HIVSA partners with the Department of Education to Protect our Children during the World Cup!

Parents and caregivers often view school holidays with dread as they know how vulnerable their children will be alone at home or wandering the streets looking for entertainment. The FIFA World Cup has brought about an extra long mid-year break of 5 weeks and we know from experience that when children are left to their own devices they are vulnerable not only to abuse but also to sexual experimentation.

HIVSA was invited by the Department of Education to participate in running constructive programmes for adolescents at two of their school sites in Soweto. HIVSA will be running a interactive Peer Educational programme aimed at teaching young people to take responsibility for their own sexual and reproductive health and to “know their status” as a personal gift that they can give themselves.

The programme also examines other high risk behaviours that make adolescents particularly vulnerable and encourages these young people to work out ways in which they can best protect themselves without isolating them from the necessary right of passage of adolescence.

HIVSA will be running programmes at Dr Vilakazi school from 14th – 28th June 2010 and at Kwadedangendlale secondary school from the 29thJune – 9th July 2010.

Our programmes target both male and female adolescents between the ages of 13 yrs and 19yrs. Over 1000 children are expected to benefit from the programmes run at these schools during the holiday.