Where is the HIV/AIDS Love?

Based off this:

Came this from a little help and creativity of my girls at Robanyane Toto II:

Where’s the Love on WORLD AIDS DAYS

By Robanyane Girls

Parent please support your children by fighting HIV and AIDS with love

Give them counseling

And guidance about

Unprotected sex

Children don’t mess

With your lyf

Handle it with care

Don’t date a stranger

And have unprotected sex

AIDS kills

You are the future of our country

And the leaders of

Tomorrow

[Chorus]

People killing, people dying

Children hurtin', hear them crying

Can you practice what you preach

Or would you turn the other cheek

Father father father father

Send some guidance from above

'Cause people got me, got me questioning

Where is the love

Where is the love

Where is the love

Where is the love, the love, the love

Be who you are and say

What U feel because those who

Mind don’t matter

And those that matter

Don’t mind!!!

Trust nobody but God

And the world is not

My home, I’m a visitor

Best friends are

Hard 2 find

Harder 2 leave and impossible

2 4get!!!

People killing, people dying

Children hurtin', hear them crying

Can you practice what you preach

Or would you turn the other cheek

Father father father father

Send some guidance from above

'Cause people got me, got me questioning

Where is the love

Where is the love

Where is the love

Where is the love, the love, the love

I promise to luv, ‘n compliment

Appreciate U

I promise 2 honour

Ur thoughts ‘n feelings

I promise 2 tell U de truth

In a loving way

I promise 2 accept ur

Uniqueness

I promise 2 evaluate de way we

Complement each day

I promise 2 spend de

Tym with U

I promise 2 express mi luv in

Many ways

I promise 2 luv u,

My unconditional

I promise 2 cheris U with

All my heart today on World AIDS Day!!!

People killing, people dying

Children hurtin', hear them crying

Can you practice what you preach

Or would you turn the other cheek

Father father father father

Send some guidance from above

'Cause people got me, got me questioning

Where is the love

Where is the love

Where is the love

Where is the love, the love, the love

This will be performed tomorrow and I was told that part of it I'd solo....haha but we'll see. This week has been completely crazzzy with literally pulling an event out of my ass, which no one wanted to help me with. It included the making of 1000+ red ribbons with the help of students, pulling out of my ass again random-ass songs for us to all sing and writing songs with the girls. Drawing a few posters with, again, a little help of my students.

Then the day ended with the principal pulling me aside to say that I'd have to help him compile the rest of the School Development Plan, none of which was done and is due on Friday (!!in 2 days!!). Two items on the development plan will be assigned to me, so at least it's exciting to know that they totally trust me and are willing to lean on my leadership (a little too much, given I have no education background), but I just give in too much. That African smile that accompanies every request for help. I'm worried I'm pulling out a whole bunch of UN-SUSTAINABLE work here, yes from the rear again. But I worry that all their smiles will turn to frowns when I leave. So, I will from now on be making sure that every item I'm assigned to that there's got to be someone else working with me. It's all about TOTs (Training of Trainers ) in development, no? But anyways, LOTS of fun for World AIDS Day! Tomorrow will be fabulous and I'll have my camera to document it all :)

PS - a nice little speech by Hillary here, I was just thinking how nice it would be in be standing in her place doing a similar speech 30 years in the future saying you had been part of creating an AIDS FREE Generation. Wow. I need to work on my resume.

"My boy is failing because of the cabbage!!"

Woman throwing a fit at school since her grandson is failing Grade 4.

Today all the guardians and parents are coming to the school to refute or accept their child being held back in their class. Most come to deny their child be held back another year. The teachers here had to hold the pen of this woman who didn't want to hold back her grandson. Yelling and yelling about how the cabbage and pap served at the school wasn't enough and that's why he was failing. The teachers yelled back at her that "this is harassment" and laughing.

Hmmm...another day at school. Ha!

La preparación continua...Día Mundial del SIDA

Se acerca el Día Mundial del SIDA y todavía estoy trabajando en las preparaciones en la escuela para la celebración de este primero de diciembre.

Tenía un poco de ayuda de mis pequeños amigos en mi pueblo. Y despues de todo hicimos, empezaron a buscar mis fotos de la familia y amigos en mi computadora.

Estoy aqui, creo. Y esto es Peace Corps?

After a fabulous Thanksgiving meal yesterday, taking in a day of reading up on some education material and putting in some pool time at my cute hotel. And tonight's plans are TBD...maybe some more club dance action. I was called a "groover" the other day by a friend since I like going out to dance.

Peace Corps Thanksgiving @ Kuru Kuru

The food was good, but the Dinsmore house food is ALWAYS the best :)

Miss you!

1 week countdown till WORLD AIDS DAY, but first a goodbye

Above is a Grade R (Kindergarten) learner who just celebrated his graduation just weeks ago. We had an emergency staff meeting where his passing was mentioned to all of us, some teachers burst into tears. 5 Years old....wow. I think of all the U.N. Millennium Goals, one being to work on lowering infantile death rates in developing countries. He is the second learner in my just under 3 months at the school to pass away from the "sickness." People here often disclose the cause of death with the fear of being stigmatized by the rest of the community. This little one is remember, may he rest in peace.

Today we made 450+ red ribbons. We still need 300 more. I asked these girls if the school had done anything the year before, their answer: "Nyaa mma."

So this year I am determined to do something. I have so many ideas. Maybe my "Sad Mandy" play, drawing activities, bring in the home-based care groups to do a talk, lessons on myths on HIV/AIDS, a condom demos... the list goes on.

I'm so excited to do something for Worlds AIDS Day on December 1st here in South Africa a country that has fought for help on battling this disease back in the 1990s in its fight for affordable ARVs and access to services. I want to raise awareness to the children and make them realize the dangers and reality of this disease and that fortunately it is no longer a death sentence and we all need to provide support to the HIV/AIDS community and not stigmatize them and let them know their presence to us is valued too.

I recommend this article: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/22/health/unaids-says-new-worldwide-infections-have-hit-a-plateau.html

When you give a South African child a "jumpa"...

I didn't want to play today but sometimes the kids can be just too darn cute!

These kids will get you outside.

When you give a child a jump rope, they will ask you to watch. Once you watch they will then ask you for an "apole." When you tell them "Ga ke ne le apole," they will ask you for "disweeti." When you say, "ga ke ne la disweeti," they will use the "jumpa" till they are "lapile." And then they give up and say "danke Fifi!" And go on their merry lil way off into the African sunset.