Youth HIV/AIDS awareness in Swaziland

Abstract

Abstract by author:

Swaziland, a country situated at the south eastern part of Southern Africa ranks second amongst countries with the highest HIV prevalence rate in the world, Botswana being the highest. Young people constitute a population most researched upon, a population seen as being 'at risk', almost by definition. They are a group whose behavior, particularly sexual behavior, is often regarded as premature if not immature, immoral or at least unfortunate. This study was based mainly on the librarians in Swaziland, to determine what they have done and are doing to help in the fight against HIV/AIDS. What the local libraries can do to educate the youth about the pandemic. The youth had a small part in this study all the researcher needs to know is their knowledge, attitudes, behavior towards HIV/AIDS. The Quantitative method of data collection was used. Questionnaires were administered to the youth and the librarians in all the four regions of Swaziland, urban and rural. These questionnaires helped to find out what the libraries are doing towards educating the youth about HIV/AIDS, prevention and protection in the communities. The focus of this study was also on strategies which librarians in Swaziland can adopt to educate the youth about HIV/AIDS and recommendations which hopefully will lead to behavioral changes and a decrease in the high prevalence of HIV/AIDS in Swaziland. The key findings were that librarians in Swaziland have not been taking advantage of their situations as librarians in disseminating information on HIV/AIDS. So far they are not doing much with other anti-AIDS agencies in the fight against the HIV/AIDS endemic. Its high time all that changed before HIV/AIDS takes hold of the whole Swazi nation