that aims to be fun and safe, children age 10 and up learn about HIV/AIDS and how to protect themselves. According to the organisers, more than 100 children participate in MADaboutART's after school MAD clubs in South Africa each day. A typical club meeting would include warming up with ice-breakers, holding discussion groups, planning art projects or community action initiatives, singing, acting, and playing, while at the same time learning about making positive choices for their future.
• Outreach - MADaboutART conducts outreach work with HIV-affected and vulnerable populations, both directly and by training teachers and youth workers. They also collaborate with libraries and art galleries to create HIV art competitions and community awareness exhibitions.
• Youth ambassadors - These peer educators are trained in delivering HIV education to children and young people using MADaboutART's mix of arts-based educational interventions. Each youth ambassador undertakes a quality-assured training programme and has access to ongoing mentorship and training opportunities.
• Pre-school project - The organisation works with children as young as 3 years of age in programmes that aim to help strengthen and develop children from an early age whilst allowing them the opportunity to play and learn and be stimulated by interesting activities.
• Fostering international links - Based in the UK, MADaboutART also creates educational links between young people in the UK and South Africa, using art as a medium to foster greater understanding and awareness of HIV internationally.
• Competitions - Following a first competition endorsed by the South African Department of Education in 2002 and spanning 30 schools from the Cape Town and Nelspruit regions, MADaboutART has linked up with 6 community libraries in South Africa's Western Cape to stage an art competition to promote better understanding and tolerance of HIV and AIDS. A second competition in 2005 attracted more than 400 entries from local schools. The result was an exhibition displayed at Knysna central library in March 2005, concurrent with national library week to bring the HIV message to a broader public. In 2007 a third schools competition resulted in almost 1,000 artworks which were displayed along a 4km route in Knysna for a "walk and talk" event to encourage parents and children to communicate more openly about HIV and sexual health.

HIV/AIDS, Children, Youth.

According to organisers, HIV prevalence in South Africa's Western Cape is between 20% and 30% and continues to grow. The epidemic increasingly affects young people, particularly young women and girls, both in terms of new infections and related psychosocial effects of bereavement, poverty, and sibling care in affected families. MADaboutART believes that lack of information, self-esteem/self-confidence, and life skills means that many young people do not have the skills or knowledge they need to protect themselves. "AIDS fatigue" is common, with many young people choosing to ignore traditional models of HIV education because they feel they have "heard it all before". The organisers also state that lack of information coupled with misinformation leads to stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV, creating further barriers to effective education and prevention. Outside school hours, boredom is a major factor with young people frequently spending time on the streets and becoming involved in crime, drugs, alcohol, and sexual activity just to pass the time.

MADaboutART has won 3 international awards - two at the International AIDS Impact Conference and a third at the HIV Hero Awards in London. The MADkids in South Africa also received a special award from the International Red Cross for development of a logo for the Red Cross orphans and vulnerable children programme.