Children affected by AIDS meet ‘Dustin the Turkey’ in South Africa

The purple-beaked glove puppet, a United Nations ambassador, made a surprise visit to children at the Little Elephant Learning Centre for Early Education in Ematimatolo, KwaZulu-Natal.A team from UNICEF Ireland accompanied Dustin – a household name in Ireland that first appeared in 1990 on a children's TV programme, whose irreverent style has made popular with adults.

HIV and Aids had hit families in rural South Africa hard, and poverty makes these conditions worse for these households. More children are orphaned or left vulnerable by Aids in South Africa than anywhere else in the world. A staggering 1.4 million children in the country have lost a parent to the disease, according to UN figures.HIV/Aids has affected the majority of the families in the area Dustin visited and because of this, many children are cared for by their older brother or sister or elderly family members.

The Little Elephant centre trains community members to help vulnerable families with a range of tasks – from getting their medication to playing games that develop the social, physical and mental skills children need for primary school.“Many of these children are staying with their grandparents, and it can be hard for them to care for the child on their own,” said the centre’s Community Development Coordinator, Ncgoebo Zondi. While some families were initially hesitant to let facilitators into their homes, she added, “a strong trust” is now developing.“We can see they are happy to have them there, assisting and participating in the development of their grandchildren,” Ms. Zondi said.

Dustin spent an afternoon with some of the centre’s ‘buddies’ – children aged between 9 and 13 years of age who act as mentors for younger children. The buddies teach them games, and songs, read them stories and do arts and crafts. The buddies also helping identify problems children may be having at home, such as neglect or abuse.“It helps the kids to know who they are, and get them ready for school,” said buddy Zama Ndlovu, 13. “And it is so much fun! Playing is always fun.”"For all the children that Dustin met this week, it was their very first time meeting such a personality!” said the Little Elephant centre’s founder, Mary James. “Dustin has helped us to further expand [our] vision and, most importantly, the imagination of all the children and the educators we work with."‘

By Hayley Jarvis for SOS Children