Zazi | Know yourself girl’s camp of change in mentality for girls

SABIE – It’s been such a long journey during the past three months that the “Zazi – Know your srength” HIV/Aids campaign was launched that at last 100 girls drawn from the 18 local municipalities across the province, will finally tackle the girl problems, matter-of-factly.

The girls go into camp from today (September 26) until Saturday at a leading lodge in Sabie town, where sparks are expected to fly as the girls will be engaged in tell-tale discussions on their sexual experiences and lifestyles that will forge a way to come up with strategies to alleviate them from eventually contracting the dreaded disease, HIV/Aids and related ailments, thus leading good and healthy lifestyles.

Comparatively speaking, since the concept was launched in Gert Sibande district in June and in nkangala during August and earlier this month it was at Ehlanzeni – girls’perception of men, especially older men, who they dub “sugar daddies,’has changed for the better.

During the past three workshops, it has been inculcated in their minds that they should refrain from falling for olde rmen because of material gain, rather bstain from sexual activities or alternatively, condomise if they already are active, as is the case with many of them who confessed being active participants.

The three workshops, led by the MEC for health and socialo development, Ms Candith Mashego-Dlamini and current Miss Mpumalanga, Ntandoyenkosi Kunene, will thoroughly map the way forward on how to tackle such matters, enmasse in all local municipalities, where co-ordinating teams, with the accompaniment of Kunene, will engage all girl children in communities from all structures available.

“Ït’s been an eye-opener engaging with these grils because most of their expereinces are best known to us. we just needed to open up to them and get them talking, especially among themselves.

Once they began talking about them, the playing field had already been levelled from the first workshop up to the last one.

“What was worrying though, is that some related experiences which they referred to as of freinds instead of owning up to them, but at the camp, we will deal with all of that,” she said.

Kunene said: “In my case, I’ve been honest about my own life experiences which are a daily occurrence at tertiary level and in the home-front, too. I’ve placed myself as a role model, although I still have a long way to go, but what I’ve been through, will assist them to lead better lives.

“The most important thing here is, we should be able to save a lot of souls through this initiative and produce a better prepared young generation and that this would transcend to the next generation, too,” she said.

Co-ordinator, Ms Gugu Nyarenda, CEO of Mzimari Productions said: “This camp is the beginning of bigger things to come out of this initiative. It’s not a picnic nor is it an outing, but an educational venture, whereby, girls’lives will be changed for the better.

“We will leave a lasting legacy in the girls’minds, for generations to come through the professional and interactive manner that we embarked upon. Come Saturday, they will leave here changed fo the better and ready to change perceptions within their communities,”she ended.