Vhutshilo 2

Vhutshilo 2 is an intervention targeting the 14 – 17/18-year-old age group (designed for secondary school age which may include learners older than 18 years who are still in school).

The curriculum was originally developed in 2008/9 and a research project on the pilot was conducted by the HSRC. The intervention was also part of an RCT study with World Vision in 2012/2013 in the Eastern Cape conducted by Tulane University for USAID. An additional survey of 13 prevention curricula in South Africa, conducted by FHI 360 (2013) on request from USAID, recommended that Vhutshilo 2 was one of the ‘go to’ curriculum for prevention in South Africa (with some additions to the curriculum content).

Extensive upgrading of the curriculum was finalised over 2015/6 and was the prevention intervention for selected ASPIRES and DREAMS partners. The second level changes, supported by FHI 360 included the recommendation from USAID to include information on intergenerational exchange dating (the ‘Blesser’ concept), dating violence and consent for sex, additional information to support facilitators and an orientation to DREAMS. Vhutshilo 2 was again modified in 2020 to make it suitable for online training environment.

Please click on the link below to download an example session.
Vhutshilo 2 consists of the following sessions:
  • Session 1. Making Our Space
  • Session 2. Self-talk: Making decisions at difficult times
  • Session 3. With a little help: Dealing with grief and loss
  • Session 4. Standing up or standing by: gender violence in our lives
  • Session 5. From sweet to sour: Unhealthy dating relationships
  • Session 6. Getting serious: Understanding STIs, HIV and AIDS
  • Session 7. Safe with one or none: Staying safe in sexual relationships
  • Session 8. Say what? – Negotiating safer sex or no sex
  • Session 9. Know your methods: Avoid the risks of teen pregnancy
  • Session 10. Looking forward
The A4 brochures are about offering young people more information on factual aspects of the programme. For example, it is important to know the kind of information that you need before you decide to have sex; it is crucial to grasp what consenting to sex is and how to clearly figure out how it works; and it is important to separate the myths from the facts when it comes to drug and alcohol abuse. Each of these brochures is directly related to one of the sessions in the Vhutshilo 2 programme.

There are five brochures that can be downloaded
here.
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The A3 posters may be printed out and placed in community centres and classrooms. Their purpose is to draw attention to the key messages of the programme and act as visual reminders of what youth have learned during the programme. They are also used to highlight HCT testing or AIDS awareness days. There are five posters that can be downloaded here and printed.