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 V o l. 1 6  N o.  3  M a r c h  2 0 0 9
Remember the HIV basics
Tough,stressfulandconfusing,but you canavoid andovercome it.
How did youspendyour holidays?Did youstay safe?Sendtrue stories to 22366 Kampala andwin the novel
The  Color Purple 
.Getinspired!
Qui z
QUIZ:
 
Girls are asintelligent as boys.So why are girlsperforming poorly?In 2008 half of all girls eitherfailed or got Div4 on their O-levelexams! This is terrible. What isdisturbing girls?
 
 Send true stories of what is happening to girls in your school to Box 22366,Kampala
.
B
oys, so you have been in a hot and booming relationship. One day she comesto you in tears. Her only words are: "I ampregnant!" What would you do? Maybe you would give excuses:
"It's not me… That's a big joke…" .
Or you pose a slippery question:
"Howdo you know I am the one?"
The fact is: she is pregnant, and you
are
theone. Reality check. You are going to be a teenage dad, just like she will be a teenagemum. This is happening outside there,around you, everyday.
Teenage pregnancy in Uganda is high: 25 out of every 100 girls getpregnant between the ages of 15 and 19. Boys, you wouldn’t want to be responsible for any of these. Neither do you want to get HIV, drop out of school or see the inside of a prison cell.
*?!
•
 A baby can get HIV when it isin the womb, being delivered,or breastfeeding. ARVs given tomother and baby around thetime of birth reduce the chanceof HIV infectingyour baby.• If you are goingto be teenageparents, youMUST testtogether forHIV whenyou go forantenatalcheck up.
 When you makea girl pregnant, it'snot just about thesex. It'sabouta child who willcall youdaddy and needto go toschool.
 
Win an ST cap.
 
Early
 
fatherhood
This
St raight Talk
bring s you truelife stories from y oung people lik e you. Check this one.
 I we nt intoh idi ng 
"Four months a f ter w e had unprotectedsex,she told meshe waspregnant.Sheaskedmetomarry her. ButI was notread y.Her parents  werealsonotready to k eepher. They w ere bitterand reported meto police. The y said I had de filedtheir daughter. I w ent into hiding .My parentshadto sell ouronly cow to cater f or m y transport intohiding.M y parents triedto settle it with the g irls parents. They disagreed. It wasadifficult time andbig  lesson forme". 
 Zakar ia Majid,  K a pchorwa
Str aight T alker  s,
un wantedpregnancies neverneedto happen.Temptations w ill al waysbe there.But y ou can resist and achiev e yourbestlife. A re you already a dad? W hathappened? Ho w doyoumanage?W rite to
Straight Talk, 2 2366, Ka mpala.
Use your beautyin a good way
F
eb's
Straight Talk
talked aboutlooking good. Headteacher AbibuSiseka of Real College, Luwer o,a dded more:
"Everyone inthe world hassomething beautiful in their bodies, andit isnot badto be beautiful.But often when a girl is told thatshe is beautiful,she finds herself  w asting time,eventime meant for book s, onmaking herself even morebeautiful. Even some boys, when you tellthem that they are handsome,develop the habit o f havingmany partners because they feel ontop of the world. HIV is very active,and if youmisuse your beauty, you canend upinthe HIV boat."
Thanks, headteacher ! Welove it when elders adv ise us.
 
What drives boys into sex?
She wanted it
"I was sharing a room with a sister to my brother’s wife. One night shecame to my bed, saying she was scared to sleep alone. I accepted. But  she started touching me and asked if  I wanted sex. Although our teacher had told usthe dangers of early sex, I did not remember a thing until I finished playing sex. I have promised not torepeat it. I might make her pregnant,and my brother sends me back to thevillage.
 
Simon, S2
Straight Talk
says: To make iteasier for you to keep your promise to yourself, stopsharing a room with her.
Many girls asked me
“
 I used to be in a boarding school.When I came home for holidays,many girls asked me to love them. For long I resisted. But one day my parents went to thevillage and Ieft me with my uncle.When he went to work, one of thegirls came home. She said she had just come to watch ‘Kinegeria’. I was seated in a big sofa. She came and sat near me. When people startedkissing on TV, she asked me if I haveever tried it out. I told her no andwe tried it. Then we had sex. I don’t know why I did it. I just found myself doing it.
”
Muhamed, 17
Straight Talk
says: It sounds tooattractive to be refused whena babe asks for it. But you canrefuse it. Sex is resistible. Hereis proof. Read the next story!
We know that there are many reasons why boys get into early sex and become teen dads: curiosity, strong sexual feelings and peer pressure. But probably the toughest situation is when girls ask for sex.This is a reality,. It happens. Read on.
 You arethe BOSS
Some boys are pressured by  friends who say they are "doingit".
"My friends used to say sex is sweet," says A Mangeni, now 16."So I found a nice girl, and oneday when my parents were away, I asked her to come home. We had sex.”
 But boys, remember, you arethe boss of your life. You are not following the commands of your friends! You are also the boss of  your sexual feelings and yourcuriosity.Whatever your reason for sex, be firm and think hard.The results of sex are much heavi-er than the reasons that push youto have it.
 
She said I would notregret
"I went for a youth camp. One of exercises we did included boys andgirls pairing up and looking eachother in the eyes without blinking(shut and open eyes quickly). The first to blink lost the game. The girl I paired up with followed me later tomy tent. For about 10 minutes she just lookedaround the tent. Then she looked at me and said: 'I just let you win inthat exercise.' I asked why and she said she became shy. She also said she had seen a real man in my eyes so she came to find out.We sat there talking until 11pm. Then she asked if she could sleep in mytent since she was scared to go to thegirls' side. I said NO.She insisted, saying if I had sex withher, I would never regret. I still said NO. Then she removed her blouseas if to say; 'Look at what you arerefusing.'
 I t  can be t ough t o be  someone who  sa y s “no” t o  pr e s sur e, but   you can d o i t . 
• P ay  attention to y our  f eeling s and belief s. Stick  to w hat is r ig ht.• U se y our  inner  str eng th and conf idence to stand f ir m and w alk  aw ay .• Stay  aw ay  f r om peer s w ho pr essur e y ou into doing  w r ong  thing s. • G et f r iends w ho shar e y our  v al-ues. T hen y ou can hav e mor e f r iends say ing  "no".• Help a f r iend w ho is hav ing  tr ouble r esisting  pr essur e. It is pow er f ul to  join another  by  sim-ply  say ing , “I’m w ith y ou –  let’s g o.” 
 M o se s Okur ut ,  De put  y  Di r ect or ,  N agur u  Remand   H ome
"Sheremoved her blouse as if tosay; 'Look atwhat you arerefusing." 
Q u i z:
 
 Ha s a g i r l o r  bo y e ve r  made  se x  ua l ad va nce s  to  yo u?  Te l l  u s  yo u r  ho ne s t  s to r y a nd  w i n a  S t ra ig h t  Ta l k  d ia r y.  W r i te  to  PO  Bo x   2 2 366,  K a m pa la
Ok, boys, you will agree with methat at this time I almost said: 'What-ever, let's do it.' But I had learnt from
Straight Talk radio
that when someone is attractive, it does not mean that even the blood is. At that moment I pushed her out and calledthe askari to escort her to the girls' side.
Okwi Isaac, Ngora 
Straight Talk
says: Wow, Isaac, you struggled. And you arenow OK. You win a cap.
 
 Know your body:
 
the sperm cell
Facts of life
•Pregnancy can occur the firsttime a girl or boy has sex.•A sperm cell can live for upto 72 hours inside the uterusand fallopian tubes. So the eggcan meet the sperm cell andpregnancy can occur as long asthree days after sex.•When a boy’s penis erects, there isa clear fluid (pre-ejaculate), that is notsemen, which comes out of the penis. It contains spermcells that can make a girl pregnant. So withdrawing thepenis before ejaculation will not prevent pregnancy. 
Can a boy run out of spermdue to wet dreams?
No! He can't. Eachtesticle (ball) produces about 2000 sperm cells persecond, making about 400 millionsperm everyday.
 
Adrop of semen aboutthis size containsaround 1500 sperm.Now you can imaginewhat would happen if you had unprotectedsex. You arelikely to becomea teen dad.
W alk awa y  f r om  pr e s sur e
 Sex is in the brain.Erections do not mean you need sex. You are the boss of your body.
  T  r  u e  s  t o  r  y
 
Dear diary,
I’m feeling better and am back at work. I'mtaking antiobiotics (drugs used to kill bacteriainfections) to help my breathing. Of course I’mcontinuing my daily ARVs. Guess what? Charlietook me for an outing and we ate pork. I feltgreat.
 Do  no t ca u se he r dea th
 Afterwards I was taken to court.
I have spent one month and a week in
 Naguru Re
mand Home.Don't get close to young girls, evenif they tempt you. The law is strong.You can't run from it." RT, 15"On the day I was arrested I washome. My girlfriend of two monthscame to my house without a notice.Soon her father also appearedsaying I was defiling her. I wasarrested and taken to police then toCourt. Finally I was brought here, where I have been for five months.Friends, avoid young girls. The law does not know if it is a girl whocame to your house or tempted you in the first place." J, 17
I now fear God
"I met a girl and we became good friends. She started coming tomy home. One Sunday she camehome. She said that she will notgo back because her parents hadchased her. I told her that wasimpossible. I had no money tosupport her.On Monday her aunt came withpolice and arrested me. I was takento Kisungu Police Post where Ispent three days before beingtaken to Kibuye Police Station where I stayed for a week. LaterI went to court. I have beenhere since October 2008."
 E
ve ry yeara bo ut300,000f emales inUgandat ry toget  rid of a  p regnancy  by a bo rting.Many gi rls die. As t heboyw ho im p regnatesagi rl,yo umay end  u p ca using  herdeath. As Afuwa S ulairtold o u rL usoga STradio s how:"
Sometimesbo ys suggestthe abortion duetof ear o f beingchargedwith
d e l ement ." 
G race Ayi k o ru,18,told ST F'sL ug ba ra  radio s how the f ollowingsadtale:
"  I had a  f r iend whoabor ted .W henshe  found out  t hat   shewa s  pr e g nant  ,her bo y fr iend  k e pt hid in g   fr omher . W henshenall  y  g ot him ,hesaid  he wa snot t he only man inher l i f e  so he coul d not tak er e s pon sibil it  y.  H e  said shewa sl ik ea r oad ever  yman would  wal k on. S he cr ied  her  sel  f   sick  and d ecid ed  t o abor t  d e spitet he  g ood  ad vice her   f r iend  s  g ave her .T hebo yg ave her d ru g  sf or  abor t in g .S he t hou g ht it woul d bewi ser  t oabor t   f r omhi s home.S heswal l owed  themed icine at ni g ht.T hebo y had  tol d  t he  f amilyhe had  a  g ue st .I nt he mor nin g when t he ycame t osee t he vi sit or  ,t he y  f ound  ad ead bod  y. T hi s cau sed pr obl em sbetween thet wof amil ie s.T he  g ir l’ s d eat h wa svery  shock in g ." 
The stories of why they are in prisoninclude theft and fights. Many of theboys are there for defilement.Here they tell their stories.
We agreed to have sex
“
 I was in S3 and my girlfriend had just finished S4. Duringleavers’ party we agreed tohave sex. We decided to goto my friend’s house. I do not know how they found us but  I was arrested and taken to Luzira Upper Prison where I spent two months. I did not know there could be such consequences for sex. If I'm released, I want to goback to school. I would be
The lawis sostrongyou can’t runaway fr om it
completing my S4 this year. Friends,don't have sex with under age girls.Wait until you have completed school.
” RK, 17
 I escaped death
"One day I was attendingto my pay phone in town. Awoman came and accusedme of defiling her daughter. People started beating me. Even when Icried out that I did not knowwhy I was beingbeaten, the crowdcould not stop. I waslucky that policeofficers took me tothe Police Station.
I would becompleting myS4 this year but Ihave wasted mytime.
 
Don't getclose toyoung gir ls, even if  they tempt you.
 
The lawdoes not know if the girlseduced you.
 
O
n wooden benches arrangedin rows behind a brownishbuilding at Naguru Remand Home(a prison for young people) inKampala, the children sit silently.Occasionally, they whisper to eachother and smile. Some are dressedin coats and long dresses. Othersare wearing torn, dirty clothes.These children are in prison. They are between 12 and 18 years.
 
Beware of delement
 Jane, 19, was born with HIV. She started ARVs in 2007. She volunteers in an officeand is an evening student. Last month, Janeargued with her boyfriend Charlie and washospitalised with pneumonia.
 
The diary of a young positive
Yes, they are beautiful. Students of Mulusa Academy, Luwero, taketime off to relax and share a light moment.
I met Charlie at a support group foryouth with HIV. I had just found outthat I had HIV. I was thin, stressed,sick and in denial (refusing toaccept your situation). He came upto me and said: "You do not have tofeel so low". To his friends he said: "Ithink that can be the girl for me." The group has really helped me.When I saw young people whowere positive but happy anddancing, I thought: "I can be likethem. I can be happy and evendance better than them."Charlie has known that he has HIVsince S4. Personally I wouldn't datean HIV negative boy. You wouldn'tbe so comfortable. You wouldn't besettled or open to him.I am working on the Caravan show.Us youths with HIV do skits, dancesand poems. It's really good. I’m atalented actress. I act a rich studentwho has a relationship with ateacher. We encourage youth withHIV to take their drugs. I talked to70 students at Taibah. When I said Ihad HIV, they were moved, scaredand touched.
We lost our only cow
 
My 17-year-old son impregnateda girl. He was in S4. I wasdisappointed. I was charged onecow and sh200,000/-. I felt painpaying.
 J P Eilot, 47, Kumi 
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