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Summary: World Vision Zambia National Director Martin Silutongwe expressed the urgent need for efforts to improve the standard of children’s lives in Zambia during the launch of the 2005 Global Movement for Children (GMC) ‘Lesson for Life’ in Lusaka recently. Silutongwe, who made these comments while wearing his other ‘hat’ as National Chairperson of the Global Movement for Children Zambia, pointed out that the voices of children have to be heard and respected.
He observed that the unfortunate and complex interplay of HIV/AIDS, food insecurity and other socio economic and even spiritual challenges had resulted in untold and new levels of vulnerability for the Zambian child.
Speaking at the same event, World Health Organization (WHO) Country Representative to Zambia, Dr Stella Anyangwe pledged to support the work of the GMC National Coalition in Zambia.
She congratulated the GMC for advocating for children's right to access Anti Retroviral Therapy (ART) treatment.
“Finally there are people who are beginning to talk about the necessity for children to have access to ART drugs in Zambia. We promise to give our long-lasting support to this cause,” Anyangwe said.
Fifteen-year-old Mwila, who is HIV positive, said his health had improved greatly since he was put on ART treatment. He urged the government to make the drugs available to all HIV positive children who needed them.
Currently there about 32,000 people who receiving free ART treatment in Zambia and of these, less than 5 per cent are children. It is estimated that about 100,000 children in Zambia are HIV positive.
After the Lesson for Life was officially launched, the children got into the Lesson For Life discussion. Cosmos Education Zambia, one of the organisations in the GMC National Coalition, in partnership with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), facilitated the discussions on HIV/AIDS.
The discussions focused mainly on modes of transmission, the effects of HIV/AIDS, stigma/discrimination, and identifying ways that children can protect themselves from HIV/AIDS.
The discussions employed the use of question and answer sessions as well as games and visual demonstrations. The entire Lesson For Life session culminated in children drafting ‘good news’ reports on what they learned about HIV/AIDS and what they will do in the months and years to come to prevent themselves and others from getting HIV/AIDS.
Esther, from Lusaka also received a scholarship provided by veteran politician Chibesa Kankasa. Because of her active participation in the Lesson For Life session, facilitators felt that Esther would best benefit from the scholarship, which will provide her with three years (grades 6-9) of free education.
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