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Saturday, October 23, 2004
Telling Aids stories to kids
By Charmaine Y. Rodriguez
Sun.Star Staff Reporter
ASK a 10-year-old child what he knows about how HIV and Aids are spread, and they’ll probably react the way John Arniel Baruc did: He smiled shyly.
Baruc is among the grade school students of Punta Princesa Elementary School who received from the Aids Society of the Philippines copies of the book “Paulo’s Paper Boat,” a story that aims to increase children’s awareness of Aids.
Written by Nicodemus Melgar, second place winner of the 2001 Aids Media Awards in the Short Story for Children category, the book aims to give hope to those living with persons with HIV.
In it, Paulo’s father, Badong, a former worker of a shipbuilding company, met an accident and contracted the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the virus that causes Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (Aids), from a blood transfusion.
Badong taught his son strength in facing life’s challenges by showing him how to make a strong paper boat.
Unaware
“Nakahilak man ko pagbasa nako (I cried after reading it),” said Rino Dominic Cabungcal, 10, not minding the teasing of classmates who overheard him.
Baruc and Cabungcal know that Paulo’s father has a slim chance of surviving for long but are hopeful that miracles could still happen.
However, they were both unaware that HIV-Aids could be contracted through unprotected sexual contact.
The need for awareness is acute, now that Aids has made its presence felt in Cebu.
The Social Hygiene Unit of the Cebu City Health Department has listed a total of 59 HIV-Aids cases. Of the 59, two were reported only last June—one the husband of a sex worker, and the other, a man who had sex with another man. Both died recently.
Grim facts
School principal Necita Hamak confirmed that the mode of transmission through sexual contact was explained only to grade six students, being older.
Clinton Cañalita, 11, did not smirk when he enumerated the three ways people get HIV-Aids.
On the last page of the book, Melgar, an advocate of HIV-Aids awareness, included the modes of transmission, myths and prevention.
Despite this, Regie Mae Largo, 12, and Filconey Rose Camada, 10, said they will never go near a person with HIV.
“Mahadlok ko (I’m afraid),” Largo said.
Support
However, Joannah Marie Oliveros, 11, said she is willing to take care of a relative who might have HIV.
Hamak supports the idea of educating grade school children about HIV-Aids so they would have basic knowledge of the syndrome.
Fritz Vincent Jardin, 10, said he will make sure that his wounds would be immediately treated.
Before they were given the book, Cañalita said he thought one could get Aids if one got a fever.
The Aids Society of the Philippines gave out 1,000 copies of the book to students of Punta Princesa Elementary School in Cebu City and Tabok Elementary School in Mandaue City early this month.
The book is in English and Tagalog, with a Cebuano translation by Edgar Godin.
(October 23, 2004 issue)
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