A group of youth gathered in downtown Cape Town at the Desmond Tutu Health Foundation to talk about attitudes around sex in their communities and the use of PrEP — a highly effective medicine at preventing the spread of HIV.
They work with other young people in the city to encourage them to take the medicine. But it's not easy. There’s misinformation, many are afraid of their parents finding out they’re sexually active, they have concerns about health professionals judging them, and that their sexual partners might get upset if they use it.
A lot about sex is learned on the streets, many youth don’t use condoms, and many have multiple sexual partners, they said.
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About the author
Sara Jervingsarajerving
Sara Jerving is a Senior Reporter at Devex, where she covers global health. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, The Wall Street Journal, VICE News, and Bloomberg News among others. Sara holds a master's degree from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism where she was a Lorana Sullivan fellow. She was a finalist for One World Media's Digital Media Award in 2021; a finalist for the Livingston Award for Young Journalists in 2018; and she was part of a VICE News Tonight on HBO team that received an Emmy nomination in 2018. She received the Philip Greer Memorial Award from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism in 2014.
