Volume 51 Issue 8 - August 2013 : Readers Diary

♪♪ YOUTH WITH A PURPOSE ♪♪

Youth with a purpose, allow me to ask, how often do you hear this tune? And do we really understand and live to the phrases definition? To what extent can you categorize yourself as a youth with a purpose? ….Well from what I have seen it can pretty much mean anything; from donating to the needy to mentoring aspiring young farmers.

But we as a group of tertiary education students have decided to use our comparative advantage ‘of education` to contribute to this youth with a purpose pledge. This is a group of effervescent passion driven student peer educators from Serowe College of Education (SCE), Serowe institute of Health Sciences (I.H.S) and Gaborone Institute of Professional Studies (GIPS) Selibe Phikwe, who have decided they will go in to the community share and reinforce knowledge as a way of promoting Abstinence, SMC while at the same time discouraging risky sexual behaviors among the youth.

Our overarching goal is to take a proactive role in the fight against HIV/AIDS among the youth. Mind you this youth is not limited to the so-called able bodied who are complaining of being bombarded with HIV messages to the point of ‘saturation` but rather we aim at reaching even those looming in the realms of being forgotten.

The group known as the teAIDS SIG Peer educators specializes in bringing youth friendly services to the youth in the form of drama, poetry, debates, performing arts etc, in order for the message to reach the target group. This group has support from the afore mentioned institutions Management/ staff as well as the Tertiary Education Council`s te-AIDS project. Apart from the many achievements we have had with the institutions, our corporate responsibility was highlighted by the out-reach project we conducted at Tshidilong Rehabilitation Center in Serowe.

A center for people leaving with disabilities and currently has about 40 students with different disabilities of ages 1-30 years. The outreach was attended by both staff/student from the center. In the midst of their school work the SIG team found it fit to reach out to people who are more often than not disregarded. During our interactions with the students it was apparent they have a lot of potential waiting to be unleashed, if it wasn`t for the fact that the communities are reluctant to reach them. They have limited knowledge on HIV and related issues and we all know they say little knowledge is a dangerous thing.

During the workshop one student asked “Goriana le rona re kgona go dira Safe Male Circumcision?” From the conversation we established this remark came from stereotypes and remarks these students are antagonized with by the very same communities they are part of. Excuse me but this is a shameless clear sign of discrimination and lack of tolerance that exists in our communities, albeit being in this era where our HIV&AIDS prevalence rates leaves very little to write home about. It`s high time we put up a united front if we are to get anywhere near our vision 2016, “towards prosperity for all” and “zero infection rate”. The vision clearly does not distinct people according to any pedigrees so let`s not create any. And who are we to judge, diagnose and decide who gets circumcised and who doesn`t?. Last time I checked people in our communities were not all Doctors so let`s leave some conclusions be drawn by appropriate persons.

A re chencheng Betsho, re tshwaraganeleng kgetsi ya tsie gore maduo a te a bonale. Since peer education has been established as one of the most successful ways of imparting knowledge between people of the same age, social status, class, and understanding e.t.c., it was in light of this that after the workshop, a dozen of peer-educators were selected from the students. The group will be mentored by the SIG team and with time be given a chance to educate their peers to prove that disability does not mean inability.

Just like everyone else PLWDs need to be shown that they too are well capable. The workshop brought some kind of revelation since at the end it was clear they were enlightened. The SIG team would like to appeal to the public to make time to help such people whenever they can, remember HIV affects us all this is not the time to shy from reality. Remember disability is not something you can only be born with but can confront you even in your prime or old age, so before we entertain any discriminatory tendencies let`s start by empathizing. Let us make a habit of serving our communities, help does not necessarily has to have a price tag attached to it, just a simple act of random kindness is enough.

Though I have to admit assistance in cash/material will go a long way at Tshidilo where with the current fall of winter the classrooms can be mistaken for cold-rooms, however it`s a pity the contents of the cold-rooms are students some of whom are ailing and as young as 7 months. The SIG Team thus challenges the so-called youths with a purpose of our country to strive at bringing positive mainstreamed and sustainable change instead of creating media frenzies that can-not beat the life-span of a mayfly. Let us all gear up, dance to the famous ‘youth with a purpose` tune we`v created and no matter what happens don`t stop because the chorus is yet to come. Keep dancing yall…….

Article by teAIDS SIG Team

Contact Person: Shathiso Manamela ENDS

Buy Online Now!