October 2014 Vol. 2 No.10

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Chikasha AS
Chikasha J

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Review

How to advise youth there’s HIV/AIDS ahead, U-turn: an analysis of perceptions of in-school youths

Adolph Silas Chikasha^1* and Jennifar Chikasha²

¹Director Higher Degrees, Zimbabwe Open University, Former Education Officer, Educational Technology. Contacts: 45 Jesmond Road,
Hatfield, Harare, Zimbabwe.
²Senior Lecturer, Programme leader, Diploma in Teacher Education, Faculty of Education, Zimbabwe Open University. Former Teachers
College Lecturer, Home Economics, secondary school Home Economics teacher in Zimbabwe.

*Corresponding Author's E-mail: E-mail: chikashaas@yahoo.com or chikashaa@zou.ac.zw
Tel: +263 733 570967 or +263 772 422525

Accepted October 27, 2014

Abstract

This paper presents the conduct and outcome of a survey carried out on in-school youth in Zimbabwe on the HIV/AIDS pandemic. It analyses the perceptions, misconceptions and myths held by youths in Zimbabwe. The exercise involved the conducting of life-skills workshops sponsored by the voluntary welfare organization, Shungu Dzevana Trust. The authors were most fascinated by the children’s reactions and responses to various theories and philosophies especially messages surrounding the “no sex” versus “safe sex” quagmire. Several one-day workshops were held at different schools around the country during which the children were also offered the opportunity to express themselves anonymously by expressing in writing, their views on life. Some of these comments were then discussed while all the points were put to further analysis by the authors. Children of age range 11 – 18 years were sampled and wrote what they considered to be the cause(s) for continued loss of life among the youth through the pandemic when literally almost everyone was fully aware of the plague. The children’s views were classified into seven categories. Children are generally aware that people of all age groups intransigently continue to engage in risky behaviour in full view of HIV/AIDS. In theory therefore all sex-caused HIV/AIDS maladies can be eradicated by the removal of sex from the equation. It can then be argued that the surest and most effective, most easily accessible, priceless, and side-effects-free cure will always be total self-controlled abstinence. Some people argue that erotic libido in humans is beyond control, therefore sex is a right! But we should point out that to every right there must be an obligation expressed as follows: Obligations – Rights = Aids-Free Life Which is equivalent to Obligations = Aids-Free Life + Rights

Keywords: Aids-free generation, children’s rights, choice, no sex, parental responsibility, perceptions, safe sex.