Children from seven Grahamstown schools gathered in the General Lecture Theatre at Rhodes University on Saturday 16 October to learn about HIV/Aids and peer education at the Youth for the Education and Activism of HIV/Aids (Yeah) facilitation day.
Children from seven Grahamstown schools gathered in the General Lecture Theatre at Rhodes University on Saturday 16 October to learn about HIV/Aids and peer education at the Youth for the Education and Activism of HIV/Aids (Yeah) facilitation day.
The event was hosted by Rhodes student society Students’ HIV/Aids Resistance Campaign (Sharc). “This day was a great way to come together again after the Yeah camp,” said Victoria Girls learner Abenathi Gqomo. “The Yeah campaign educates us in a fun and interactive way, and it involves us and our opinions as well.”
The schools involved in the Yeah initiative were Mary Waters, Nombulelo, Victoria Girls’ High, TEM Mrwetyana, Benjamin Mahlasela and Ntsika Junior Secondary School.
Sharc is a student initiative that started in 2003 at Rhodes, focussing on raising awareness of HIV/Aids in the student community as well as in the wider Grahamstown area. Their peer education portfolio, which was started in 2008, is aimed at training students to be able to provide invaluable information and support to their peers concerning HIV/Aids concerns.
“The children that went on the Yeah camp in April this year were picked by their Life Orientation educators to become peer educators,” said Marcia Modiba, the Sharc Peer Ed Schools Liaison Officer. The facilitation day was held to prepare the learners for the workshops they would be hosting at their respective schools during the following week.
The event, which started off with some informal introductions, quickly turned serious when Nola Elliot from the Raphael Centre in Grahamstown took to the floor to address the high school students. “The only thing in your life that needs to remain negative is your HIV status,” she said.
“Everything else needs to remain positive!” Elliot also discussed the rapid HIV testing process with the students, informing them of their right to confidentiality and to undergo counselling.
Some games and a performance by Eastern Cape Drama Company Ubom! served as one of the highlights of the day. This performance, which dealt with some of the stereotypes, stigma and mindsets surrounding HIV/Aids, was inspirational to all present.
“It’s about changing things, even if it’s just for that one person,” said Mbongeni Ngwenya, the Sharc Health and Testing Monitor.
The day ended on an exciting note with a condom race, which tested the learners' abilities to put condoms onto wooden display parts in the shortest time possible.
