Christian Science Monitor Examines U.S.-Style Summer Camps for Children Affected by HIV/AIDS in Africa
The Christian Science Monitor on Tuesday examined how U.S.-style summer camps are helping some South African children affected by HIV/AIDS escape their "difficult lives in the hard world of South Africa's townships and squatter camps." Aid organizations are bringing the camps, which are modeled after U.S. summer camps for "sick or troubled" children, to South Africa, Zimbabwe and Malawi, the Monitor reports. While allowing the children to "just be kids" through activities such as soccer and arts and crafts, the camps also aim to provide daily life-skills training through classes on AIDS prevention and respect. Thabanga Mpanza, a 15-year-old boy who attended the Sizanani camp outside of Johannesburg, said, "We're just taking part to see where it can take us. Because most of our friends are committing themselves into crime and doing things that they are not supposed to be doing -- so we just wanted to get off the streets" (Itano, Christian Science Monitor, 2/3).
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