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Teenagers join the battle against HIV/AIDS
Jillian Green. 13 June 2005. The Star. Republished courtesy of Independent Newspapers (Pty) Ltd.
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They should be out playing with their friends, but 13-year-olds Sifiso Khumalo and Sherman Molele have something more serious on their minds. The two teenagers were among a group of children who last week attended the second South African AIDS conference in Durban, hoping to make an impact on the HIV/AIDS pandemic. They also gave a presentation at the conference.
In blue tracksuits, with bandannas on their heads, the group stood out among all the experts attending the conference, but it didn't bother them.
"HIV/AIDS kills, it is a destroyer, it is an enemy of the nation... and we have to do something about it," Sifiso said confidently when asked why he was attending the conference.
Sifiso, a Grade 7 pupil from Pimville, Soweto, first heard about HIV/AIDS from his teachers at school in 2000. "They told me it was an incurable disease and it kills.
"It scared me and made me feel sad," he said.
But he didn't let fear stop him. Instead of just accepting what his teachers told him, Sifiso began to do his own research, gathering information from people in his community and on the Internet.
"I decided that I had to do something. I am so ashamed (by this disease). There are so many people who are suffering and I feel sorry for them," he said. Sifiso joined a Soul Buddyz club and began writing speeches and poetry, which he presents to his peers and members of his community to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS - how one can contract the disease and how people with HIV/AIDS should be treated.
"I know people who have the disease and it makes me sad to see them get sick. People don't have to get this illness."
Sherman, a Grade 7 pupil from Malebogo in Limpopo, nodded his head enthusiastically as Sifiso spoke. He has been involved in educating his peers since 2003, when he joined a Soul Buddyz club in Limpopo.
"I joined the club because I wanted to know why there was so many teenage pregnancies, and then I also learnt about HIV/AIDS," Sherman said.
Sherman was also scared when he first heard about HIV/AIDS but, by learning more about the disease, he has come to realise there are things he can do to protect himself.
"People don't know enough about HIV/AIDS, that's why they are scared. They are scared to share blankets with someone who has HIV and don't want to go to the same toilet as them.
"I tell them that that is not how you get HIV/AIDS. I tell them it is okay to touch them, to kiss them and to give them a hug," Sherman said.
But sometimes his message falls on deaf ears. "It pains me when they do not listen. People need to be careful, they need to know about this disease," he said.
Sifiso and Sherman are part of group of 20 children who have become "leaders, activists and foot soldiers" in the war against HIV/AIDS.
"I think we can win this battle if we support and share our knowledge with each other," Sifiso said.
Soul Buddyz Club is a national project started in 2003 at the request of a group of children who wanted to know how they could deal with issues affecting them after seeing Soul Buddyz on television. Since then, the project has grown to incorporate 2 087 clubs nationwide, with more than 12 000 members. |
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