PSI

PSI established Society for Family Health in South Africa in 1992. SFH’s HIV prevention messaging reaches urban and peri-urban men aged 15 – 40, with an emphasis on couples for voluntary HIV counseling and testing services. SFH provides a range of HIV prevention products and services. These include condoms, HIV counselling and testing, medical male circumcision and interpersonal communications. These programs target high risk individuals. All of SFH’s products and services are designed to complement the Government of South Africa’s HIV prevention products and services and support Government strategies.

Health Areas

HIV, Reproductive Health

Health Impact

SFH estimates that in 2010, its products and services helped avert:

• 977,435 HIV & TB DALYs1
• 325,891 Reproductive Health DALYs
1. 1. Source: The DALY (Disability-Adjusted Life Year) is a widely-used, credible metric that was first developed by the World Bank and is now routinely relied upon in the public health community.

Health Interventions

• Male Condom
• Female Condom
• HIV Counseling and Testing
• Male Circumcision

Improving Health in South Africa

HIV

The SFH national youth outreach program, YouthAIDS, reaches township populations with information about HIV and AIDS. YouthAIDS activities are carried out in all nine provinces of South Africa. Youth peer educators spread the message of responsible sexual behavior through a variety of venues, including school resource rooms, parent-child workshops, street campaigns, community centers, transportation hubs and radio talk shows. SFH's mobile promotions units conduct road shows across South Africa using an edutainment approach. Shows are often highlighted by the participation of local celebrities including musicians and television stars.

SFH launched the New Start HCT network in 2004. New Start provides high quality HCT services in eight provinces across South Africa. New Start provides mobile HCT services that bring counseling, testing and referral services to communities, NGOs, churches and other partners throughout South Africa. New Start HCT marketing promotes New Start services and the services of government and other HCT partners.

SFH has been involved in Medical Male Circumision (MMC) service provision since 2008, when it teamed up with several partners to launch South Africa's first MMC centre. SFH and its partners are working to create informed demand for MMC and to increase access to safe MMC services for adolescents and men. Communication also targets women and community leaders, which helps to create a supportive environment for the introduction of circumcision, promote healthy social norms around the procedure and post-operative sexual behaviors, and encourage individual behavior change.

SFH markets attractively-packaged, high-quality male and female condoms at subsidised prices that low-income populations can afford. SFH’s Lovers Plus and Trust condom brands make up 75% of South Africa’s commercial condom market, allowing consumers access to affordable condoms. SFH is also the Government’s largest distributor of the free issue Choice condoms, and provides these condoms to high risk outlets such as bars and shebeens. Through its condom social marketing program, SFH creates demand, provides education, encourages positive health change and supports the distribution of its products through appropriate mass media campaigns.

Latest News

• PLoS Medicine Journal Publishes PSI Research on Male Circumcision
  July 30, 2010