What you can't see won't hurt you, right?
Straight Talk about AIDS in Africa
Faced by the realisation that many of their classmates and peers know very little about HIV/AIDS, young people in Malawi have taken matters into their own hands. They are encouraging young people in Malawi to be candid about their feelings regarding sex. Despite parental resistance, they have started a radio show called 'Straight Talk', which has fast become a hit among youth.
The 30-minute show airs once a week over two radio channels, inviting teens to discuss "embarrassing" matters such as dating, sexual habits and the use of condoms. The idea is not only to demystify sex, but also to raise awareness of HIV/AIDS and its prevention. Run, hosted and produced by youth, with the support of UNICEF, the show also solicits questions and views from over a thousand HIV/AIDS prevention clubs throughout the country.
The initiative is a response to the growing threat of HIV/AIDS in Malawi, where over 605,000 people, close to 14 per cent of the adult population, test HIV-positive. This alarming transmission rate - one of the highest in the world - is leaving a trail of victims, including about 88,000 orphans whose mother or both parents have both succumbed to HIV/AIDS. In seven countries in Africa, over 50 per cent of girls aged 15-19 do not know that a person with AIDS may look healthy.
The Malawi government and UNICEF realise that handing out information is no longer adequate. Interpersonal communication, peer education and the engagement of young people in discussions is far more effective in changing attitudes and behaviour. Malawi's "Straight Talk" is drawing national attention to the HIV/AIDS epidemic, motivating young people to take action to make sex healthy and safe. It's about time, says one of the public advertisements, for parents to discuss the "facts of life" with their children. More "Straight Talks" will help, Malawi's largest newspaper, The Nation, said in a recent editorial.
Agencies like UNICEF and UNAIDS are tackling the HIV/AIDS problem in Africa from every angle possible. Also in Malawi, UNICEF Australia with assistance from AusAID, the Australian Government's overseas aid program, is supporting a project for youth titled “HIV/AIDS Prevention through Information and Education for Youth.” The project provides kids aged 5-14 with the competencies and life skills which will promote positive behaviour such as fidelity to one uninfected partner, abstinence or safe sex.
This is done by encouraging the participants to be creative and have fun with learning through music, poetry and theatre. Training in peer counselling is also strongly encouraged. The project is implemented through in-school curriculum, anti-AIDS clubs, out of school skills clubs, youth and health services. These programs are teaching children at an early age to prevent high-risk behaviour before it begins.
Sub-Saharan Africa deals with countless deaths from AIDS every day. Last year alone the region reported 2 million people dying from this epidemic, which is 300 times the total number of deaths caused by AIDS in Australia since its discovery. Ten in every eleven people around the world infected with the HIV virus every minute live in sub-Saharan Africa. South Africa alone leads the world in the spread of AIDS, with 16,000 new infections per day. Young people in Africa know more about AIDS and its prevention than their elders, yet they still have the highest infection rate. The challenge is as much about education as it is about changing behaviour.
AIDS affects every part of the community and has long term consequences. In 1999 close to 860,000 primary school children in sub-Saharan Africa lost their teachers to AIDS, a fact that will have a severe effect on their futures. Innocent children are born everyday with AIDS or to parents who will soon die from AIDS. By the end of this year 10.4 million children under the age of 15, the majority in Africa, will have become AIDS orphans, which means they have lost their mother or both parents to AIDS.
Positive changes are beginning to take place in Africa. With continued effort and education, sub-Saharan Africa can begin to decrease the high numbers of people affected by this epidemic. But without consistent pressure for behaviour changes, the outlook is not good for an entire continent. Femi Anidulapo-Kuti, world renowned Afro-Beat musician, summed up Africa’s battle with AIDS saying: “Africa and its friends need to confront AIDS with the same determination and unity as they would any enemy seeking to annihilate them.”
Australians working in the field:
Mark Stirling Representative Mozambique & Chair of UNICEF Taskforce on HIV/AIDS in Eastern & Southern Africa
Ian Mcleod, Humanitarian Overseas Service Medal 2000 winner - Mozambique