Education for Life Program Survey – 2006

Introduction

Surveys were administered in 2006 to four groups of South African students (primarily 14 - 25 year old girls) who participated in the South Africa Catholic Bishops Conference (CBC) Education for Life (EFL) abstinence-until-marriage education program.

CBC conducts the EFL program in parishes and schools and has affiliate offices in various African countries including: Zambia, Uganda, Kenya, South Africa, Tanzania, Malawi, Botswana, and Namibia.  This program is funded through private donations.  They conducted four 5-day programs with 40 – 60 kids per program.  They reach about 600 kids per year.  The EFL Program is a “conversion process that leads participants through introspection to face the reality of their present situation to identify, name and own behaviors, attitudes, and values that are not compatible with living the Gospel values.”  Sr. Bernadette Duffy, EFL National Coordinator, related that (based on the youth with which they work) poverty, low employment rates (which leads to men working away from their families), sexually explicit media, and cultural traditions (e.g., circumcision with unclean utensils) are the major factors contributing to the spread of HIV/AIDS in South Africa.

The survey was conducted in three intervals:  a pre-program survey was offered prior to instruction, a second survey was offered at the mid-point, and a post-program survey was offered shortly after instruction was completed.  On all three surveys, the students were asked the same four questions. However, on the post survey, two additional questions were asked.  The objective of the survey was to measure students’ knowledge, attitudes and intentions regarding sexual abstinence-until-marriage.