4 million took action in the Lesson for Life

‘Last year we cried, this year we cry. We need to stop. We need to take action. This is a global disease that knows no difference. It uses poverty as its shield. Let’s make a pledge to come together and fight. I have a dream of standing on the grave of AIDS and singing in victory.’

These are the words of one teacher of Kokebe Tsebeha School in Ethiopia, one of the thousands of schools and four million children that took part in the Global Movement for Children's Lesson for Life on World AIDS Day in 2004. The words speak for many around the world that took action on this day:

BANGLADESH: 650,000 CHILDREN AND ADULTS TOOK ACTION
A partnership of non-governmental organisations across the country mobilised over 600,000 children and adults in Bangladesh, using materials translated in local languages, to participate in workshops held in schools, clubs, community centres and open fields.

BOLIVIA: HIV-POSITIVE LIVES
World Vision Latin America published ‘HIV-Positive Lives’, presenting the diverse stories of 28 individuals in 14 countries of Latin America and the Caribbean who are living with HIV/AIDS or are reaching out to those affected. In Bolivia this was used to work with children across the country in the Lesson for Life.

BRAZIL: LESSON TAUGHT BY LOCAL YOUTH GROUPS
Thousands of children across Brazil took part in the Lesson for Life between 26-3 December. Lessons in Brazil were lead by youth educators, who had been trained as Lesson for Life facilitators in the previous week. ‘These youth are the real guarantee that the campaign will continue’, said Melanie Swan of the GMC coalition in Brazil. 'The Lesson for Life lives on!'

CAMEROON: COMMUNITIES FACILITATE DISCUSSION
Children and adults from communities in Cameroon worked together to facilitate the Lesson for Life in three areas of the country.

CANADA: YOUNG PEOPLE ASK MINISTERS FOR ACTION ON AFRICA
Young people on Plan’s Youth Advisory Council in Canada wrote an opinion-editorial for national newspapers and a letter to the Prime Minister and local ministers demanding more action to help young people affected by HIV/AIDS in Africa.

CHINA: CHILDREN TAKE TO THE STAGE
Activity in the Shaanx Province of China involved over 15,000 children in the Lesson for Life, which included children’s performances, the production of a regional video, marches and distribution of materials to the public.

DJIBOUTI: PEER EDUCATION REACHES 90,000

30,000 children pledged to talk to three friends about their good news and actions learnt in the Lesson for Life week in Djibouti, where the Lesson for Life was covered by national TV, radio and newspapers throughout the week.

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: YOUTH GROUPS WRITE ‘GOOD NEWS’ PAPER
Young people involved in the Lesson for Life produced newspapers to communicate the good news they would like to see in 2005 for children affected by HIV/AIDS. National newspapers and TV covered the Lesson and the Good News.

ECUADOR: CHILDREN AND HIV/AIDS NATIONAL COALITION CREATED
The planning of the Lesson for Life in Ecuador has inspired partners to continue their collective work and form an official coalition campaigning for children affected by HIV/AIDS. They plan to continue with the Lesson for Life in to 2005.

EGYPT: COMMUNITY ASSOCIATIONS WORK WITH GOVERNMENT
Community Development Associations in Egypt worked with the Egyptian Ministry of Health to promote the Lesson for Life, enabling more non-formal groups of children and young people to join in.

ETHIOPIA: ACTORS AND ATHLETES MEET TO FIGHT HIV-AIDS

Actor Danny Glover joined Olympic Champions Kenenisa Bekele and Berhane Adere at one of the hundreds of Lessons for Life that took place in Ethiopia from 25-1 December. ‘We are the ones who have to respond to [the pandemic]’, he said. ‘Our history, of all us, our history as adults, our history as children, will be determined by…how we fight and how hard we fight and how passionately we fight.’

Yosefe Yohannes, 15, said ‘I know that people are neglected when they have HIV/AIDS and it makes me sad. We must not neglect them.’

GUATEMALA: LESSON FOR LIFE HAS A LIFE OF ITS OWN
The partnership in Guatemala may continue with the Lesson for Life beyond World AIDS Day 2004 in other communities around the country. Activities in Guatemala included a national HIV/AIDS public awareness workshop.

GUINEA: CHILDREN HAVE THEIR SAY ON HIV/AIDS
More than 50 NGOs, communities and government and national authorities planned the Lesson for Life from 1-15 December in Guinea. Children involved said how important the process of organising and running the Lesson for Life was, as it gave them the opportunity to ‘have their say’ on HIV/AIDS.

HONDURAS: FOOTBALL FOR LIFE
In Honduras, the GMC involved mothers and children, religious ministers and nearly 2,000 institutions such as schools, churches and colleges in the Lesson for Life, and an event 'Football for Life' taught footballers how to use sport to publicise the issue of children affected by HIV and AIDS.

INDIA: COMPETITIONS AND DEBATES IN THE LESSON FOR LIFE
Thousands of children and adults were involved in the Lesson for Life across 11 states of India on 1 December, in government schools and with groups of street-children. Amongst many other activities, 55,000 children were involved in AIDS rallies across the country, a quiz, debate and essay-writing competition was organised, an awareness camp at the Indo-Nepal border involved 1,200 people and meetings were held with district administrations on HIV/AIDS messaging.

JAMAICA: YOUTH IN ACTION
500 young people from around Jamaica joined partners at a national forum focusing on youth and HIV, which highlighted the important work of young people in Jamaica on HIV/AIDS. Young people asked tough questions to the government ministers present; on provision of more effective sex education in schools, provision of condoms by guidance counsellors, measures to address violence against children and the need for cheaper anti-retroviral drugs for persons infected with HIV.

KENYA: ‘CHILDREN WILL LEAD US’
Dean Hirsch, president of World Vision International, was one of 140,000 children and adults around the country that joined in with the Lesson for Life on World AIDS Day. ‘If we are going to stop HIV it is because the children will lead us’, he said. ‘If we want a better world then parents, presidents, ourselves, teachers, everyone must listen to children.’

One of these children, Judy Wangui, was amongst many that exhibited their photos at Gatoto School in Nairobi, which was hosting the launch. Her statement accompanying her photos said ‘I am an orphan but my grandmother takes care of me. I know I will finish school one day and be a lawyer.’

MALAWI: GIRL’S SUPPORT CLUBS FORMED
In 2005, girl’s support clubs will be formed and boys will stop abusing girls, read some of the ‘good news’ stories from Malawi, written during the Lesson for Life. The children and young people involved also developed a system for monitoring the effect of these promises in their schools and communities. A Lesson for Life held at a school for the deaf was broadcast on national TV. 70,000 children took part in the Lesson for Life in Malawi; it was such a success that the Ministry of Education have promised to continue with it in 2005.

MALI: CHILDREN TALK TO NATIONAL DIRECTOR
The National Director for Children and Families joined children in a Lesson for Life in Mali’s capital city, which was broadcast six times during World AIDS Day and was the subject of two national newspaper articles.

PERU: LESSON FOR LIFE TAKES TO THE SKY

4,000 bright red balloons were sent up in to the sky across Peru to give a visual message as part of the Lesson for Life on World AIDS Day, which involved more than 15,000 children around the country.

PHILIPPINES: COMMUNITIES AND CULTURE
The GMC partnership in the Philippines organised a one-day exhibition, community parade, night of cultural presentations in Manila and press conference all as part of the Lesson for Life.

SENEGAL: ONE MILLION CHILDREN INVOLVED

Over one million children were mobilized in a joint initiative involving a large coalition of children’s organisations, women’s and AIDS networks and the Ministry of Education in Senegal. The Minister of Education participated in a Lesson for Life launch event on 1 December with representatives of 16 African countries and children and adults from a Mbour community affected by the epidemic.

SIERRA LEONE: CHILD-LED FOCUS GROUPS LEAD THE WAY
A local child-to-child movement in Sierra Leone collaborated with organisations on 52 Lessons for Life in three districts in the country. Children and young people organised focus groups, using drama to pass on messages to other children about the pandemic; ‘most of them were learning about HIV and AIDS for the first time’.

SOMALIA: STREET CHILDREN JOIN THE LESSON
1,150 students and other children including street children took part in the Lesson for Life in nine schools in Somalia, making slogans, T-shirts, posters and writing ‘Good News’ articles.

SRI LANKA: HIV/AIDS MESSAGES ALL STITCHED-UP
100 schools and 20,000 children joined Lesson for Life in Sri Lanka. These lessons linked children across the country, where participants prepared banners carrying messages they have learnt, which were then stitched together forming one large banner.

TANZANIA: YOUNG PEOPLE’S DIALOGUE
Dar es Salaam saw a ‘Lesson for Life’ dialogue involving children and young people from youth organisations, clubs and schools on World AIDS Day. Adults were able to call and send short ‘text-message’ questions to the children. Children from 13 regions of Tanzania took part in the Lesson for Life.

THAILAND: FOOTBALL COMPETITION HOSTS THE LESSON
The national launch event of the Lesson for Life in Thailand was hosted by the national children’s soccer and volleyball competition, presented by the Crown Prince and Princess. 1,250 children out of the thousands that participated in the Lesson across the country, took part in a parade formed by communities that ended at the regular weekend market. The GMC partnership working in Thailand will be continuing the campaign in 2005.

TIMOR LESTE: LOCALISED LESSON ON COMMUNITY RADIO
Schools, youth centres and orphanages joined the Lesson for Life in Timore Leste, using materials adapted to the local situation. Community radio slots broadcast on HIV/AIDS before and after the Lesson for Life took place.

UK: INTEGRATION IN TO EVERY LESSON OF THE DAY
One school in the UK reported that the Lesson for Life was integrated in to every part of their curriculum for the day. Participants learnt about AIDS statistics in Maths, wrote persuasive letters to their MP in English, did a time-line in History, and learnt about the virus in Science. They were part of the 6,000 children in the UK that were part of the Lesson for Life.

UKRAINE: CHILDREN TAKE ACTION
Despite the political situation in Ukraine at the time of the Lesson for Life, children were enthusiastic participants in the Lesson, which was held in schools, crisis centres for children, youth and social centres. It was well supported by local media.

VENEZUELA: CHILDREN AND DOCTORS FIGHT HIV/AIDS
In Mérida in Venezuela, children from two schools involved in the Lesson for Life met doctors in a hospital and later on with adults in the village square to discuss the HIV/AIDS and the way it affects children. The doctors and a few children also visited a radio station and regional TV station for interviews on what they had discussed during the day.

VIETNAM: CHILDREN INTERVIEW MINISTER ON CHILDREN, HIV & AIDS

Children from the ‘Green Bees Club’, a young media club, interviewed directors of the four INGO’s involved as well as the Vice Minister for Health at an event in Hanoi that was broadcast in an hour-long programme in front of a live audience on national TV on World AIDS Day. Two teenage girls also gave an emotional overview as to how living with parents with HIV had an impact on their lives, and mothers affected by HIV/AIDS spoke of how their communities have isolated them and their children.

VOICES OF YOUTH: TIME FOR CHANGE
Children from all over the world participated in the online version of the Lesson for Life on Voices of Youth. Read the results of the discussion here. A young person involved said ‘We will soon…[be able to] initiate change and there will be hope and rejoicing as we finally begin to defeat the pandemic of HIV/AIDS. But the time is sooner than we think. We may be the leaders of tomorrow, but tomorrow will soon become today.’

ZAMBIA: MISS AFRICA JOINS CHILDREN IN LESSON FOR LIFE

Fifty children including orphans with disabilities participated in the celebrations marking the Lesson for Life that involved 100,000 children in Zambia on World AIDS Day. Miss Africa and Zambia, Cynthia Kanema, as well as the Deputy Minister also participated. Drama and poetry took a large part of the Lesson, which also involved writing good news articles on everyone’s vision of an AIDS-free country.