Lesotho

Real lives

Teaching children in Lesotho how to avoid HIV/AIDS

Pupils at Katlehong Primary School perform a song about HIV/AIDS

THABA TSEKA, Lesotho, 22 December, 2004 – At first glance Katlehong Primary School in the mountainous village of Thaba Tseka seems like any other school of its kind. The children skip, chase each other and jump around at break time as children do everywhere else in the world.

It’s only when one starts asking about their families that one realises what a unique school this is. Out of 720 pupils, 197 are orphans, having lost one or both parents. In almost 80 per cent of cases the parents died of AIDS-related illnesses.

When it comes to AIDS, Thaba Tseka is one of the hardest hit communities in one of the world’s hardest hit countries. Nearly one out of every three people in Lesotho has either HIV or AIDS.

A pupil learning about HIV/AIDS at Katlehong Primary School

Katelhong Primary School's principal, Manthabiseng Ramone, says that the high number of deaths is because people in the community lack a basic understanding about HIV and AIDS and how it is spread.

"Because of ignorance, they compare it with witchcraft and other things, which is just a myth," she says. "They don't know what is real about this disease."

The Government of Lesotho, UNICEF, the World Food Programme and other partners are working to make sure children are educated about the dangers of HIV and how to avoid it.

At Katlehong Primary School, children are taught life skills and given HIV/AIDS education from an early age. The orphans are also given two meals a day through the World Food Programme’s school feeding scheme.

The teachers are full of ideas and enthusiasm: setting up model vegetable gardens to teach the orphaned children and others about nutrition and fending for themselves, using plays to educate the community about HIV/AIDS, giving the children without parents food packages for the holidays, selling second-hand clothing and opening a bank accounts for the children. 

UNICEF’s Representative in Lesotho, Bertrand Desmoulins, says HIV/AIDS care and prevention is part of every aspect of his work in Lesotho.

"In terms of UNICEF’s programme, we don't have a specific HIV programme - the entire country programme is tackling the HIV issues," he says. "Same thing with orphans. We don't have an orphan project. We have a special target population, which is the orphans, in every programme and project.”