“The sky is the limit; I am going there”: experiences of hope among young women receiving a conditional cash transfer in rural South Africa

Abstract

Young women in South Africa face elevated risk of HIV infection compared to male peers. Cash transfers may mitigate their risk for HIV; however, there is limited understanding of mechanisms of impact. We explored hope as one potential mechanism. Longitudinal qualitative analysis was used to explore how cash transfer recipients in the HPTN 068 study conceptualised hope and how the intervention influenced their hope over time. We found the intervention increased confidence, alleviated financial stressors and instilled in young women the belief that a better life, defined as being educated, independent and supportive to family, was attainable. Findings support hope as a critical outcome of cash transfer and other economic strengthening interventions.

Keywords:

• HIV prevention
• young women
• poverty
• South Africa
• hope

Acknowledgements

We are grateful to the young women who took part in this study, to the HPTN 068 team whose time and efforts made this work possible, and to Amanda Selin for her support.

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest.

Additional information

Funding

Overall support for the HIV Prevention Trials Network (HPTN) was provided by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), the National Institute of Mental Health, and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) under Award Numbers UM1AI068619 (HPTN Leadership and Operations Center), UM1AI068617 (HPTN Statistical and Data Management Center), and UM1AI068613 (HPTN Laboratory Center). Additional funding was provided by the Division of Intramural Research at NIAID, and by the Carolina Population Center (Award Number 5R01MH087118). The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the NIH.