Children and youth at risk: adaptation and pilot study of the CHAMP (Amaqhawe) programme in South Africa

This paper reports on the adaptation and pilot study of the CHAMP programme (Collaborative HIV/AIDS and Adolescent Mental Health Programme) in South Africa with specific reference to outcome effects among adults. CHAMP was originally developed in the United States and is a developmentally-timed intervention, which aims to prevent HIV infection in youth through promoting resiliency in pre-adolescents and their families as well as strengthening the community protective shield. The adaptation was informed by a focused ethnographic study of the risk influences for HIV transmission in adolescents at the individual, family/interpersonal and community levels within the study site and achieved through a collaborative partnership of academics, community members, graphic artists and service providers. The CHAMP programme in South Africa (Amaqhawe) employs participatory adult education principles, including a participatory cartoon-based narrative method to deliver its content. Proximal outcome effects of the pilot study demonstrate positive effects amongst the parent participants at the individual and interpersonal/family levels of influence compared to the comparison group indicating the potential applicability of the CHAMP programme in South Africa.