Teachers at a Manenberg primary school had a simple message for their pupils on World Aids Day: “Don’t gamble with your life.”
Rio Grande Primary School pupils dressed up in white and red on Thursday December 1 and used dance and drama to spread the message about HIV/Aids.
It’s a serious topic, but the children were also excited when Lance Witten, from the Western Province Cricket Association, brought along Cape Cobras cricketers Zubayr Hamza and Stian van Zyl, to share some inspiration.
Pastor Andrew Barnes from the St James Trust, spoke to the pupils about making good choices for their lives.
The trust offers reading and maths tutoring to Rio Grande pupils.
“They are assisting us to lay a better foundation so that we can rid our community of illiteracy, and so that our children can adapt to a changing world,” said teacher Kader Barendse.
“HIV teaches us that we must be good to one another,” he added.
Mr Barendse said the event was their way of “doing their bit for the community”.
“We started preparing for this event long before. Through donations from teachers and fund-raisers, we were also able to give our 500 pupils a nutritious meal and a juice. This was arranged to show them we do care about them. When it comes cultural events, our children have proven over and over that they are very talented, and that is why we also used this event to give them a platform to showcase that.”
