Back to School
The first glimpse of these life-changing partnerships comes at the government-run Regiment School. That the teachers and staff care deeply about their students is evident -- advertised, actually -- before you even step inside school grounds. The perimeter wall is decorated with HIV-prevention messages, echoed inside the schoolyard. A painting on one wall urges tolerance: "A friend with AIDS is still a friend -- Stop Stigmatisation." The side of one building outlines the school's promises to its students: clean water, nutritious food (the school maintains a garden in the side yard for this purpose), yearly de-worming, a good education and lessons on how to prevent HIV/AIDS.
Mrs. Mwanawasa, Jenna and I cross the tranquil school courtyard, passing through gentle early-morning sunshine and the soft shade of maluba and jacaranda trees. When Jenna and I enter the first-grade classroom of teacher Emelda Chewe, we both feel right at home (once a teacher, always a teacher). Mrs. Chewe is gracious and welcoming, and her pupils are adorable -- all smiles and energy, dressed neatly in their navy blue school uniforms. The colorful decor is what you'd expect in any first-grade classroom: cut shapes labeled "circle," "triangle" and "square" dangle from the ceiling. Hand-drawn posters identify the five senses and parts of the body; a banner across the wall presents the letters of the alphabet. At their small desks, the children sit eagerly awaiting the day's lesson.