World Aids Day: Art competitio

A section of Wahhaaj Davids’ poster, Grade 12, Belgravia High

World Aids Day: Art competition encourages HIV dialogues

A Cape Town based youth organisation has started an initiative raising awareness about the impact of health issues on young people’s lives.

World Aids Day: Art competitio

A section of Wahhaaj Davids’ poster, Grade 12, Belgravia High

Earlier this year, Salesian Life Choices launched a poster competition to encourage youth to start discussions around topics. The most recent subject, in line with World Aids Day, is HIV.

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“I wanted youth who are living with HIV to know that they are not alone, and to know that they can live healthy lives despite their disease,” 16-year-old Alex Nana from Windsor High explains his experience in developing posters.

Alex Nana’s poster

 

Alex is a runner-up in a crowdsourcing campaign run by Salesian Life Choices. Learners from 19 high schools were invited to design posters that depicted aspects of HIV as part of the Health4Life initiative.

The four winning posters were designed by three learners from high schools in Athlone and Lansdowne. The posters had powerful messages: Do not Judge me by my StatusAIDS Can’t Be CuredBut Can Be EnduredStay Informed – Know the facts; and Love Betrayed Me.

“The campaigns have the format of interactive health talks after school, followed by crowdsourcing competitions where teenagers develop creative posters that address risk perception, basic information and links to help.

The aim of the campaign is to promote dialogue around the themes and to use the winning posters in communication campaigns at schools. Young people did not disappoint and as with the first competition the entries were excellent,” says Leoni Vaughan, Health4Life Manager at Salesian Life Choices.

There are five million youths living with HIV across the world. In South Africa, studies show nearly a third of new HIV infections are in adolescent girls and young women aged 15-24. In Cape Town, the leading cause of death among young females is HIV/Aids, accounting for 28.5% of all deaths.

“In South Africa, it is imperative to make every day of the year World Aids Day if we really want to beat this epidemic.

A combination of international funders withdrawing from supporting HIV/Aids interventions, public fatigue and a few positive strides towards winning the battle, has led the country to becoming silent towards this serious matter. We need to continue being vigilant and working hard to stop HIV from spreading once and for all,” says Sofia Neves, MD at Salesian Life Choices.

“We believe that harvesting the potential of young people is key to achieve the dream of a Free HIV Generation. Allowing youth to take the lead has never disappointed us, after all, they are the main characters of their lives, the heroes and heroines that one day will end the HIV epidemic.”

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