Take the test, win a car

First-year students stand a chance to win a Toyota Yaris and grab a bag of giveaways in a national HIV/AIDS drive that aims to test close on 35 000 students.

Running from 1 to 3 March, the drive is part of HAICU's First Things First campaign, to generate awareness around the epidemic and to motivate students to be counselled and tested for HIV.

Campaign funders Innovative Medicines South Africa (IMSA) will be hosting free testing to students on the Health Sciences Campus at the Barnard Fuller Building and quad, and Student Wellness will do the same on Upper Campus from 1 to 3 March.

Students will also receive a First Things First bag, which includes condoms, information pamphlets, a rubber wrist band and an entry form for the car competition. Also included in the bag is a short movie on DVD about HIV testing, produced by IMSA. The campaign includes students signing a pledge wall after they have been tested. The wall will be on the Health Science Campus on 1 March and will be moved to Upper Campus from 2 to 3 March.

The ambitious target of 34 500 students tested was set by the Minister of Health, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, and the campaign was launched in the last week of January and will run through to mid-March. UCT is one of 15 universities in seven provinces participating.

Also partnering with IMSA in the First Things First campaign are the Department of Health, the South African National Aids Council, the Foundation for Professional Development, Higher Education South Africa and the Higher Education HIV and AIDS Programme.