Leading up
to World Aids Day (Saturday 1st December) Eduloan would like to take
a moment to reflect on the lives that have affected by HIV/Aids and in
particular how the virus has left its mark on families, communities and society
as a whole.
HIV/Aids
has directly impacted on the demand for, and supply of education. The increase
in the number of child-headed households has meant that hundreds of thousands
of children have had to leave school to look after younger siblings and find a
means of generating an income.
In
addition, of the 2.5 million children in the world estimated to be living with
HIV, 2.3 million are in sub-Saharan Africa.
According
to data
gathered by the UN, the percentage of learners in school living with HIV
infection stands at an estimated 3.4%. The figure in educators is lower at 1.5%
however, with a shortage of qualified teachers already, this places additional
strain on the educational system.
It’s not
all bad news though – the UN Joint Programme on HIV and Aids has recently
found that between 2005 and 2011, the number of people dying from
Aids-related causes in sub-Saharan Africa declined by a third from 1.8 million
to 1.2 million.
We’re
encouraged to see that South Africa is making inroads in the fight against HIV,
but there is still a lot more to be done, and it starts with the knowledge that
prevention is better than the cure.
Arm yourself with knowledge
If you’d
like to find tips on how to stay safe in the fight against Aids, click here.
If you’d
like to test your knowledge on HIV and Aids, click here.
And if you
are infected or affected by HIV, contact one of the organisations below to find
counselling and health services in your area:
AIDS consortium: 011-403 0265
Aids Law Project (ALP): 011-717 8600
National Association of People
living with HIV/AIDS (NAPWA):
011-872 0975
Treatment Action Campaign (TAC):
Cape Town:
021-364 5489 or 788 3507
JHB:
011-403 2293
KZN:
031-304 3673
Eastern
Cape: 043-760 0050
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