Youth self-awareness day: know yourself, know your status
At a youth event on self-awareness, health and education facilitators tackled myths about HIV and urged girls to get educated, talk openly and get tested.
On 10 April 2023, MASYAP’s youth programme held a get-together at Chichiri Secondary School hall in Blantyre on the theme of self-awareness.
Being self-aware means understanding yourself well, including your feelings and character, and why you feel and behave the way you do. HIV does not discriminate: anyone can be infected, which is why young people need to know how to protect themselves and prevent transmission.
Get educated, get talking, get tested
Health and education facilitators addressed common misconceptions about education and HIV/AIDS. The health facilitator’s advice was:
- Get educated: learn the basic facts about HIV transmission, testing and prevention.
- Get talking: talk to parents, family, teachers, doctors and other trusted adults about HIV and sexual health.
- Get tested: know your status.
Tackling myths
Some girls believed that HIV/AIDS and the infections that come with it can be cured by traditional healers. The facilitator explained that there is no cure, but antiretroviral treatment (ART) keeps the virus under control. Because of ART, you cannot tell by looking whether someone has HIV. The illnesses people associate with AIDS, such as tuberculosis, are opportunistic infections that take hold when the immune system is weakened.
Speaking up
The education facilitator said that many young people suffer in silence because they do not talk about the challenges they face, and some become infected with HIV as a result. She urged the girls, as future leaders, to know themselves and be mindful of their behaviour.
The day was an eye-opener. The girls left better able to make informed decisions in line with their own standards and values.
