Human Rights Session Brings Enlightenment To An 11 Year Old Girl

Human Rights Session Brings Enlightenment To 

An 11 Year Old Girl

By John Nyasulu (ICS Volunteer) and Triza Chimasula (Parenting Facilitator at YONECO)

Edited by Tafadzwa Banda (Team Leader)

It was on Wednesday 26^th July 2017, in the afternoon, when International Service Volunteers (Anisa Hirsi, John Nyasulu, Wongani Mhango , Tatiajarna Howard-Stevens & Shubham Kapoor) worked together with Ntcheu Youth Net & Counselling (YONECO) (Triza Chimasula, Parenting Facilitator at YONECO) to conduct a session on human rights at the Resource Centre in the main office. The session was attended by thirty children both girls and boys aged between 4- 12. 

The session took a participatory learning and action approach; therefore the staff conducting the session fully engaged with the children attending though visual aids and natural interviewing techniques. Through this method, a variety of children’s rights spoken about during the session were identified by the children themselves.  

The facilitators further identified other children’s rights and elaborated on the specific ways these rights should be ensured, as well as how children’s rights relate to Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights Issues (SRH&R).

The photo shows volunteers conducting an energiser during the human rights session

The session conducted by the ICS volunteers and YONECO staff, in combination with a radio podcast from YONECO FM and positive peer pressure from a friend, made Caroline (a girl who was part of the session) aged 11from Eneya Village in T/A Kwataine (Ntcheu), realise the importance of HIV Testing. Consequently, soon after the session, the Standard 5 girl at Mdeka Primary School, Traditional Authority Kwataine, approached the Parenting Facilitator at YONECO, Triza Chimasula. Caroline felt that it was her responsibility to get HIV Testing Service from YONECO drop- in Centre in order to be made aware of her status since she had some worries she may be positive for HIV.

Her parents were called for consent and the HIV Testing was done at the YONECO drop-in centre, in Ntcheu. For both Caroline and her parents, the results were HIV negative. Subsequently, the nurse counselled her and her parents so that they are made aware of HIV symptoms and how it can be transmitted, and approaches to go by in order to stay HIV negative. This encouraged her to continue working hard at school in order to achieve her dreams.