Evaluation of the PEPFAR/USAID Asibonisane Community Responses Program in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

In South Africa’s informal settlements residents build communities of improvised housing as they seek employment in the surrounding area. Since the settlements are unplanned, they are often underserved by municipal services and lack accessible healthcare. Limited educational opportunities coupled with frequent unemployment can create an environment that leads to increased risks for HIV and sexual and gender-based violence. Few programs intended to improve HIV outcomes or modulate gender norms have been rigorously evaluated, and there is limited evidence on how to implement large-scale HIV-prevention programming in these contexts.

This brief describes an evaluation SOAR and partners are conducting of the PEPFAR-/USAID-funded Asibonisane Community Responses Program in South Africa being implemented in informal settlements. The evaluation is investigating what key factors within the informal settlement context lead to HIV risk behaviors, what level of intervention exposure is needed to improve key outcomes, and how best to scale up group education models such as Stepping Stones.