Can They Afford to Be Safe? School and HIV Risk among Young Kenyan Women: Preliminary Findings

Sanyu A. Mojola, University of Chicago

Young women in sub-Saharan Africa are now at the greatest risk of HIV. This has coincided with unprecedented numbers of girls going to school. This paper qualitatively examines the link between both outcomes in examining how the pursuit of education can also contribute to increased HIV risk. The considerable expense of school both from fees and other perceived needs - which parents and guardians may not afford – might lead girls to turn to multiple high- risk sexual partnerships in exchange for money to cater for these needs. This paper explores in greater depth, some of the motives underlying these relationships. Data for the paper is based on a selection of interviews conducted in February and March 2006 among young secondary school girls in Nyanza Province, Kenya. The paper is part of a larger project on HIV risk, education and employment among young women.