In the Nthondo region of rural Malawi, a sixteen-year-old youth named Yosofati has big plans for the future. "I want to become a pilot," he says. "I want to take people from one corner of the world to the other." But Yosofati's dreams now seem further away—life has become tougher for him since his parents tested positive for HIV.

There are over 40 million people currently living with HIV or AIDS worldwide and two-thirds of those people live in Sub-Saharan Africa, which includes Malawi. In 2001, it was estimated that 785,000 adults and 65,000 children were living with HIV or AIDS in Malawi.

It would be easy to lose hope in the midst of such a pandemic, but Yosofati refused to give up and decided to stand up instead. In Nthondo and other areas, World Vision has been training young people like Yosofati to become "peer educators," passing on accurate information about HIV and AIDS to their friends and classmates. As a peer educator, Yosofati is committed to educating people about HIV and AIDS.

"You know, I feel very sorry about my parents," he says. "But I've learnt a powerful lesson from them, and it has inspired me and encouraged me to teach my friends about the dangers of HIV/AIDS."

How You Can Take Action
December 1 is World AIDS Day. Why not become a peer educator in your own school by coordinating an AIDS-awareness presentation with your class or at your next assembly?

• Breaking the Silence is a free resource from World Vision that you can download to get started. It contains a Flash video, a PowerPoint presentation, and a toolkit of great workshop ideas about HIV and AIDS.
• Challenge your class or school to reach a goal and buy an item from World Vision's Gift Catalogue that helps those dealing with HIV and AIDS, such as HIV and AIDS care kits, or even a home for orphans.
• Write a letter, on your own or with your school, to your Member of Parliament asking what our government is doing to help deal with the HIV and AIDS pandemic. Be respectful, but don't be afraid to ask good questions.