The 1st ever World AIDS Day at Robanyane Toto II Primary School

World AIDS Day went fabulously at my elementary school here in South Africa on December 1st, 2011. It was the first "programme" ever run at this school to raise HIV/AIDS awareness on the global celebration date that marks the day of remembrance of lives take by this disease.

Just 9 year ago 2,000,000 people were dying of AIDS, while another 3,000,000 were being newly infected and or living with HIV/AIDS. Meanwhile less than 50,000 people here in Sub-Saharan had access to proper medication.

My girl group with whom I helped write a song based off the Black Eyed Peas' "Where is the love." I sang with them and it went very well.

Right now more than people are becoming infected with HIV than are receiving treatment. In South Africa, 60% of those newly infected are women and young girls. That is roughly 3.3 million women and girls to be exact. Thus, all the more reason for me to get involved with the girls at my school and work with them to educate them on this disease.

Institutional and social change is needed to empower this population and reduce the stigma and exploitation that exists, which continues to put women and children at risk of HIV infection.

They all decided to wear red and white for their performance. Here they are singing a song in Setswana about AIDS. There were other groups that sang too and recited poetry to the group of close to 700 students at my elementary school.

I arranged for a member of our School Governing Body to come in to speak to the kids in Setswana about HIV/AIDS. Her name is Mineh and she is also a member of one of the community home-based care groups that exists in my village, thus the perfect speaker. Here, she speaks to the kids on PROTECTION by using body language to symbolize this.

Here, Mineh gets the kids to understand stand the idea of REDUCE by motioning with the hands down to the ground.

Here, my boy Blessed who comes up to my daily and whisper the sweetest things in my ear like: "Mma Suzana you look very nice today!" or "Mma Fifi, don't you have 1 Rand for me to buy sweets?"

Here, one of the students reads one of the fact cards I prepared for the event. We did "Why are the ribbons we where on World AIDS Day RED??" and announcing this year's World AIDS Day theme: Getting to Zero. That is getting, as Hillary Clinton stated, to an AIDS FREE Generation with zero cases of infection.

Here, my neighbor (left) who comes over daily to pester me by saying "eeh wena Refilwe!" (literally, hey you Refilwe). He learned some English the other day which was "DON'T TOUCH!" in reference to my laptop.

These little ones are all getting excited for the upcoming ceremony, which of course started with a Christian prayer and then moved onto a candle lighting to remember their parents and friends and family whose lives had been lost to AIDS.

There are close to 2 million orphans living here in South Africa, who have all lost parents due to this disease, and this number continues to grow and that number is way too high.

"With so many people suffering from the consequences of HIV/AIDS, you have an obligation to do what you can to educate yourself on how to protect yourself. Think of ways to help and educate your community on how to overcome this sickness that way you are investing in your future and that is The SMARTEST investment you can make. Love and support those who you know have HIV/AIDS. Love and support your fellow classmates who are orphans, who have been left behind as the battle wounds of this disease. PROTECT and RESPECT yourself and stay clear of the risks leading to infection. So, TODAY here with me, make the commitment to create an AIDS FREE GENERATION!"

Those were the ending few words of advise I passed to the kids in the longer speech I delivered to them on Thursday.

Here stand the teachers, Mma Leabile and Mma Chabaemang, under 2 of the several signs I made for the event, which will be re-used next year for another event, which I hope to open up to the community. More like a festival with trainings and food and a full programme again.

I am so proud of myself for (basically) single-handedly organizing this event and having the ability to raise awareness to almost 700 learners that day about HIV/AIDS. It hurts that I am absent for this holiday season and miss everyone dreadfully at home in the USA and Peru but it is moments like this that I can relish in the fact that I have dedicated 2 years of my life to serve abroad in the field of international development and provide motivation and empowerment to this community here in South Africa.

MUCHO AMOR to y'all back home! I am so happy to be here and keep on spreading the word on how to prevent and raise awareness on HIV/AIDS and most importantly: LOVE and SUPPORT every day those you know who live with this disease.