Moving Through the Community: Kid's Camps (SA)

Sipho, 15, bakes in the sunlight as he lays sprawled on a trampoline after a busy weekend. He is participating in a camp for children of the community that are of his age – a treasured opportunity. His smile has not ceased since he joined with thirty other campers in a dancing and singing session, which ended moments ago. The sun warms his body, and the memories of the weekend warm his heart.

Kids’ camps were introduced in South Africa by Hands at Work in 2005. Children aged 10 -18 arrive by taxi during holidays to Sanderson Farm in Mpumalanga, where they are shown to a comforting room in which they will stay for three days. The days will include lessons centered on relevant life issues for these children, such as HIV/AIDS awareness, safety and precaution in their communities, relationships with God and each other, and what it means to be a leader. The children are invited to explore their communities and to consider the problems in which they can have an impact.

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(SA) World AIDS Day 2011

On December 1^st and 7^th, conventions were held in Clau-Clau and Bushbuckridge for World AIDS Day 2011. Children gathered to perform plays, songs, dances and poems in order to increase awareness and to take a stand together against the negative stigma surrounding HIV/AIDS. Two-hundred children, aged 10 – 14, attended each event. Both days began with breakfast prepared by local careworkers and ending with lunch and fellowship. Maggie (18), a local youth leader, prepared the following speech to commemorate the occasion:

A day that is an opportunity for people world-wide to unite in the fight against HIV, showing support for people living with HIV and to commemorate people who have died.

It started on the 1^st December 1988, World AIDS Day is about increasing awareness, fighting prejudice and improving education. World AIDS Day is important for reminding people that HIV has not gone away and that there are many things still to be done. HIV today is a threat to men, women, and children around the world. The theme for World AIDS Day 2011 is “Getting to Zero”. After 30 years of the global fight against HIV/AIDS this year the global community has committed to focus on achieving 3 targets: zero new HIV infections, zero discrimination and zero AIDS-related deaths. Remember if you are not infected, you’re affected. Let’s beat it! Make your move...

Click to view pictures from the event.