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Art of Conservation welcomes Club SIDA spokesperson Odile NYIRAGUHIRWA to this week’s classes.

SIDA is an acronym for the disease AIDS in various languages, including French (Syndrome d’Immuno Deficience Acquise).

Above, Odile shares health news with Art of Conservation’s Ninda class in 2007.

Odile discusses with Shingiro’s adult students information about HIV/AIDS, living with the disease, measures of prevention and family planning. Topics, such as these, may naturally arouse discomfort and embarrassment, but Odile’s open and sincere approach allows for an effective examination of the seriousness at hand.

Odile asks me to assist her in a demonstration on how to use a condom for our adult students. Each student is offered a package of condoms and all accept with alacrity.

Questions for Odile from our adult students include, “Can we reuse a condom?” And “How does a mother who is HIV/AIDS positive prevent passing the disease to her baby?” Also, “How do I stop from getting HIV/AIDS from a person I live next to?” Finally, “Can I get the disease from an electric shaver when I get my hair cut?”

Opening a discussion with the kids during our weekend classes, Odile begins by asking the questions. She asks them if they see and feel changes in their bodies, do they want to have children when they get older and if they do, how many children do they want to have. She continues with asking how many brothers and sisters do they have in their family. Sheepishly they respond with numbers as high as eight and ten siblings and add they want to have one or two children. Odile warns of misleading and dangerous situations they may face - one of the most egregious being confronted by an adult who attempts to coerce a child into sexual activities.

“We don’t have soap,” complain the children when asked how often they bathe.

After Odile finishes her exchange with everyone, we move to our art lesson of the day which is covered in an upcoming blog, please stay tuned!

“We love you, Odile!” holler the children as they press out the door at the end of class.

For more information on these topics, please click here, Rwanda’s Ministry of Health.

Enjoy the day.
Julie

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