According to LoveLife, an organisation that promotes safe sex and healthy lifestyles among the youth, about 97% of 15-year olds are HIV negative. And that’€™s how they hope it will remain. But, often, teenagers make wrong decisions and do contract HIV. Nineteen year-old Girly from Diepkloof, Soweto, says many of her peers engage in risky sexual behaviour because of their family and economic backgrounds.

‘€œMany teenagers just give in because they know there is no support at home. There are some families where the parents just don’€™t care about you. Whether you are here or not, it’€™s the same. Sometimes you find the mother drunk and when you ask her for anything she refuses, that’€™s why they go to sugar daddies. It is not as if they love these men but they do it because they will get money in exchange’€.

Girly says young girls believe the tales told by the older men. ‘€œEven the line ‘€˜we can have unprotected sex because I don’€™t have HIV’€™ ‘€“ they believe it’€, she says.

She adds that most of her friends do not want to date men their own age. ‘€œThey say they want someone who will take care of them and buy them gifts and take them to the salon to do their hair. And if you don’€™t live the life they do, they stop being friends with you’€, she says.

 Another teenager, Thandeka, agrees with Girly, and says it’€™s easy to be attracted to money without considering the consequences.

‘€œYou find that the poor kids do this because there is no money at home and they rely on sugar daddies to sustain them. They use the money to provide for their families without caring about their own lifestyle’€, says Thandeka.

These are some of the huge challenges facing organisations such as loveLife. Targeting young people between the ages of 12 ‘€“ 19, the organisation aims to reach the youth before they get infected with HIV. Communication Manager, Esther Etkin, says the organisation’€™s mission is to help teenagers value themselves.  

 ‘€œOur message is all about taking control. It’€™s easy not to know, but when you do know you have to start changing your life. When you test negative, take steps to remain negative. But if you test positive, you can start taking steps to change your diet, reading more about it and attending support groups’€, says Etkin.