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Five pupils off to US for HIV/AIDS education
Janine du Plessis. 05 December 2005. Pretoria News. Republished courtesy of Independent Newspapers (Pty) Ltd.
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Five Pretoria pupils left for the United States this weekend to learn how to prevent HIV/AIDS among their peers.
The Gapbuster Learning Centre in Washington DC will be hosting Natasha Mboyisa, 15, of Elukhanyisweni High in KwaMhlanga, Violita van Wyk, 17, and Juacinta Isaacs, 17, of Prosperitus Secondary in Eersterus, Kagiso Masina, 18, of J Kekana Secondary School in Mamelodi and Edlyne Forbes, 18, of Afrikaanse Hoër Seunskool, for three weeks on an intensive HIV/AIDS peer education training programme. The Gapbuster centre will teach the pupils ?“how to relate to their peers, basic life skills, dealing with sexuality and teach them how to prevent HIV infection and the various condom techniques?”.
They will then bring back these skills and become peer educators in their own schools.
But the trip will not be all business and includes a weekend in New York and another in Baltimore.
Van Wyk said she was looking forward to observing the American way of life. ?“We will be living with families, so it will be interesting,?” she said.
Last week the US embassy facilitated a video conference where the students could meet the peer educators and finalise arrangements.
Dr Yvette Butler, executive director of the Gapbuster centre, said the organisation offered various opportunities for pupils, including peer education programmes and cross-cultural experiences.
?“The South Africa pupils will be shadowing the American students to their schools, where they can talk to classes about South Africa's change of government and their experiences of it and about the country,?” said Butler.
?“I'm glad to be involved with the peer education programme as it will teach me to help people of my age. There are many teenage pregnancies in my community of Eersterus as well as diseases. I want to teach them to protect themselves as we are the future. If the youth are dying, then the future is in trouble,?” said Isaacs. |
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