Critical Review Of Love Money And Hiv By Mojola

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In her book, Love, Money and HIV, Sanyu A. Mojola examine the relationship between modernity and the discrepancy that exists in HIV infection rates in young women in Southern Africa. Mojola’s research takes place in Kenya (the third most populous African Nation) in the province of Luo-Nyanza. Here, she conducted interviews, gathered quantitative data on HIV infection rates, and conducted randomly selected case studies on students from local high schools to understand why and how HIV is so prevalent. The goal of her book is to understand why young women are at a much greater risk of getting HIV than men, and the focus on young people’s transition to adulthood and why that matters. The author’s argument that young women in Southern Africa are …show more content…
The solution is to increase access to education to all people, especially young women. Currently, in Kenya, education is accessible to many, but the infrastructure of the society limits who can get this education. Public schools are not great or widespread, and many require uniforms which are too expensive for those who would need to attend. Likely, if a family can afford to purchase a uniform, they can also afford to send their child to a private academy where they will get a quality education. This too ties into the low transition rate between primary school (90% graduate primary school) to secondary school (50% graduate high school) and beyond (5% graduate college). (Mojola 117) By schools decreasing tuition rates, eliminating unnecessary requirements, and expanding their area of coverage will make education accessible to more students. Mojola found an inverse correlation between the level of education a person attains and their chances of contracting an STD, such as HIV.A brain drain exists within Kenya, where the educated leave immediately for greater opportunities in other places. The impacts of this are huge. A less educated population will have higher birth rates, higher infection rates, a lower GDP, and a variety of other issues that can be alleviated by an educated …show more content…
Many students feel that education, simply, is not worth it. They feel this way because of the high costs associated with schooling (Mojola 124). Many parents and students feel their investment will not be returned once they finish their schooling due to the poor economy and the rising numbers of the “educated unemployed.” (Mojola 124) Thus, parents are likely to have their children work on farms, where they can earn money, now. In effect, this keeps the birth rates high, keeps people within proximity to one another, and increase the odds of the disease being

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