A reporter from the South Wales Argus has travelled to South Africa to see the work of a Welshman teaching children about HIV and Aids through football.

Claire Burke spent two weeks in Durban after winning a travel bursary for young journalists late last year.

The 25-year-old visited Marcus McGilvray, a specialist HIV nurse from Monmouthshire, and followed him as he taught children in the poor suburb of Edendale about HIV prevention through his Whizzkids United programme.

Claire said: "It was a brilliant trip, really interesting.

"The project mixes HIV prevention lessons with football and teaches them through a medium they understand.

"It gets the message over clearly and makes the children think about the future and their goals."

The children are taught different football skills, such as scoring a goal or getting past an obstacle or a defender, and told how these also apply to life skills.

During her trip Claire also watched a football tournament based on the World Cup, the culmination of each two week course.

Claire said: "I chatted to some of the children who were taking part to see what they thought and what they had learnt.

"I also interviewed a doctor at a local hospital and spoke to a lady with HIV who'd had no knowledge about it beforehand."

She added: "I didn't really know what to expect. I knew the problem was bad in South Africa but it was only when I was there and spoke to doctors and people affected by it that I realised how massive it is.

"Everyone knows someone who has been affected by it.

"The interesting thing is that children are taught about HIV in schools but the methods aren't working.

"They are told to abstain or use a condom but just repeat it parrot fashion so it doesn't really sink in."

Claire, who is based in the South Wales Argus Chepstow office, flew to South Africa after winning the Nick Lewis Travel Bursary worth £1,500.

The bursary was set up by the family of former Argus reporter and sub-editor Nick Lewis after he died from cancer in 1999.

Previous winners have travelled to the USA, Jamaica, Portugal and India.