Teach youth to live positively
2006-09-14
THE success of the provincial education department’s peer education programme was celebrated at a function in Mbekweni on Monday, with Western Cape Premier Ebrahim Rasool, ministers and officials of Health and Education, Pierre Uys and Cameron Dugmore, and representatives of Non Governmental Organisations (NGO’s).
The programme plans to reach the target set to train 4 876 peer educators in 136 schools before the end of September.
Peer education is an innovative programme that develops the capacities of high school learners to positively influence their peers, provide classroom teaching on sexuality, provide counselling to and refer their peers for support and initiate school-community based HIV and Aids projects.
This is done in an holistic framework that acknowledges that HIV and Aids is strongly linked to the cycle of poverty and other “illnesses” in society.
Based on collaborative rather than competitive principles, the programme’s positive and future-oriented approach emphasises the unique potential of every individual to grow up healthy in a world filled with opportunity.
Pierre Uys noted that peer educators succeed in reaching large numbers of youth effectively through workshops addressing to-pics such as HIV prevention, healthy relationships and living positively as a teenager.
“The fight against HIV and Aids is a tough battle in which we take the lead to mobilise all sectors of community. Take note that the rate of infection in the Western Cape is high, so much as 12,8% and contributes to 27 000 infections per annum.
“The programme is thus a fine example of the success that can be achieved when government and the youth take hands,” Uys said.
In celebrating the success of the programme, Premier Rasool acknowledged 180 peer educators from secondary schools to highlight the Departments of Health and Education’s successful achievement of their targets with regard to the Siyabulela deliverable on peer education in schools.
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