In the Zimbabwean mining district of Bubi, one in five people is infected with HIV. However, those affected have hardly any access to medical help. Together with our partner organization Bekezela, we train young people to protect themselves properly against HIV/AIDS and teenage pregnancies.
Lessons are a little different at Bubi secondary school today. Mary Ndlovu’s class has a visit from social worker Sithokozile Nongo. She works at Bekezela, a partner organization of terre des hommes schweiz. The 12 to 14-year-olds listen intently to the radio program she plays to the pupils. Bekezela uses such radio plays for sex education in Bubi. The topic is firmly on the curriculum. However, Mary Ndlovu is happy to have the support of Bekezela, who prepares the sex lessons in an exciting way.
The class hears the story of a young girl who becomes pregnant and is also infected with HIV. The father of the unborn child is much older and has lured the girl with false promises of money and love. Unfortunately, such stories are not uncommon in Bubi. Some of the girls in the class know girls who have experienced this themselves.
The young girls are easy prey for the miners who come here from all parts of the country,” says Sithokozile Nongo. “Bubi has become a kind of melting pot for different national cultures – with devastating consequences for local sexual health,” says Innocent Mlambo, Director of Bekezela.
Many girls and boys know enough about sexuality. However, they are often unable to apply this knowledge. Girls are often not confident enough to refuse sex or demand protected sexual intercourse. This is why their self-esteem, communication and negotiation skills also need to be strengthened.
If a girl becomes pregnant, as in the radio play, and is infected with HIV, she often receives medical care far too late or not at all. On the one hand, this is due to the poor medical care in Bubi: although the region is nominally rich, most health centers are far away. On the other hand, many girls do not dare to tell their parents until it is too late.
Pregnant girls are often seen as the guilty party, put under pressure and treated badly. Yet early medical care is important. Especially for those infected with HIV. In such cases, it is important to protect the unborn child from infection.
Bekezela therefore also involves the parents and guardians of the young people and helps them to better understand their situation. It is just as important to work with the medical staff or teachers and sensitize them to the needs of the young people. This is the only way to improve the health situation of young people in the long term.
Just how important and positive this work is can be seen at the school exit, where a grandfather is waiting for the youngsters with other guardians. After her parents died of Aids, he took in his granddaughter Nobuhle. “I’m so proud of her,” he says. “Thanks to Bekezela’s parenting courses, I now know much better how to support her. I am very grateful for that.”
