HIV-positive children dream big

“We are together in this,” Reverend Colonel Selotlegeng Colane, from the Northern Cape faith based sector, told a group of children born with HIV at a three-day educational camp in Kimberley.

Big dreams for the future

The camp, which was facilitated by the Department of Social Development, brought 52 children born with HIV together to educate them about positive living, treatment adherence and positive prevention.

Colane, a provincial SAPS commander with the police’s Employee Health and Wellness (EWH) division, told the children that the police have a special place in their hearts for them.

He encouraged the children to join the SAPS when they matriculated.

According to Colane, through their EHW programme the police help SAPS employees and their families deal with health issues.

The children had an opportunity to interact with the provincial department of health’s HIV unit.

Some of the questions the children asked were:

• How far is a cure for HIV?
• Can an HIV-positive person have a child?
• How to deal with stigma at school and in society in general?
• What will happen if I skip my medication?
• The children also asked about ARVs and raised complaints about the attitudes of health care workers at their local clinics.

The children said they had big dreams for the future and pledged to never stop taking their medication because they now know how important it is. - Health-e News

^{Image credit: iStock}