Teta shows their commitment about HIV and Aids education
Part of the aim is to educate people in the transport sector and the community about the risks associated with HIV and Aids.
An HIV and Aids seminar held in Centurion this week focused on raising awareness about the disease.
The Transport Education Training Authority (Teta), in partnership with the Moon and Back group and multi-sector stakeholders, met on Thursday in Centurion to discuss risks associated with HIV and Aids.
“This was the first leg of a series of round-table engagements which resuscitated the debate and created awareness,” said Teta spokesperson, Kholiswa Kleinbooi.
Kleinbooi said the first event, which was hosted by the Tshwane South TVET College at its Centurion campus, was attended mainly by young people, in particular college students.
“Stakeholders from various sectors of society joined the campaign to engage with students.
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“Discussion topics of the day ranged from the stigmatisation of those infected with HIV within their communities; depression experienced by those stigmatised; lack of support systems for disclosure; learning to engage in the difficult conversation about HIV/Aids and sharing of the comprehensive and inclusive response to HIV/Aids.”
He said as an institution that operates in the skills development and training sector, Teta invests in strategic projects such as ‘Focus – HIV still needs our attention’ to convey messages. And to educate people in the transport sector and the community about the risks associated with HIV and Aids.
“The aim is to engage with everybody to encourage people to take responsibility for their health and to change their behaviour, as we are required to do the same when it comes to the coronavirus pandemic.”
In his remarks, Teta spokesperson Sabelo Mbuku stated that the purpose of these engagements is to remind the community that HIV/Aids is still here.
Mbuku encouraged those in attendance and by livestream to take a stand and play their role in the fight against HIV/Aids rather than delegating responsibilities to the Department of Health and government.
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“Do not delegate the responsibility of having conversations about HIV to government or schools. There is no ‘us’ and ‘them’.
“It boils down to individuals. We must socialise the message and talk about it openly. There is a huge gap, let’s socialise these conversations about HIV. Let it be all our social responsibility to normalise these conversations and not wait for external people to come to our rescue.”
Counselling psychologist based at Tshwane South TVET College, Jeanette Ramodike, highlighted that the stigma around HIV testing makes it difficult for people, particularly the youth, to voluntarily go for testing. Further young people were encouraged to use available support services such as counselling and therapy to deal with the psychological impact of being infected or affected by HIV.
Amongst the panellists, Amanda Ndiki encouraged the audience to also consider celibacy and self-mastery as an alternative to HIV prevention.
Ndiki emphasised to the applauding audience that abstinence is the best method to deal with the spread of HIV/Aids.
Thulina Moukangwe, a young lady from the Community Media Trust As’bangene campaign boldly shared her inspiring journey of living with the virus and dealing with the stigma.
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Over the next three months, Teta will continue to partner with some higher learning institutions and multi-sector stakeholders who implement health education initiatives aimed at encouraging behaviour change.
Moon and Back group (Pty) Ltd is a 100% female black-owned (B-BBEE Level 1) consulting services agency that specialises in multi-media communication, media buying, stakeholder engagement and special projects.
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