HACT launches teen support group
Noticing that there are no support groups for teens living with HIV/AIDS in the Highway area, the Hillcrest AIDS Centre Trust is now reaching out to these individuals.
THE Hillcrest AIDS Centre Trust will soon launch its HACT Teen Club, an initiative for children between 13 and 18 years old that are living with HIV/AIDS.
“It is in response to a need for support for these teenagers who have no-one else to turn to. HIV/AIDS is not a problem just restricted to impoverished communities in KwaZulu-Natal, it is right on our doorstep, but hidden. Our research has shown that very little, if any, provision exists in our area for the teenagers who are not eligible for government support, so they suffer in silence,” said Oettlé, the marketing and fundraising manager at HACT.
The Teen Club is set to take place after school, in a safe location, once every two weeks. It will benefit HIV positive teens who attend both government and fee-paying schools, and who until now have had no-one to turn to for answers to their fears and questions.
Burning questions such as, ‘Is there a healthy, full life beyond HIV diagnosis?, ‘can I have a boyfriend/girlfriend?’, ‘can I build a family in the future?’, will be covered at the Club.
According to Laurel, other Teen Clubs have been rolled out and are successful in Botswana, Lesotho, Swaziland, Malawi, Uganda and Tanzania.
Contact the Hillcrest AIDS Centre Trust on 031 765 8781.
