A frequently asked question by those who might consider volunteeting to be part of the Phase One trials to test for an AIDS vaccine in South Africa is, "how will this benefit me?" Keletso Mmoledi, a Research Nurse and Co-ordinator of the Aids Vaccine Research Unit at the Chris Hani-Baragwanath Hospital, talks about some of these benefits. This report is in Sesotho.

The South African government and the legal system come under fire for ignoring the plight of child prostitutes at a recent conference on sex tourism held in Cape Town. This audio report is in Sesotho.

The most vulnerable victims of Aids in South Africa are children. When parents die, they are often left alone to fend for themselves and their siblings. Sometimes, this means leaving school and losing their identity as a normal child. Fortunately for Elvis Lerole of Maupye in the Northern Province, he still goes to school. But instead of playing with his friends after class, he herds relatives' cattle for R400 a month. This meagre amount is the only income supporting Elvis and his sister - as well as the aunt, uncle and cousins they stay with ever since their parents died. This audio report is in Sesotho.

The question of child prostitution and how to deal with sex tourists who visit South Africa looking for children for sex were among those raised at the Sex Tourism conference held recently in Cape Town. The conference was convened as a result of the growing number of South African children who are being dragged into prostitution here at home, while others are being trafficked out of the country. This audio report is in Sesotho.

Natalia Baloi of Marirone, outside Tzaneen in the Northern Province, is a 22-year old unemployed single mother of a six year old boy. But now she finds herself not only being a mother to one child, but four others, the oldest of which is 17 years old. These added children are her younger siblings for whom she has to care since their parents died of an Aids-related disease. Although Natalia feels the responsibility to look after her siblings, she reveals that it is a very difficult task. This audio report is in Sesotho.

The Roman Catholic Church has come under criticism for its view that condoms should not be seen as a means to fight the spread of Aids. Little credit is given though to the work the Church does to help those infected and affected by Aids, as well as its prevention education methods. In Tzaneen in the Northern Province, the Catholic Church has put together a programme called Education for Life, through which it teaches people about the dangers of AIDS and how to deal with the challenges put forward by the epidemic. And crucial to this programme is the need to address people's daily needs, like providing them with food. This audio report is in Sesotho.

The National Children's Forum on HIV/AIDS helped break the silence among children regarding their experiences of HIV/AIDS. The forum encouraged children to speak freely and gave them the chance to speak to government representatives about their problems in the hope of getting assistance. In this Sesotho audio package the children talk about some of the hardships they endure.

The media in South Africa tend to be irresponsible, ignorant and inaccurate when reporting about HIV/AIDS. That's the analysis of the President of the Medical Research Council, Professor Malekgapuru Makgoba. Zackie Achmat of the Treatment Action Campaign agrees. He cites a lack of informed stories in the South African media on issues such as good nutrition, health economics and the economic impact the disease has on the country.