Seeing as December 1st was World AIDS Day, Children’s Voices decided to conduct a program for the Aroma Homes with that day in mind. While spending time with the children in the Homes, PASA staff realized that the children did not understand what AIDS was, how it was spread, and the consequences arising from it. A small program with simplified explanations and activities seemed the ideal way to go about educating children on this very important issue.
It was decided that someone with proper medical knowledge be asked to explain the AIDS issue, so a nurse was approached to conduct the seminar. Material and presentations were prepared to simplify the issue for the children, and to make it as easy to understand as possible.
The nurse using the presentations explained the issue simply and factually, giving the children a fair idea of the disease and how it was spread. The children were surprised that such a disease existed, and were quite shocked at its effects. The program made them aware that in 2007, an estimated 33.2 million people lived with the disease worldwide, and it killed an estimated 2.1 million people, including 330,000 children. They were encouraged to tell others about what they had learned, especially their families.
The children had little red ribbons pinned on their clothes lit candles at the end of the program. They observed one minutes silence in memory of those who had died because of the HIV virus.
