WHPS - AIDS Awareness Day

As part of the Eco - Schools programme, we held an AIDS awareness day on 23 July 2008.

The programme will run from Grade 0 – Grade 7 and form part of the Life Skills Learning Area.

This will culminate in the visit to ABBA House by the Community Service where we will hand over the items collected for them.

World Aids day is actually on 1 December.

We successfully sold red ribbons for R1,00 which will acknowledge our dedication to the fight against AIDS.

Helping Children Understand AIDS.

• Anyone can acquire HIV. Anyone who engages in high-risk behavior with an infected person is likely to get the virus. You can't tell by looking if a person is infected.
• You won't get HIV through everyday contact with people in the workplace, at school, at the swimming pool or in any other casual situation.
• HIV is not passed in saliva, sweat, urine, bowel movements, tears, mosquito bites, clothes, phone receivers or toilet seats. It is not passed by donating blood, eating in restaurants or shaking hands.
• Abstinence is the only safe choice. Condoms are the best prevention for sexual transmission of HIV, but they aren't foolproof. Latex condoms provide the best protection, but any condom must be used properly and every time.
• AIDS is fatal.

Children 5 and under have a difficult time understanding the difference between real and imaginary, while children 5 to 7 are beginning to separate real from imaginary. They learn best from experience. When confronted with a topic they do not know about or have not experienced, they may respond by being fearful.

Between ages 8 and 10, children's fears change. They used to be afraid of monsters and other imaginary characters. Now they are more likely to be afraid that a real person might hurt them.

At this age, they are beginning to understand cause and effect -- for example, climbing in a tree might result in an injury. Most children 8 to 10 know death comes from an injury, illness or accident. Most have lost a pet or family member, and by age 10 they understand that all living things die.

While their understanding may increase, their fear doesn't necessarily decrease. They may talk about fears less openly now, so it's important for an adult to look for an opportunity to bring up topics that might be bothering them.

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