PROMOTION OF PEER EDUCATION PROGRAMME

FINANCIAL AND ADMINISTRATION SERVICE, HEAD OFFICE

On 26 April 2005 Polleys Arcade, Head Office, was the venue for yet another event held to emphasize the care and support provided by the SAPS for their HIV/Aids infected and affected employees.

After a word of welcome delivered by Dir Niewoudt, Reverend Pierre Vigoureux led the attendees in prayer. Many HIV-positive people feel that their faith keeps them going when they are alone and afraid. On a more practical level, the peer educators’ role is to assist and equip HIV-infected and affected SAPS employees with knowledge about keeping their bodies healthy. 

Social worker Joyce Moganedi heads the
team of peer educators at Financial and Administration Services,
Head Office. The concept of peer educators
gives practical expression to the quote by James Yen:
Go to the people
Live with the people
Learn from the people
Plan with the people
Work with the people

When a person who is HIV-positive becomes sick often, doctors say they have AIDS. When people have AIDS they do not get just one kind of sickness, but many different sicknesses.

People with AIDS usually get two or more of the following:

• Tuberculosis (TB)
• Pneumonia
• Diarrhoea and vomiting
• Weight loss
• Fevers and night sweats
• Mouth sores and infections
• Skin sores and infections

Q: How do doctors and health workers treat AIDS?

A: They cannot treat AIDS itself. But they can treat the different sicknesses that people with AIDS get. They treat these sicknesses with the same medicines they use for people who do not have HIV. If people with AIDS become sick, take them to the clinic. The health worker will give them medicine for their sickness. Make sure that they ask the health worker when to take the medicine, and for how long to take it.