 "It was not easy for me to make friends in school at first," Kami told World Bank experts and explained how difficult it was for her to start school because other kids wouldn't play with her.
Kami is an affectionate, energetic and curious five-year-old Muppet who lives on Takalani Sesame in South Africa. Kami is also HIV positive. But she is asymptomatic and can do all things that five year-olds do!
"Children wouldn't play with me or sit with me," Kami continued. "They were scared because I am HIV positive. They thought they would get sick. But I managed to show them with the help of some of my other friends that you couldn't catch HIV by playing or sharing food with me."
Kami's story and adventures are important. By talking about her life as an HIV-positive Muppet, she is showing children that it's OK to play with kids infected with HIV.
It is important for children and adults in South Africa to talk about HIV/AIDS and destigmatize this disease. Many people have been infected with this disease in South Africa. Many more people and children are affected because they have family members who have HIV/AIDS. Also many children have been orphaned by the disease.
That's why Kami wears a memory necklace to remember her mother who died of AIDS.
Kami and Gary Knell, President and CEO of Sesame Workshop, visited the World Bank to tell Bank experts about Takalani Sesame and share ideas how to talk to kids about HIV/AIDS.
Takalani Sesame is produced by Sesame Workshop, which is a nonprofit, educational organization behind the Muppets and Sesame shows around the world.
The Muppets use music, humor and stories to teach kids basic skills and life lessons, such as learning how to count, read, play and respect others.
The show's name and the Muppets who live on Sesame may differ from country to country to tell stories that are important to local children. The show is known as Sesame Street in the United States, Ulitsa Sezam in Russia, Takalani Sesame in South Africa, and Alam Simsim in Egypt.
Thats why Kami lives on Takalani Sesame and talks about HIV -- because HIV/AIDS is a big problem in South Africa. But on Alam Simsim, Khokha is a girl who dreams of becoming a doctor or maybe a pilot or maybe a teacher. Khokha shows Egyptian girls that they can become anything they want to become, just like boys. This is important because many girls dont go to school and never learn to read and write.
It was important and interesting for Bank experts to meet Kami and Garry and hear how to teach children about important things through television and popular culture.
The Bank works hard to improve the lives of children around the world.
Just like children learn new things by watching their favorite Muppets on Sesame shows, adults (even if they are experts) also must keep learning new things to be able to help others around them even more!
What does it mean?
Asymptomatic: Having no symptoms of illness or disease.
Destigmatize: To stigmatize means to single a person out as someone to be ashamed of. To destigmatize means to remove stigma.
UNICEF: is a United Nations organizations devoted to improving the lives of children around the world.
Appointed: To name or choose somebody for a specific job.
Related Links
www.sesamestreet.com
www.unicef.org
www.aidskids.org
YouthNet
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