Recently I went to watch some high school pupils hearing about HIV as part of their Life Orientation programme. About 800 pupils in Grades 10-12 at Allen Glen High School in Roodepoort, to be precise. I was lucky enough to sit next to one of their teachers in the packed hall and she told me her pupils were a bit bored with the topic and she was hoping it would be handled differently that day.
And that it certainly was. Fabien Nove-Josserand was wired up to a mike with his laptop doing the overhead thing and he dived into the topic with passion and energy. He told them HE was addressing them on the topic because he is HIV+. “You can touch me!” And he told them that in September this year he will have been living with the virus for 26 years. The kids were pretty wide-eyed.
He told them his aim was to dispel some of the myths about HIV & AIDS and they laughed at his references to garlic and showers. Fabien told them about the history of his testing and coming to terms with the virus, how he gave it a name. He briefly explained how the virus operates to reduce CD4 counts, how ARVs are the only real means to control Viral Load at present. He told them the three routes to infection were unprotected sex, sharing needles, and mother to child transmission. He gave them the ABC of protecting oneself: Abstinence, Being Faithful, and Condomising.
And then he invited questions. Of course, being teenagers, they wanted to know how he got infected, did he have a wife, how did he tell his partner? I waited for the G word, but it didn't come up.
I was really impressed with Fabien in action. His company is called CHAT (Counselling HIV & Aids Training) and his book is MY LIFE WITH ALPHONSE - Living With HIV. Fabien is available for motivational or educational sessions and can be contacted on Tel/Fax: 011 462 0206 or 082 892 6584
Skype: fabiennj65, or snail mail PO Box 787411, Sandton, 2146, email fabien@nexus.co.za