MEDICAL
INFORMATION
FOR KIDS
INFORMATION
FOR KIDS
LATEST NEWS
24 Jun 2011 | Press Release
Medikidz Foundation, the charity arm of Medikidz Ltd., is reaching out to African children in Swaziland, the country with the highest rate of HIV prevalence in adults in the world. In a pioneering approach to health education, 100,000 comic books have been distributed to schools, clinics and libraries through initiatives supported by the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.
The book, What's Up with Matt?, teaches children about the battle going on inside the human body as the immune system fights against the HIV virus. The superhero characters - Gastro, Axon, Chi, Skinderella and Pump - explain how treatment can combat HIV, making it less frightening. They teach children that the battle against the HIV virus is one they can win with regular and effective medical treatment.
The comic book tackles social stigma and helps to raise awareness about HIV in a part of the world where medical knowledge and resources are not easily accessible.
Outlining how entertaining comic books can make a serious impact on a disease like HIV, Director of Medikidz Foundation Dr. Kim Chilman-Blair said:
"The Medikidz Foundation is solely dedicated to providing medical information for young people.
We believe we can make a tangible difference to attitudes on HIV in an area where there is still a significant lack of educational material, specifically for this age group.
Evidence has shown that if you can teach a child about HIV at school, they are likely to go home and teach other family members."
Swaziland was identified by the Global Fund as being the ideal country to pilot the educational campaign and distribution of books as of the high prevalence rates of HIV, and also taking into consideration that 31% of children are considered to be vulnerable to the disease. Despite being a geographically small country, more children are HIV positive per head of population than anywhere else on earth. Little educational information is available and the Medikidz comic book initiative is the first of its kind in the country.
"In making the comic book accessible to young people we hope that they will gain a better understanding not only of how the virus affects the body, but also how anti-HIV medications work and the importance of taking medicines regularly," says Dr. Louise Dann of The Global Fund.
"By educating children we hope to create a new HIV-savvy generation, able to counsel their peers and even their parents and dispel some of the myths about HIV. We are delighted by the positive responses of teachers and guidance counsellors and are optimistic that the impact of the project is already exceeding the scope of our initial expectations."
On 17th and 18th June, the Medikidz Foundation and the Global Fund will visit Swaziland to highlight the aims and demonstrate the impact of the educational campaign. Representatives of the press will be invited to speak to Swaziland's children during a visit to a local school. A visit to the Baylor Clinic in Mbabane has also been organised. It is the first paediatric centre of its kind dedicated to caring for HIV/AIDS-infected infants and children in Swaziland.
For any further details about the project in Swaziland, please get in touch at info@medikidz.com.