Month: November 2020

Date and time:

6.30 – 7.30pm UK, 8.30 – 9.30pm South Africa 
World AIDS Day, Tuesday 1 December

JOIN LIVESTREAM

Three of the world’s leading experts on HIV/AIDS join us for a World AIDS Day special livestream. We look at the impact of HIV on children and parenting, including in the context of Covid, with world authorities Dr Shaffiq Essajee and Professor Lorraine Sherr.Then Professor Peter Piot will talk about his experience as the head of the UN’s AIDS programme for more than a decade, as well as his co­
discovery of the Ebola virus and his personal as well as professional
battle with COVID. He will be in conversation with Lord Daniel
Finkelstein.
Joining us as co-host will be Becky Kroger, HIV youth advocate and an Ambassador for One to One Children’s Fund.

Professor Peter Piot

Peter Piot is Director of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, and one of the world’s leading virologists. He was the co­discoverer of the Ebola virus in 1976 and has spent his career fighting infectious diseases. He headed the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS between 1995 and 2008 and was undersecretary general of the UN. Peter has written a fascinating account of his incredible life on the front lines in the fight against deadly diseases and an amusing critique of some of the world leaders, and dictators, he has met, in his inspiring memoir, NO TIME TO LOSE. Peter has been at the forefront of preparations for new epidemics to come and fell dangerously ill with Covid-19 in mid-March, still living with the after-effects.

Dr Shaffiq Essajee

Shaffiq Essajee is the Deputy Chief of UNICEF’s global HIV/AIDS programmes. He is a clinician, scientist and public health specialist who has been caring for children with HIV in New York and his native Kenya for over 20 years. His work on the genetic diversity of HIV in children could change the way the virus is treated around the world. Shaffiq took over the Chair of PATA (Paediatric and Adolescent AIDS Treatment for Africa) from David Altschuler last year.

Professor Lorraine Sherr

Lorraine Sherr is a clinical psychologist and a Professor of Clinical and Health Psychology at University College London. She works at national and international levels on HIV, mental health, treatment adherence, gender, parenting and cognitive development. Her expertise on the cognitive impact on children in HIV-affected families has led to the development of One to One’s Bright Start programme.

Lord Daniel Finkelstein

The conversation will be moderated by Lord Daniel Finkelstein, a member of the House of Lords, and a political columnist and associate editor of The Times.

Becky Kroger

Becky Kroger was one of the first children to receive antiretroviral medication in South Africa, receiving this through a One to One
Children’s Fund programme. Now, some two decades later, Becky leads a full and thriving life, and is a leading youth advocate for young people with HIV. She was DFID’s official youth delegate at AIDS 2018.

In 2015, the international community agreed to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, a set of 17 goals comprising 169 targets to make the world a better, more equitable, and sustainable place for all. The deadline was set for 2030. A lot has been achieved since then, but more needs to be done, says Alef Meulenberg, CEO of the development arm of Afrika Tikkun. “More work needs to be done to ensure everyone in and outside South Africa, particularly children and young people, can reach their potential by 2030, despite the disastrous impact of Covid-19,” says Meulenberg.

A problem which has worsened this year is youth unemployment. Released on 29 September 2020, StatsSA’s latest Quarterly Labour Force Survey shows that in the second quarter, 44.7% of South Africans aged 15-24 were not working nor in school or receiving training compared to 40.3% in the same period in 2019.

Hunger and Malnutrition

Child hunger has also increased. In the latest National Income Dynamics Study-Coronavirus Rapid Mobile Survey, 15% of respondents reported that a child in their household went hungry at least once per week during the lockdown. At least 16% of these children were younger than seven.

“This is frightening, as hunger and malnutrition impact a child for the rest of his or her life,” says Meulenberg, referring to the link between malnutrition and stunting. “Research shows that adults who went hungry and were stunted as children are more likely to be unemployed, thus extra vulnerable to being trapped in the cycle of poverty. This affects our nation as a whole and prevents us from moving forward.”

No excuse to delay action

Whilst Covid-19 has amplified many hardships youths face, Meulenberg feels the virus shouldn’t be used as an excuse to delay action. “Youth unemployment, hunger, and poverty have been endemic for years. Covid-19 has only shown us what can happen when social problems remain unaddressed and is, therefore, a reason to do more,” he stresses.

This requires stakeholders such as the government, the private sector, civil society, innovators, and development experts to work together harder and smarter to meet the SDGs, particularly those affecting young people. It all boils down to innovative and holistic partnerships and developmental solutions that tackle more than one child and youth-related SDG.

Afrika Tikkun Cradle to Career model

“The Cradle to Career model of Afrika Tikkun is a good example of how one can make a sustained impact. Besides involving different players – from government agencies to private businesses – this youth development approach focuses on all aspects of child well-being. This includes boosting their access to food, education and healthcare early in life to pave the way for gender equality, creating meaningful work opportunities, and fostering sustainable communities,” Meulenberg says.

“This multi-stakeholder, multi-layered approach has helped us reach thousands of youths and their families across the country, allowing them to change their future.”

Meulenberg urges stakeholders to implement impactful measures now, and not tomorrow: “The year 2030 may be something of the distant future, but in fact, it is not. It is just ten years from now,” he says. “Fact of the matter is that our young people do not have ten years.”

Tumisang Mohoto is a 17-year-old grade 11 Maths and Sciences pupil at Mphethi Mahlatsi Secondary School. As part of Afrika Tikkun’s career development focus in October, Tumisang engaged the Gradesmatch website, which aligns learners with their ideal careers based on their academic performance, and not necessarily on what they love. Gradesmatch also assists learners in choosing higher education institutions.

Tumisang would love to study Actuarial Science or Law at the University of Witwatersrand or the University of Cape Town. He’s drawn to Actuarial Science is because he strongly believes black representation in the industry is still very low, something he sees this as an opportunity. On the other hand, Tumisang’s interest in law stems from his consistently good performance in history.  He also loves critical thinking, public speaking and debating.

At Afrika Tikkun’s Arekopaneng Centre in Orange Farm, Tumisang’s participation in centre-level activities like Spelling Bee, and Quiz and Debate and has helped build his confidence, developed his critical thinking skills, sharpened his public speaking and oral presentation skills and forced him to be more solution-oriented.

While he was grateful for the insight presented by Gradesmatch, Tumisang was disappointed when Afrika Tikkun couldn’t host the annual Career Day because of the national lockdown. “I believe learners should be motivated about subject choices in grade 9 and more of them should pursue maths and science because it helps in problem solving,” Tumisang stated.