Youth in Dialogue - Nelson Mandela Foundation
Youth in Dialogue - Nelson Mandela Foundation
Youth in Dialogue - Nelson Mandela Foundation
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of the people <strong>in</strong> the area are<br />
<strong>in</strong>volved <strong>in</strong> dat<strong>in</strong>g. I talk to<br />
them and as we speak most of<br />
them are dr<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g alcohol, so<br />
it’s like someth<strong>in</strong>g normal.<br />
Les<br />
They tell you that they won’t<br />
listen to you.<br />
So it’s difficult to face a<br />
person and tell them that<br />
whatever they are do<strong>in</strong>g is<br />
wrong and they will talk to<br />
you the way they want to as<br />
we have freedom of speech<br />
and it’s their right, that’s the<br />
way we live.<br />
I usually tell the kids I<br />
coach that you choose for<br />
yourself whether you live a<br />
good life or live an abnormal<br />
life, and by do<strong>in</strong>g that you<br />
have to ask yourself: how<br />
do you benefit from whatever<br />
you’re do<strong>in</strong>g And if it doesn’t<br />
benefit you, just leave it and<br />
do someth<strong>in</strong>g that will<br />
benefit you.<br />
Les<br />
What is your personal<br />
commitment now to make sure<br />
the HIV doesn’t spread any<br />
Veronica <strong>in</strong> the Soshanguve group <strong>in</strong>terview.<br />
more than it has What are you<br />
go<strong>in</strong>g to do from now on<br />
Zachariah<br />
I can try to talk to people that<br />
I meet. I make sure that I tell<br />
him or her about how bad<br />
HIV/AIDS is. Every time you<br />
meet someone, before you leave<br />
them, make sure that you just<br />
say “Do you know” Just give<br />
him advice on how HIV kills.<br />
Les<br />
And you’re go<strong>in</strong>g to focus on<br />
people that are younger than<br />
you because they are easier to<br />
handle<br />
Zachariah<br />
I’m go<strong>in</strong>g to focus on<br />
everybody that I talk to. When<br />
I talk to somebody I’ll make<br />
sure that I must talk about<br />
HIV/AIDS because if we’re<br />
not go<strong>in</strong>g to talk about it, it’s<br />
someth<strong>in</strong>g that will <strong>in</strong>crease.<br />
We just ignore it, we don’t talk<br />
about it but if we can talk more<br />
about it then it will stop.<br />
Les<br />
Tell me about you, your<br />
background, what<br />
would you like to tell<br />
me about<br />
Veronica<br />
Right now we are<br />
do<strong>in</strong>g a door-to-door<br />
campaign for World<br />
AIDS Day, I’m a<br />
volunteer from the<br />
Institute of Primary<br />
Health (IPH). I work<br />
for Luvuyo, it’s an<br />
orphanage, and IPH is<br />
an organisation.<br />
Les<br />
What are the th<strong>in</strong>gs<br />
that you see that<br />
put people <strong>in</strong> your<br />
community at risk<br />
Challenges<br />
Veronica<br />
The first challenge is the fact<br />
that people know what’s<br />
go<strong>in</strong>g on but the m<strong>in</strong>ute you<br />
come and start talk<strong>in</strong>g about<br />
HIV, people pretend that they<br />
don’t know anyth<strong>in</strong>g and then<br />
make you a fool. They will ask<br />
you about the myths. When<br />
you go to some of the people’s<br />
houses, they will tell you that<br />
you’re <strong>in</strong>fect<strong>in</strong>g their house<br />
with AIDS.<br />
Women are mostly <strong>in</strong>fected<br />
with HIV because they are<br />
tak<strong>in</strong>g care of their kids and<br />
their kids are not tell<strong>in</strong>g them<br />
the truth about what’s wrong<br />
with them, they tell them they<br />
have TB.<br />
Les<br />
You are say<strong>in</strong>g the women are<br />
HIV-positive<br />
Veronica<br />
Yes, because most of them have<br />
been <strong>in</strong>fected by their children,<br />
because they take care of<br />
them, bathe them, and the kid<br />
is not tell<strong>in</strong>g them the truth<br />
about what they really have.<br />
The challenge we get is that<br />
most of the young people like<br />
experiment<strong>in</strong>g with th<strong>in</strong>gs that<br />
they don’t know, especially<br />
when it comes to sex.<br />
Les<br />
You said experiment<strong>in</strong>g, how<br />
do they experiment<br />
Veronica<br />
When a friend tells them “Hey<br />
my friend, sex is good” and<br />
another one comes and they<br />
have a baby and say “Hey my<br />
friend, gett<strong>in</strong>g a child support<br />
grant is nice, I get paid every<br />
month and I’m still a student”<br />
and so the girl would want to<br />
also get the R200.<br />
YOUTH IN DIALOGUE 49