Inspiration in Youth
This Saturday, Ben and I had the opportunity to attend Teen Club, a fairly new program at BIPAI. In this once a month event, HIV positive kids from 10-18 come together from the community to learn healthy lifestyle and leadership skills while having fun. I was amazed by the group that showed up to the Mbabane clinic; over 100 kids of all shapes and sizes who had been looking forward to this day for weeks.
The topic of the day was disclosure, so after the characteristic songs and games of the morning, a panel discussion was held with community members about disclosure experiences, where the kids had the opportunity to ask their most personal questions. The discussion was held in SiSwati, so I was unfortunately not able to understand what was not translated for me. Where language could not be understood, however, feelings of positivity and hope were unmistakable.
We later broke off into small groups, and the kids put on short plays and skits about different disclosure scenarios. I was blown away in particular by two kids, who staged a skit about two best friends, one disclosing to the other.
A boy, just 11 years old, asked his friend what he would think if he found out if someone he knew was HIV positive. The friend responded with many of the common misconceptions of HIV/AIDS, stating that it’d be noticeable because his friend would look very sick and quickly die. The boy was quick to explain that those were incorrect notions about the sickness, and told him the facts about HIV/AIDS, explaining that an affected person might not appear to be sick and would be able to stay healthy with his medications. The friend was shocked that he had been told so many false statements about such a prevalent ailment! After the boy explained, he asked his friend again what he would think if he were disclosed to, and the answer was much more supportive. The boy then told his friend that he was HIV positive, and the friend gladly accepted him.
The day ended with a traditional Swazi meal of chicken, rice, and roasted squash and beets, and then a clinic full of participants in a “World’s Greatest” sing-along. Words can’t even begin to express how breathtaking a crowd of HIV-positive children, adults, and a whole host of community volunteers singing and hand motioning to such an encouraging set of lyrics and morals was, you just had to be there to truly grasp the magnificence of the moment.
It was awe-inspiring to see young kids, each affected with such a life-changing illness, so knowledgeable and optimistic about their individual circumstances. Though I know that the global HIV/AIDS situation is challenging, tragic, and multifaceted, I hope that with each generation, the global community is one step closer to finding a feasible solution.