Newspapers and scientists sometimes brings us

Newspapers and scientists sometimes brings us terrifying predictions of worldwide epidemics like SARS, and various kinds of flu from different animals like birds and swine. How about the one that’s already raging across every continent – AIDS? It’s deadly enough to have been included in the Millennium Development Goals … but death isn’t the only result of this disease. The people suffering with AIDS, especially children, are often ostracised and discriminated against because of cultural myths and factual misconceptions. Even schoolchildren whose parents have AIDS suffer this social stigma.

Good thing Viva has teamed up with more than ten international charities to begin to change that! We’re working with World Vision, Compassion, Tearfund and others to deliver training called ‘Let Your Light Shine’ to hundreds of adults who care for children. Let Your Light Shine uses a DVD that teaches caregivers how to provide the best support and care for children suffering under the personal or societal effects of HIV and AIDS. Let Your Light Shine has been specially designed to be useful to churches, orphanages, schools, communities and individual caregivers.

Let your Light Shine includes short documentaries of children who have been living with or affected by HIV/AIDS. It also features 12 educational sections that dispel myths about HIV/AIDS, provide basic facts about the disease, and teach workers how to prevent the spread of the virus. It’s shown by a trained caregiver who helps the viewers understand the needs of sick or orphaned children, and how to prevent AIDS from spreading to healthy children. This doesn’t just improve care for the kids, it also changes local communities by getting correct information out there!