In the evening, Joy led a discussion about sex and sexuality with the children. This is uncharted territory since, until very recently, most children that were born with HIV did not survive into their adolescence. Whole new areas have been created for these kids' psychological and social support needs now that new therapies were allowing the kids to live into adulthood. Joy covered the basics of sex education and discussed necessary practices for preventing the spread of HIV. I got the feeling that this was the only place these children were going to get helpful answers as they all had stories about relatives and teachers ridiculing them or giving them nonsense information. It was heart-breaking to hear questions like "will I be able to get married?" and "will I be able to have children?" USAID and other very well-meaning and effective NGOs do all the right things to keep these kids alive but haven't adapted to the realities of support AFTER the kids survive. This was a key moment for me because I saw that the money we raised is going for the life that comes after the anti-retrovirals (ARVs) keep you alive: school fees, a stipend to get someone into a better living situation, etc. The stuff that the government money doesn't reach.
No comments:
Post a Comment