UP part of global research team to present the first image of Sagittarius A*

Astronomers have unveiled the first image of the supermassive black hole at the centre of our own Milky Way galaxy. The announcement was made at simultaneous press conferences around the world. Professor Roger Deane, an Extraordinary Professor at the University of Pretoria and Director for the Centre of Astrophysics at the University of Witwatersrand and Wits Postdoctoral Fellow, Dr Iniyan Natarajan, were part of this global collaboration with the Event Horizon Telescope team. They are the only two African-based representatives who are part of the global team of more than 300 astronomers.

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Research Matters shows how the University of Pretoria creates a world of answers by highlighting some of our most impactful and innovative research, all of which addresses society’s most pressing concerns in order to transform lives and communities.

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Improving the lives of families affected by HIV

PROBLEM

HIV in South Africa is a prominent health concern and it is believed that the country has more people living with HIV than any other country in the world. There are now more than 3 million orphans and 6 million adults of child-bearing age living with HIV in the country, which means that a large number of children are exposed to the disease in their own homes, and according to Prof Maretha Visser from the Department of Psychology at the University of Pretoria (UP), the population of HIV orphans and children living with parents affected with HIV is growing. Previous research shows that children exposed to HIV have more psychosocial problems than other children and are also more exposed to HIV-risk behaviour. Parents living with HIV also experience additional stressors that affect their parenting capacity.

SOLUTION

Prof Visser collaborated on the development of a family strengthening and HIV prevention programme for adolescents and caregivers that aims to improve the relationships and mental health of, and reduce HIV risk among, adolescents affected and orphaned by HIV throughout South Africa. The programme, called 'Let's talk', was initiated by Tulane International to fill a need identified in the population of orphans and vulnerable children. It was developed in collaboration with Dr Michelle Finestone of UP's Faculty of Education and funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

The research done for the 'Let's talk' programme focusses on an important need in communities and can contribute to the wellbeing of a large number of caregivers and adolescents. The programme for caregivers helps parents/caregivers to cope with their own emotions and to develop the skills necessary to develop an understanding relationship with the adolescents in their care. The parallel programme for adolescents assists the young people to cope with emotions, communicate their needs, develop a healthy relationship with their caregivers and protect their health, and also provides training for caregivers to talk to their children about sensitive topics such as sex and preventing pregnancy.

PROGRESS

The programme was piloted by seven community-based organisations in 13 caregiver and adolescent groups during 2015. Because of the positive reaction to the programme, it has been included in the DREAMS programme to be implemented in ten sub-Saharan countries, funded by the US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

For Prof Visser, the goal of the research project is to make a difference in the lives of the people involved. Therefore, the next step in the research will be to evaluate the effectiveness of the programme.