because

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction 1

Life is Valuable 2

I Am Unique 6

Others and Me 10

I Will Make Good Choices 14

I Will Stay Away from Bad Things 18

I Will Plan for My Future 22

I Will Respect My Body 28

I Will Take Care of My Body 34

I Will Care for Others 38

I Can Be A Good Friend 42

Glossary 46

A Message for Adults 48

Intermediate Phase Edition

ISBN 978-0-9785849-0-0 English

Copyright © 2006 by Hope Education
All rights reserved.
info@hopeeducation.org
 INTRODUCTION
Dear Student,
You are holding your very own I Matter book. It is a gift for you
to keep and study.
Did you know that you are important? You are! This book will
explain why. Because you are important, you should make good
decisions. This book will help you make good decisions.
There are 10 lessons to study. Each lesson has a story.
After you read the story, there are fun activities for you to do.
Some are puzzles or mazes; others let you draw pictures.
You will find words in this book that are new for you. Some of
these new words have been underlined. The underlined words and
their definition can be found in the glossary on pages 46 and 47.
Also, we want you to share this book with the adults
who care for you. There is a special letter written just for
them at the end of this book. After you have completed
the lessons in your group, you can take this book
home and show it to the people who care for you.
Let them know about the special letter.
We hope you enjoy this book. And
remember: you matter!
Life is Valuable
Learning Assessment
Grade Outcome/s Standard/s
4 2/3 3/1
5 3 1

LESSON 1 6 2 5

“Please, Grandmother, please!” Musa

pleaded.
“Do not be a bother, Musa,” his sister
corrected.
Grandmother replied with a kind voice, “I said we
could read after we finish our work.” They finished their work,
and soon they were outside under their favourite shade tree.
Musa and Phila’s father had left them soon after Musa
was born. They did not know him. They came to live with their
Grandmother last year after their mother died of AIDS. It
had been a difficult year, but Grandmother had been
very kind to them.
Under the tree, Grandmother brought out the
book, and the two children sat close to her to listen.
They loved to hear stories and
picture them in their heads.
Even if it was a story Phila
and Musa had heard many
times, they liked to hear it
again.
“Many years ago,”
Grandmother began, “God
made the earth. On the
earth there was nothing
but water and land. The
water was not alive, and
the soil was not alive. God
decided to fill the world
with living things.”
“He started with plants and
trees. Then, he made swimming fish,
flying birds, big elephants and little
insects. He did not stop until plants
and animals covered the earth.
“Everything was very beautiful, but
God still wanted to make more living things. He
wanted to make something that was more like him.
He created living things that were different from animals.
They were special because they could talk and be friends
with Creator God. They were the most valuable and special of all of the
living things that God created. Do you know what this special creation was?”
“Yes!” Musa said, “It was people!”
“You are correct,” said Grandmother. “God made the whole earth,
plants, animals, and even people. Phila, what did you learn from this story?”
“I think the point is that people are very special and important,” Phila
said, sounding like a teacher.
“Yes,” Musa agreed.
Grandmother thought for a moment. Then she said, “You’re right,
Phila. People are important. Do you know that this means you are special?”
Phila had not thought of it that way. The question made her feel
a little uncomfortable. “Maybe it means that I am special,” she answered
slowly.
Grandmother continued, “When we are in a group
of people, it is easy to feel that we are not important.
And when we are hurting on the inside or feeling
all alone, it is hard to feel like we are very special.
You were made by God, and that makes you very
valuable.”
Phila turned to watch a butterfly land on a
leaf. She did not say anything, but as she thought
about what Grandmother said, she began to
smile. “Yes it is true,” thought Phila. “I
am valuable to Creator God.”

3
ACTIVITIES:
because
Created and Valuable

1 Where did life begin?

We live on a place called earth. The earth is very large. It is home to many
different types of life that God created. God created plants, animals, and people.
You are a part of God’s wonderful creation.
Draw a picture of something that God made.

2 Are people and animals

the same or different?
People and animals are similar in many ways.
How are people and animals similar? Give two examples:
A. ___________________________________________________________
B. ___________________________________________________________
In Grandmother’s story she said people are different from animals. List two
ways that animals and people are different:
A. ___________________________________________________________
B. ___________________________________________________________

4
 3 Watch the wind.
Have you seen the wind? Well, no one really has. We
have all seen what the wind does. What does it do? It blows
the dust, blows the leaves, and makes trees sway in the
breeze.
Take a piece of paper and fold it in half like this:
Stand the paper on a flat surface. Pretend your breath
is the wind. Blow on the paper as hard as you can and watch
it fly away.
What made it move? It moved because of the wind you created when you
blew on it. Did you see the wind? No, of course not! But you know that it is there.
There is a special part of you that you cannot see. It is like the wind because
you know it is there even if you cannot see it with your eyes. This special part is
what you use to talk to God. It is the part of you that you use to choose how you
will behave. People cannot see what you are like on the inside. But the things you
say and do will show part of what is inside you.

SOMETHING TO REMEMBER:
At first Phila did not know that
she was valuable. But she learned that
she truly was valuable because she
was created by God. God made you
too. Because God made you, you are

5
special and valuable.
 I Am Unique
LESSON 2 Grade
Learning
Outcome/s
Assessment
Standard/s
Phila slowly sat down on the step in 4 2 2
5 2/3 2/1,3
front of her house. She let out a loud breath of 6 3 1,5
air and rested her head in her hands.
“That is a big sigh,” Grandmother said.
Phila looked up. She had not seen that Grandmother was pulling weeds from
their garden.
“It is nothing,” Phila said. She did not want to talk about it.
“Do not worry, Phila,” Grandmother said, “I was once a young girl too. You will
be okay.”
“I am not so sure,” Phila said quietly.
Grandmother began to smile as she said, “You know, child, you remind me of
a big toe.”
“If that is supposed to make me feel better, it is not working,” Phila said sadly.
“Let me tell you a story about a big toe. Left Big Toe was on the foot of a
young girl named Noku. This toe had always been a very good toe for Noku. In fact
the other toes had voted it ‘The Year’s Best Toe’ for three years in a
row.”
Phila laughed quietly at the story. Grandmother’s
stories always made her feel better.
“But one day, Left Big
Toe began to feel sad. ‘I wish
I was a nose,’ thought the
toe. ‘Then I could smell the
beautiful flowers instead
of only walking near them.’
Later the toe said, ‘I wish I was
 an eye. Eyes are beautiful, and they can see. There
are no holes for them to fall into, no sharp rocks, and
no smelly shoes.’
“After many days, Left Big Toe wanted to be
Right Ear. Left Big Toe thought how nice it would be
to listen to music or even hear a dog bark. So Left Big
Toe became part of Right Ear.
“Can you imagine Noku’s surprise when she
woke up one morning to find that Left Big Toe was
attached to her right ear? She tried to go tell her
sister. But she could not walk. She just fell down.
Noku tried again, but she fell down again! She looked at her foot and realised that
without her Left Big Toe she could not walk. Finally she told Left Big Toe to go back
to the foot where it belonged.
“Left Big Toe answered, ‘You do not need me. I do not do anything important.’
“‘Do not be silly, Toe!’ Noku said. ‘I need you so I can walk.’
“‘It is not a problem,’ replied Left Big Toe. ‘You have nine other toes.’
“‘But I need you, Left Big Toe, to be part of my foot. Without you, I can hardly
walk,’ cried Noku.
“‘Well, you have a big toe on your right foot,’ Left Big Toe argued back.
“Noku sighed, ‘Left Big Toe, you are the only Left Big Toe
I have. I need you. You are unique. I am not the same without
you!’
“Left Big Toe had not thought about it like that. Quickly
Left Big Toe crawled down and took its usual place next
to the others toes. Immediately Noku ran outside. She was
happy to have Left Big Toe back where it belonged.”
“That is a good story, Grandmother,” Phila said with a
smile.
“Yes, and, Phila, just like Left Big Toe,
you are also unique. There is no one else just
like you, and no one else can ever take your place.”
Phila was feeling much better as she and
Grandmother went back into the house and

7
began cooking the food for supper.
ACTIVITIES:
because
Unique for a Purpose

1 Different, but special

What would happen if everyone in the whole world stood in a big line? It
would be a very, very long line. Think about what it would be like to walk by each
person, look at them and talk to them! You might notice their hair or the colour of
their eyes. Some might be short, and some might be tall. What other differences
do you think you might discover?
Each person would be unique. Write three ways that people can be
different from each other.
A. ___________________________________________________________
B. ___________________________________________________________
C. ___________________________________________________________

8
 2 You are unique!
God made you different from everyone else. Some people are good at running.
Others can write stories and poems or sing well.
List two things that you like to do.
A. ___________________________________________________________
B. ___________________________________________________________
You are special in other ways too. Maybe you are good at making people laugh
when they are sad. Maybe you have been a good friend to someone who was lonely.
Maybe you are good at thinking quietly and solving problems. These are just some
ideas.
What can you do well that helps others too?
A. ___________________________________________________________
B. ___________________________________________________________

3 Each person is
unique.
Look around the room. You
probably know everyone by name.
How are you able to tell each of
your friends from the other one? You
can tell them apart because each one
acts and looks different. What is more
important is that each one has special
abilities and qualities that make them
unique. You are also very special.
No one is just like you.

SOMETHING TO REMEMBER:
Remember that you are unique. There is no one else in the
entire world like you!

9
 Others and Me
LESSON 3
Musa loved to watch the big
trucks on their way to work. He loved
the way they made everything shake
as they passed by. He liked to play with
his toy truck. One of Phila’s friends
had helped him build it out of wire.
He would push it around the yard for
hours. He thought about what it would
be like to drive a real truck someday.
One day Musa was sad. He could not find his truck. He looked and looked. He
asked Grandmother. He asked everyone he knew.
Learning Assessment No one had seen his truck, but Musa would not
Grade Outcome/s Standard/s stop looking. Then finally, he found it by a tree.
4 2/3 1/1,4
It was right where he had left it yesterday when
5 2 3
6 2/3 1/2,3,6 Grandmother called him to eat dinner. Musa was
so happy to have his special truck back!
That night as Phila and Musa lay down to sleep, Musa asked Grandmother to
tell him a story. “Grandmother, do you know any stories about finding something
that was lost like my truck today?”
“I think I know just the right one,” answered
Grandmother. “There once was a man who
had 100 goats. Every week he and his helper
would walk them up a mountain, over the top,
and down to the other side so they could find
enough grass.
“Before each
trip the man
would count
his goats.
When they
were at the top of the mountain, he would count each one. Then he would count them
again when they got to the other side. He wanted to make sure that not one of them
was lost. ‘1, 2, 3 …’” Grandmother began to count.
Musa interrupted,“4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11!” He was very proud that he could count.
Grandmother smiled and continued, “Every time the man kept counting until he
reached all the way to ‘98, 99, 100.’ But one day on the other side he only counted, ‘… 97,
98, 99.’”
“Ninety-nine? He should have 100! There is one goat missing!” Musa said.
“Yes,” said Grandmother. “So the man left his herd in the care of his helper and
went back up the mountain to look for the missing goat. But his helper called out, ‘What
are you doing? It is only one goat! Are you going back up the mountain for just one
goat?’
“The man kept going. He went all the way back up the mountain. Finally, he
saw the little goat caught in a bush on the edge of a cliff. Slowly the man went to the
frightened goat. The rocks were very big. The man almost fell, but soon the goat was
safe in his arms.
“The man was happy. He carried the goat back to the others. Now he had 100
goats again! Each goat was important to him. They were all valuable to the man.”
Musa liked the story. He knew what it was like to lose something special and then
find it again.
Grandmother bent down and gently kissed Musa. “You are much more
valuable than that goat. You are both very important to me. You are special
in many ways.”
Musa drifted off to sleep, but Phila was still thinking.
“Grandmother, do you think I could grow up and tell stories like
you?”
“Yes, you could!” Grandmother answered.
“Do you think that maybe I could be a teacher?”
Grandmother’s eyes brightened, “Oh my child,
you would be a great teacher! You could help many
students.”
“I do not know if I could,” Phila answered quietly
as she went to sleep.

11
Grandmother just smiled,
gave her a kiss and quietly
left the room.
 ACTIVITIES: I Matter to Others
because

1 You matter!
Did you know that you matter to many people? You do! Here is a list of many
different ways that you matter to others. Check each box that is true for you. Each
section ends with a line for you to write down your own
idea of how you matter to others.

Α You matter to your family.

I help with cleaning and
washing at home.
I tell the truth.
I say I am sorry when I make a
mistake.
________________________

Β You matter to your friends.

I share what I have with my
friends.
C You matter to your community.
I am kind to my neighbours.
I do not cheat when playing
I help keep my neighbourhood
games.
clean by picking up rubbish from
I do not talk badly about my
the ground.
friends to others.
I speak politely to those who are
________________________
older than me.
________________________

D You matter to your teacher.

I listen when my teacher is
speaking.
I say thank you to my teacher for
helping me learn my lessons.
I work hard to finish my
assignments on time and I do not
cheat.

12
16
________________________
E And most important of all – YOU MATTER TO GOD!
I do my best to show my love for God by being a good family member, a good
citizen, and a good student.
I thank God for making me and always loving me.
I treat others with kindness because I know that God made them too.
________________________
God knows you and made you. Though you can not see him, he is there. He
knows everything there is to know about you. Yes, you really do matter to God!

2 Help find the

missing goat.
In Grandmother’s story, the man
risked his life for something that mattered
to him. It was his goat that was missing.
There are 3 paths up this mountain, but
only one will take the man to the goat.
Find the correct path. Then trace
it with your pen or pencil.

SOMETHING TO REMEMBER:
The little goat in Grandmother’s story was very special to the man. But
you are much more important than that! Always remember that you matter
to your community, to your country, to your family and friends, and to God!
13
I Will Make Good Choices

LESSON 4
Grandmother watched Phila walk
up and down the road. She could tell that
her granddaughter was quite worried about
something.
“Phila!” Grandmother called, “Come have
some tea that your cousins gave to us.” Learning Assessment
Grade Outcome/s Standard/s
Grandmother brought out two cups of 4 2/3 1/1,4
tea, and together they sat down under their 5 2/3 1,3/3
6 2/3 1,4/2,4,5,6
favourite tree.
Phila was still looking very serious as she took a sip of the warm tea.
Grandmother could tell that she was not thinking about the tea.
“What makes you so serious today, child?” Grandmother asked.
“My friends want me to do something that I think is wrong. They are
being unkind to the new girl in our class. They want me to be unkind to
her too. I think we should be nice to new people. But they say that if I am
her friend, they will not be my friend,” Phila answered sadly.
Grandmother set her tea in her lap
and smiled, “That makes me think of a
young leopard I know.”
Phila let out a little laugh, “Have you
talked to this leopard, Grandmother?”
“Oh yes! He is the one who told me
this story!” Grandmother replied.
Phila couldn’t help but laugh again at
 Grandmother’s fun story.
“One day,” said
Grandmother, “the leopard was
walking when he came to two
paths. One was a small path that
very few other leopards were
taking. The other path was very
wide. He noticed many leopards
going there. He read the signs on
both paths. He knew the narrow
trail was the right path. Still
the leopard could not decide what to do. He sat there for a long time as many other
leopards walked by him. They were taking the wide path. They even teased him for
not following them.”
“So what did he do?” Phila asked.
“Well, it was a hard decision,” Grandmother answered. “The wider path looked
like it would be an easier walk. And most of the other leopards had told him to take it.
But after a lot of thinking he finally knew what he must do. Soon he was walking down
the small, narrow trail and what do you think he found?” asked Grandmother.
“I do not know. Maybe
something bad happened to him,”
said Phila.
“No. In fact, just the opposite
happened,” said Grandmother. “He
found a new home where he had
plenty of food. He also met other
leopards there who had followed
the right path. They all became good
friends.”
“Are you saying that I should do what I know is right even if
my friends might be mad at me for doing it?” asked Phila.
Grandmother stood up to return to the house. “I am
saying you should be as smart as the leopard!” Phila knew why
Grandmother had told her the story about the leopard.
Now she knew what to do. She was going to be
nice to the new girl even if her friends
were not.

15
ACTIVITIES:
because
Making Good Choices
1 Building good character
Do you know what character is? It is who you really are on the inside. It is
whether you choose to do right things or wrong things, even when no one else sees
you.
Good choices show that you have good character. Bad choices such as lying or
being unkind show bad character.
Because you are valuable, it is important for you to have great character.

2 Four ways to make good choices

Obey
We make choices every day. You can choose to

truth
listen when your teacher is speaking, or you can just look
Α
Tell the
out the window. Which one is the good choice?

. One good choice that anyone can make is telling

s
f r
o n
i eonud r
H say what is right and
the truth. It is easy to tell lies. Lies only end
lot of people including you. Only
up hurting a

hin
true. This may be hard to do. You may think that it would
Complete
the letters in
each sign. g o o d
be easier to lie, but in the end it will only get you into
more trouble.
t
D
Write an example of a time when you told the truth even when it was hard.
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________

There are people in your life such as parents and B

teachers who are in charge of you. Your character is people
shaped by how well you respond to authority. in authority. tru
Your attitude is an important part of your
t
character. Your attitude is the way you feel and think
about something. If you have a good attitude you show
H
froie
no
respect to the people in authority.
You can also show respect by your actions. Your actions are the things
that you do. You can help with the work at home. You can do what you are told

16 without complaining.
 Sometimes there are people in authority who do bad things. They might tell you
to do bad things too. This is not the type of person you should honour, obey, or resepct.
Instead, you need to tell someone you trust about what they have done. It is not your
fault if they have done bad things.
Draw a Now draw a
picture of picture of you
someone who doing something

Obey
you should they have told
obey. you to do.

truth
H
The friends youfchoose drsaffect you. If you
roineonuwill
C
ngs
choose friends who do bad things, they will try to
Choose . convince you to do bad things. g ood
If you thigood
choose
wisely friends, they will help you do good things.

k True or False: What is a good friend?

Circle T for the statements that are true and F for those
that are false.
T F A good friend will encourage you to do good things.
T F Obey
A good friend will tell you to do bad things.
T F truth
A good friend will not say bad things about others.
T F
D H
froA ie
nonudrs
good friend will respect people in authority.

Put What did you see and hear today? Did you listen

in your mind.
good things
to your friends when they said bad things about other
people? Did you hear a bad story or watch a bad television
show? What about movies? Music? Pictures?
If you put bad things into your body, you will get
sick. If you put bad things in your mind, it will hurt your
character. Be careful what you watch and listen to. Do not
watch bad television. Do not listen to your friends say bad things. You are too important
to put bad things in your mind.

SOMETHING TO REMEMBER:
Your choices are important! When you make
good choices others will be encouraged to follow you
and do the right thing too!
17
I Will Stay Away From Bad Things
Learning Assessment
LESSON 5 Grade
4
Outcome/s
2/3
Standard/s
3,4/1,4
Musa sat down under the tree and looked 5 2/3 3,4/4
through a magazine that a friend had given him. 6 3 2,5,6
There were pictures of men drinking alcohol and
fighting with knives. In other pictures, there were men and women doing strange
things together without clothes. Musa had never seen pictures like these, and he
had a bad feeling inside about them. “Maybe it is not right to look at these pictures,”
he thought.
When Grandmother came outside to call him for tea, he hid the magazine
behind his back.
“Musa, what are you reading?” she asked.
“I am looking at the pictures in a . . . a . . . magazine,” Musa said ashamed.
Grandmother could tell that something was wrong, “Maybe I should look at
the pictures with you!”
“I . . . no, Grandmother!” Musa dropped the magazine on the ground and ran
into the bedroom. He felt badly and didn’t want Grandmother to be sad that he was
looking at a bad magazine.
Grandmother trusted Musa and knew that he would come back soon. She set
his tea on the table and waited.
“What’s wrong with Musa?” Phila asked. She was looking at a
fashion design book that her teacher had let her borrow. She was
having fun looking at all the beautiful dresses and fabrics.
“I think we will find out soon,” Grandmother answered.
A few minutes later, Musa looked into the room. Grandmother
smiled at him. “Come sit on my lap. I have a story to tell
you about a boy named Musa,” she said.
Musa’s face brightened, and he ran to
Grandmother’s lap. He liked the idea of being a hero in
one of his Grandmother’s stories.
“Musa loved a certain patch of green grass because
it was beautiful. It felt so good on his toes. One day,
while he was sitting there, he
looked over the fence at another bit of grass, noticing how much greener it was. ‘Wow,’
he thought. ‘That grass looks much nicer. It is even more beautiful! I wonder why nobody
ever sits over there?’
“Musa decided to climb the fence so he could play on the greener grass, but people
from his village came running out and cried, ‘Musa, do not go over there. It is dangerous!
There are fire ants! If they bite you, it will be very, very painful!’
“But Musa answered. ‘I do not see any ants. It looks beautiful to me! I will not get
hurt.’ He continued to climb over the fence.
“‘No!’ they all shouted, ‘You must not go there!’
“But Musa was already standing on the beautiful green grass. ‘Oh, it feels so good;
there are not any fire ants!’ he thought proudly to himself.
“Then suddenly Musa felt something on his toes. Then he saw them! There were
more fire ants than he could count. They began to bite him on his feet and on his legs.
Musa cried loudly and ran back to the fence. Tears fell down his cheeks. He was in so
much pain that the people had to help him over the fence. ‘I’m sorry,’ he said quietly to
them. ‘I did not know that something so beautiful could be so bad.’”
“What do you think this story is about, Musa?” asked Grandmother.
Musa said, “Maybe it means that things that are fun to look at are not good for me?”
“This fashion book has beautiful things in it. It is not bad,” replied Phila thoughtfully.
“Not all things that are beautiful to look at are bad for you, Musa,” said
Grandmother. “But you should trust people who are older than you to tell you if
something might be dangerous. And, you should also trust yourself! How did you feel
when you were looking at the pictures in the magazine?”
“I felt bad,” replied Musa.
“Next time remember that when you get that bad feeling inside, it means that
something is not right. I did not even have to tell you it was bad to
look at those pictures. You already knew inside!”
Musa smiled and laughed, “Yes, I did! I am not such a
bad boy after all!” Musa looked up at
Grandmother’s kind face, “I’m sorry,
Grandmother.”
“I forgive you, Musa!”
Grandmother winked and
gave Musa a hug as he ran off
to play.

23
19
ACTIVITIES:
because
Staying Away From Bad Things
1 What is wrong with bad pictures?
Our minds remember what we see. Then we start thinking about it. If we see
good things, we think good thoughts. But if we see bad pictures, we might start
thinking about bad things. If we are not careful, we may begin to do the bad things
that we have been thinking about. God wants us to see things and think about
things that are good for us. Look through this book and find a picture that makes
you think of something good.

2 Are there other things to stay away from?

Musa learned to stay away from the grass that looked good but had fire ants.
When the fire ants bit Musa, they hurt. Alcohol and drugs are like fire ants. They hurt
people. The more they are used, the more harm they cause. You can make good
choices. You can decide to stay away from things like drugs, alcohol, and bad pictures.
Write 3 things that you will stay away from on the lines below.
A. _______________________________________________________________
B. _______________________________________________________________
C. _______________________________________________________________

3 Who can help you?

Sometimes it is easier to stay away
from bad things if you have help. Think
about someone who you trust very much.
Write their name here: ________________.
Tell them about the decision you
made to stay away from bad things. They
will be proud of your decision to stay away
from wrong things like alcohol, drugs,
and bad pictures. Ask them to help you
remember your decision.

20
 4 How do bad choices now affect your future?
Each day we make choices. Sometimes they are good, and sometimes they are
bad. Below are some choices you might have to make. Decide if the decisions are good
or bad.

A You find a toy on the ground that no one is using. You decide to keep it. You
pick it up and hide it under your shirt.
B You see a friend drop some money. You pick up the money and give it back to
your friend.
C A classmate drops a pencil. You kick it so it can’t be reached.

5 Be a good example.
The things we do affect others. Our actions show others whether or not we are a
good example to follow.
Can you name someone who has been a good example for you? Complete the
sentence:
________________________ is a good example because ________________________
_____________________________________________________________________.

6 What is different in this picture?

Look carefully at the picture below. Try
to find 8 things that are different from the
picture on page 19.

SOMETHING TO REMEMBER:
Making bad choices will harm you and others, but making good choices

23
will help you and others be all that God made you to be!

21
 I Will Plan for My Future
LESSON 6
“Musa, you are doing well in your school work,” Phila said with a smile.
A smile spread across Musa’s face. Musa liked Phila to help him with his
lessons.
“You will make a good teacher some day, Phila,” Grandmother said as Phila
began to help her cook.

Learning Assessment “Oh, that is a long time from now,

Grade Outcome/s Standard/s Grandmother,” Phila replied.
4 3 4
5 3 5 Grandmother stopped cooking for a
6 3 2,5,6
moment and looked at Phila. “You must always
remember, my child, what you do today affects
tomorrow,” she said. “It is called planning for the future.”
Phila shook her head, “But I can only think about
today.”
Grandmother thought for a minute, “I have never
told you the story about the Yellow Tribe.”
“No, Grandmother, you have not,”
Phila answered. She sat down to
listen to the story.
Grandmother continued,
“The Yellow Tribe people have a
lot of fun in the summer. They
swim in the river. They laugh,
and they eat as much as they
want.”
 “That sounds like fun,” Phila said
thoughtfully.
“It is, but there is a problem. The
only thing they do during the summer is
have fun. Then when winter comes, the
Yellow Tribe people do not have any food
stored. Because they do not prepare like
they should, they go through the entire
winter without any food. They become
very hungry! In fact, they are so hungry
that they even try eating rocks.”
“Grandmother!” Phila said with a
smile.
Grandmother said, “Well, maybe
they do not eat rocks. But since they do
not plan, they do not have any food. Now,
the Yellow Tribe has some neighbours.
Their neighbours are the Green Tribe. They have fun in the summer too. However,
they spend time each morning working and preparing for the winter. After their
work is done, they have time for fun. That way they have food for every meal all year
long.”
“I think I understand why you told
me about the Yellow and Green Tribes,”
said Phila. “Maybe what I do today
really does affect what I will do when
I grow up. I should work hard in
school. That will help me become a
teacher.”
Grandmother turned from her
cooking and looked directly at Phila,
“Yes, child, it certainly will!” she said. “It
is like these turnips from our garden. We
wouldn’t be eating them for dinner today if we
had not first planted those seeds many weeks
ago. That’s why a very wise man once said, ‘A
child who gathers crops in the summer is wise. But a
23
23
 ACTIVITIES: Planning Ahead
because

1 You and your future

Can anyone say exactly how long they will live? No, of course not! Only God
knows everything about our future.
However, by making good choices now, you can help make your future the best
that it can be. Will everything happen just like you want it to? Probably not, but you
can make choices that will make your future better.
The pictures below show what happens when someone plants a seed.
However,they are not in order. Put the numbers 1, 2, and 3 in the boxes to show proper
order.

How is making choices like planting seeds? Circle the correct answer.

A I will be a piece of corn when I grow up.

B My choices will affect what I become.

C I need dirt to grow.

It is easy to make decisions based on what you want right now. Sometimes these
decisions can be bad for your future. It is important to teach yourself to think about
tomorrow and the day after that and even the rest of your life. Start planning ahead
today!

24
 2 Do you have a goal?
Do you like to play soccer or netball?
What is the goal of this game? It is to get
the ball into the goal. How does the ball get
into the goal? You must aim correctly. You
e must make the ball go in the right direction.
Use your pencil to fill in all of the
shapes marked with a dot. You will find a
picture hidden there.
t
Do you know that your life is like
soccer in some ways? Your life needs goals.
You need to make decisions that will help you aim for the goal. Good choices can
help you reach your goal.
er

3 Use your imagination.

To set a life goal, you have to use your imagination.

Imagination
Your imagination is when you picture something in your mind. It is thinking
about something that has not happened. You picture in your mind what it
would be like when it really happens. That is using your imagination.

A Right now, think about or

imagine what you would like to
do later today. Draw a picture
of yourself doing it.

se

25
 B Now draw a picture of
something you think you
because might like to do when you
become a teenager. Use your
imagination.

C See how you can think about the future and plan what to do?
Now, here’s where the imagination part gets really fun. Think about what you
would like to do when you grow up. You may want to be a police officer or a teacher.
You may want to be a nurse or a soldier. You may want to be a mother or father.
Draw a picture of yourself when you are grown up. In the picture show what you
want to be when you grow up.

It is good to think about your goals. Good choices today will

help you reach these goals.

26
 4 Make good choices today!
Can you think of some good choices that you can make now? One good choice
is deciding to do your best all of the time. You can do your best on homework or in
duties at home.
These choices will help you learn to be responsible. People will see you do
your job well. They will trust you to do more important things in the future. If you are
responsible now, think how responsible you will be when you grow up!
Write down two good choices you can make today.
A. ________________________________________________________________

B. _________________________________________________________________

5 Decode the Message!

Write a letter in each blank using the code listed below to discover the words of
a very wise proverb:

LEGEND:

= =AA = =EE = =LL = =P P = =UU

= =BB = =GG = =MM = =RR = =VV
= =CC = =HH = =NN = =SS = =WW
= =DD = =II = =OO = =TT

SOMETHING TO REMEMBER:
The decisions that you make today are important. They will affect your

27
future. Remember to make good choices today!
 I Will Respect My Body
LESSON 7
Phila woke up suddenly. She felt frightened and called to her grandmother.
Very soon she saw light appear in the doorway.
“What is it, Phila? Did you have a bad dream?” Grandmother asked kindly.
Phila was ashamed that she had been
afraid. “Yes,” she answered quietly. Learning Assessment
Grade Outcome/s Standard/s
Musa blinked his eyes as light came into 4 2/3 1/2,4
the room. 5 2/3 1/2,4,5
6 2/3 1,3/2,4,6
“Is it time to go to school, Grandmother?”
Musa asked. He was confused.
“No, Musa. Come over here and sit on my lap,” said Grandmother.
Phila sat down next to her and leaned against her shoulder. She felt safe
sitting close to Grandmother.
“I dreamed that someone wanted to hurt me, Grandmother. He
wanted to hurt me like my friend Jabu was hurt. I was very frightened
because he had a knife and he wanted to touch me where I did not want
him to. He wanted to touch a private part of my body.”
Grandmother thought for a minute. Then she said, “Phila, you
do not have to be afraid.”
“I would be afraid of a bad man with a knife!”
Musa said loudly.
“Well, remember that evil always looks bigger
and more frightening than it is,” said Grandmother. “If
you choose not to be afraid, you will be surprised how
strong you will feel.”
“Do you know how to frighten a hyena?”
Grandmother asked.
Musa trembled, “Oooo, I do not like hyenas.”
“You put a piece of wood over your head to

28
10
make yourself look taller than you are. The hyena
thinks you are very tall and is too afraid to try and
hurt you! That is what happens when you do not
let evil frighten you. You look bigger and stronger
than you are!”
“You are right, Grandmother! I will not be
frightened,” Phila said.
Musa poked Phila in the arm and then
asked, “But why would a man want to touch Phila
in a private place on her body?”
“That is a good question,” she answered.
“Do you see how I am touching you now?”
Grandmother asked. “Musa, I am holding you in my lap. My hand is on your shoulder.
Phila, your face is touching my shoulder. Does it make you feel loved?”
“Yes!” Musa and Phila replied together.
“Good. That is how you are supposed to feel when someone who loves you
touches you in good way. But, sometimes people want to try new things. They
might try to touch each other’s private parts or have sex. This kind of touch is good
between a husband and wife. But it is a bad touch for people who are not married.
God created sex as a special gift only between one man and one woman after
marriage.”
Musa covered his ears with his fingers. “Eww! I did not want to know THAT!”
Grandmother winked at Phila and laughed.
Phila thought for a moment, “But what should you do about bad touches by
someone you do not want to touch you at all?”
“Well,” Grandmother said sadly. “Sometimes people want to hurt other people.
If someone wants to hurt you, you must tell them, ‘No!’ You must find help by telling
your family and friends. Never keep it as a secret because that bad person must be
caught!”
“So the best thing I can do is not be afraid and ask for help?” asked Musa.
“That is right!” Grandmother said proudly.
Phila was not afraid anymore. She yawned
and gave Grandmother a hug. “Thank you. I feel
much better now.”
“And sleepy too!” Grandmother replied.
Soon Phila and Musa were asleep. They
had good dreams for the rest of the night.

11
29
 ACTIVITIES: Respecting My Body
because

1 Find the differences

You might be ashamed to talk about your body, especially the private parts.
But God made boys’ and girls’ bodies beautiful and unique. He does not think it is
something to be ashamed about. In fact, the first man and woman, Adam and Eve,
did not even wear clothes; and they walked with God in His special garden!
The pictures of Adam and Eve look the same, but they are not. There are 5
things that are different. Circle the 5 differences on the right picture.

2 How our bodies grow

Your body is not a toy. You should not play with it. You should not let
anyone else play with your body either.
As you grow up, many things will change. These changes happen to
everyone. They are normal. Boys and girls have unique and special bodies. The
pictures on the top of the next page show how your body will change as you
grow up.

30
 3 Good touch or bad touch?
Did you know there is a difference between good touch and bad touch?
There is! God wants other people to respect our bodies. We should also respect
other people’s bodies. Phila had a dream about a bad touch. The man in her dream
made her uncomfortable. He was trying to touch her in a bad way.
Sometimes you might not know if a touch is good or bad. To help you
decide, ask yourself how it makes you feel. Sometimes people give you hugs or
a pat on a shoulder. This might make you feel good. But other times, people may
touch you in a way that makes you feel bad.
Circle each picture that shows good touch. Put an X over each picture that
shows bad touch.

A C

F
D

31
 God wants us to care for our
bodies. One way we do this is by
because protecting our most private parts.
See how the children’s arms form
a triangle across their bodies. Use your
arms to make this triangle too. Inside
this triangle are the most private parts
of your body.
You should not share them with
anyone.

4 What would you do?

What do you think is happening in the picture? What do you think the girl in the picture
should do? She might not realize that she can try to stop the man. But she can! She should say
“No” very loudly and run away as fast as possible. Then she should tell someone who she knows
and trusts about what the man tried to do. She could tell a parent or relative, a teacher, a police
officer, or her pastor.
What if the man tried to make her be
quiet about the bad touch by offering her a
gift or money? Should she take the gift and
promise not to say anything? Definitely not!
The man might think he can do it again. It is
also important for her to tell someone who
she trusts about what the man tried to do.
What if the man was someone she
knew? Would it be okay for him to touch her
in a bad way? No way! What should she do?
She should say “No,” run away and tell someone she trusts.
If someone has touched your private parts or hurt you, you should remember that it is
not your fault. Remember we talked about choices? It was not your choice. It was the choice of
the older person, and it was wrong for that person to do it. You must not blame yourself.

Why should boys and girls wait until

5 marriage to have sex?
Think of a present that has been wrapped in paper. What happens
when the present is opened and the paper is torn? Can you use the paper again?
Maybe, but it will not be the same. What if you tried to use it a second or third
time? The paper will be soiled and torn.

32
 Like a present in a box, sex is a gift. But, when
you give it away before marriage, you give away
something that is supposed to be given only to your
husband or wife. You can try to wrap yourself up again
to give your gift to someone else, but it won’t be the
same. By saying “no” to sex before marriage, you will be
able to give yourself as a special gift someday to your
marriage partner.
God says that one man and one woman should love each other for life. There
are many ways that husbands and wives show their love. One way is through sex.
But, some people have sex with others that are not their husband or wife.
You can show that you respect your body by waiting to have sex until you are
married. When you do this, you also show your respect for the man or woman you
will marry. Even more importantly, you are doing what God wants you to do.
Find and circle these words that are hidden in the puzzle. Some words go
across. Other words go down. One word is circled for you.

C J L Y B G T O R
• MARRIAGE
K M A R R I A G E
• BODY
U V D H D F Q F S
• WOMAN
S S W U R T B N P
• LOVE
E Y O A L X O V E • MAN
X F M B O U D Z C • SEX
K I A T V H Y G T • GIFT
M A N Q E F R K L

SOMETHING TO REMEMBER:
Not all touch is bad. Good touch comes from family members or friends that
you can trust. Did you notice that Grandmother hugged both Phila and Musa?
Our bodies need this type of good touch. Good touch does not make you feel
uncomfortable or ashamed.

33
 h
d

I Will Take Care of My Body s

Learning Assessment c
LESSON 8 Grade
4
Outcome/s
1/2/3
Standard/s
2/2/3
s
One day as Phila came home from school, t
5 1/2/3 2,3/2/3
she saw a man she did not know. He had a black 6 1 3
bag and was leaving their house. Phila heard w
Grandmother say, “Thank you so much for coming, Doctor Mnisi. The hospital is so far
away! I do not know if I could have taken Musa there.” c
She could see that Grandmother looked tired. “Why would Musa need to go to h
the hospital?” she wondered. It made her feel afraid. Her heart started beating faster
as she ran and threw her arms around Grandmother. “What is wrong? What is wrong h
with Musa?” she cried.
Grandmother hugged Phila and walked with her into the house. Musa was o
sitting at the table drawing a picture. Phila sat down next to her little brother. She
noticed that Musa looked tired. t
“Phila! I’m glad you are home! Grandmother told me many wonderful stories
today,” Musa said. t
Phila did not understand why Musa was so happy if he was sick. Grandmother b
handed her a cup of tea and joined the children at the table. m
“Why was the doctor here?” Phila asked looking at Musa.
“Musa has been coughing up blood. That can be dangerous so the doctor fr
came to check on him,” Grandmother answered.
“Blood? I think I’m going to be sick! I do not like to think about blood,” Phila fo
said almost falling out of her chair. Grandmother laughed, “Oh, you are a brave girl, e
remember? You are not afraid of blood! It is not something to be frightened of. You
just have to make sure you have gloves on if you are going to touch someone else’s u
blood.” a
“Look Phila,” Musa said. He showed her the picture he
had been colouring. There were good soldiers in red coats p
on one side. On the other side, he had drawn soldiers in blue y
coats. They
looked unkind u
and were
fighting the t
soldiers in red.
G

34 d
 “Doctor Mnisi told me that this is what is
happening in my body. The bad blue soldiers are a
disease fighting the good red soldiers in my blood.”
“It’s called H . . . something.”
“It is the HIV virus,” Grandmother said. “The
soldiers in red represent Musa’s good blood
cells that are trying to protect him. The blue
soldiers represent the bad blood cells that come from
the HIV virus.
A tear fell down Phila’s face. She remembered that their mother had HIV
which turned into AIDS before she died.
“Do not cry, Phila,” Grandmother said as Musa climbed up on her lap. “The HIV virus
can take a long time to turn into AIDS. The doctor left medicine for Musa that will help
him. We will still have many wonderful days together.”
“I got an injection to help me feel better!” Musa said. “It hurt! Doctor Mnisi said he
had to use a new needle because dirty needles are dangerous.”
“The doctor always uses new needles. HIV can spread to others through blood left
on dirty needles,” Grandmother explained.
“I do not understand,” Phila interrupted, starting to cry more. “Why does Musa have
this disease too?”
Grandmother pulled Musa and Phila closer to her. “Often if a mother or father has
this virus, their children can get it too. Before a baby is born, there is a chance that the
baby can get HIV from the mother. After the baby is born, the baby can get HIV from the
mother’s milk. That is how Musa got it.
“That is scary, Grandmother,” Musa said with a sad face. “Will I have to stay away
from Phila so that she will not get it?”
Grandmother laughed. “No, no. Don’t worry. Remember that good touch is healthy
for everyone! You just have to be careful not to let your blood or body fluids touch anyone
else’s open wounds.”
“If body fluids can transfer HIV, is that another reason why I should not have sex
until I get married? Could I get a man’s bad body fluids in my body and catch HIV?” Phila
asked.
“Right,” said Grandmother. “Not having sex with others before marriage helps
protect you from HIV. This is one of many important reasons to not have sex before
you are married, Phila.”
“I love you, Grandmother, and I love you, Musa,” Phila said, her tears drying
up.
Grandmother moved to hug both Phila and Musa at the same
time, “I love you too.”
Phila and Musa were both glad that they had
Grandmother to help them understand Musa’s
disease.
35
 ACTIVITIES: Caring for My Body
because

1 How can you get sick?

You’ve been sick before, right? Everyone has. If you touch particular plants
your skin might hurt or have a rash. Sometimes if you breathe in germs from
someone else’s sickness, you can get sick. You could get a cold or the flu. Or you
might even eat some food that is no longer good and end up with a stomach ache.
Draw a line from the person on the left to the picture on the right that explains
how they became sick.

There are many ways to get sick, but we can prevent some of them. The
girl above got a stomach ache because she ate food that was bad. It is not safe
to eat spoiled food. It is best to throw it away. If you have a cough or the flu, it’s
important to wash your hands. Do this to wash off the germs. It will help keep

36
the germs from spreading to others.
 2 How can you catch HIV?
HIV is more serious than just a cold or cough. At first, you might not be able to
tell if someone has HIV. They might look healthy to start with, but after some time the
bad HIV cells will make them very sick. Remember that you could catch HIV if:
û Your mother was infected when you were born
û You have sex with someone who is infected with HIV
û Someone else’s blood touches your blood through an open sore
û You use a dirty syringe (needle)

3 What are ways you cannot catch AIDS?

Because many people are frightened of diseases like AIDS, they treat people
with AIDS different than others. Do not believe lies about ways
that the disease can be spread. Here are a few ways that some
people believe cause HIV/AIDS, but these are not true. You
CANNOT get HIV/AIDS by:

ü Holding the hand of someone with HIV/AIDS

ü Hugging someone with HIV/AIDS
ü Being around someone with HIV/AIDS
ü Sitting close to someone with HIV/AIDS

4 What are the “safety rules” you

need to remember when you are
around people who have AIDS?
ü Don’t touch someone else’s body fluids.
ü Don’t touch someone else’s blood.
ü Don’t touch an open sore on someone’s body.
ü Don’t touch a used syringe (needle).
SOMETHING TO REMEMBER:
Many people who have HIV look like everyone else. It can take many years for
AIDS to develop inside a person’s body. A child with HIV can go to school, play
with their friends, and have fun just like everyone else.

37
 I Will Care for Others

LESSON 9
One night as the family sat
down for dinner, Grandmother
asked Musa, “Where is your friend
Vusi?” she asked. “I thought he was
coming to our house for dinner
tonight.”
Musa shook his head, “No.”
“What is wrong with my
cooking?” Phila joked.
Learning Assessment
“Nothing,” Musa answered, “He just Grade Outcome/s Standard/s
doesn’t want to play with me anymore.” 4 2/3 2/1
5 2/3 2,3/3,5
“Did you two have a fight?” 6 1/3 3/3,4,6
Grandmother asked.
“No, I told him today that I have HIV. I think he is afraid of me. He doesn’t
want to get sick too.”
Grandmother reached over and touched Musa’s hand. “I know it is hard,
Musa, because your friends may not understand HIV, but you can still be friends
with them.”
“I don’t think so,” Musa replied.
Grandmother thought for a minute and then remembered a
story.
She began, “One time,
there was a man who was
walking home late at night.
It was very dark. Thieves
jumped out and blocked his

38
path. They hurt him and stole all of his money. He was hurt so
badly that he could not walk home. The only thing he could do
was lay on the side of the road in pain.”
“That’s terrible!” Phila said.
“Many hours passed before a man who everyone
thought loved God came walking down the path. He was
frightened by what he saw. He also thought he was too
busy and too important to help. ‘I better leave,’
the man thought. ‘What if the robbers hurt me too?’ So he hurried on
his way.”
“Oh no! He’s not being a very good example, is he,
Grandmother?” asked Musa.
Grandmother agreed and continued, “Then just before the
sun rose, a poor man came by. When he saw the man, he also
made up an excuse not to help. ‘I don’t have any money,’ he
thought. ‘There’s nothing I can do.’ He too left the man alone.
“Finally a stranger from a far away place came along the
path. He was tired from his long trip. But when he saw the wounded man,
he knew he must help. Gently lifting the man’s head, he gave him a drink of water.
Next he began to tear his own coat into strips of cloth that he used to bandage the
man’s wounds. Carefully he helped the man to a house in the next village. Before
leaving, he even left some of his own money to buy food and medicine for the man
until he was well enough to return to his family.”
Phila and Musa kept waiting for Grandmother to
continue, but she just smiled at them. “Which one of
those people was being a loving friend?” she asked.
“The stranger, of course!” Musa said. He
thought maybe Grandmother did not know
the answer.
“Right!” Grandmother said. “So, Musa,
now you are like the man who was hurt.
Some people may make bad choices and
choose not to be your friend. But you can
still choose to be like the stranger and be
everyone’s friend.”
“What a great idea,” said Phila. “I want
to be that kind of friend.”
11
39
 ACTIVITIES: Caring for Others
because

1 Be like the “good stranger.”

HIV/AIDS is a terrible disease. It does really bad things to the people who have
it. But it is important to remember that even though the disease is bad, many times
good people become infected with it. They might not have done anything to cause
it. So if you know someone who has HIV/AIDS, remember the story of the “good
stranger” and be a friend to them!
Look at the pictures in the boxes below. Number them in the order of the
story. The first is numbered for you.

40
 2 Be a true friend.
Think about friends or family members that have HIV/AIDS. Which of the
actions below should you choose in order to show them that you care? Circle a happy
face for the ones that are true:

J L Do not be friends with kids that have HIV/AIDS or who have

relatives with HIV/AIDS.
J L When you are with others, you should still be kind to your
friends with HIV/AIDS.
J L When you are near people who have HIV/AIDS, get away from
them as quickly as you can.
J L If you hear rumours about someone with HIV/AIDS, don’t
listen. Stop the rumour and tell others not to share it!
J L Be a good example for your other friends to follow.

3 Be a friend to someone who has HIV/AIDS.

Write a letter or draw a picture for
someone you know who has HIV/AIDS.
Others might have been frightened by
them because of their disease.
Show them that
God loves them
by not being
afraid to be their
friend!

SOMETHING TO REMEMBER:
Think of how you like to be treated by other people. Remember that

41
you need to be kind to them in the same way!
 I Can Be A Good Friend
LESSON 10
Vusi missed his friend Musa very much. Vusi had told Musa they could not be
friends because Musa had HIV.
Then one day a visitor came to Vusi’s class. He gave everyone a book. It
explained the truth about HIV/AIDS. Vusi liked the part that said it was safe to be
friends with people who had HIV/AIDS. Vusi was sad that he had stopped being
Musa’s friend.
“What should I do?” Vusi thought. “I was not
Learning Assessment
very nice to Musa. Maybe he will not want to be my
Grade Outcome/s Standard/s
4
Review of Review of friend now.”
Learning Assessment
5 Outcomes in Standards in The next day Vusi walked past Musa’s house.
6 Lessons 1 - 9 Lessons 1 - 9 He saw Grandmother working in her garden.
“Vusi! How nice to see you!” she said. “Would
you like to come in and have some peanuts?”
“Oh yes! Thank you,” said Vusi. He really wanted to
talk to her. Maybe she could help him become friends
with Musa again.
Grandmother could see that Vusi was worried
about something. She was quite sure that she knew
what it was. She decided to tell him a story that might
help.
“A long time ago, in a country far away, there lived
a young prince named Mandla. He had a best friend
named Qhawe. They did everything together. They
were so much alike that sometimes people got them
mixed up.”
“There goes Prince Mandla” someone would say.
“No, that is Qhawe!” someone else would reply.
“The king did not like this. ‘Some day my son will
be king. He must become famous throughout the land.
What if people begin to like Qhawe more than my son?’
“So the king began to say bad things about
Qhawe. ‘He is a lazy child,’ said the king. ‘He cannot be
trusted.’
“He even told Mandla things that were not
true about his friend. Soon everyone believed what
they had heard about Qhawe.”
“Qhawe was very sad. He missed his friend
very much. Now his only friends were a herd of
goats. His father had given him the goats before he
died.”
“Then something bad began to happen in the
land. A terrible weed started growing in the fields. Each night as the people slept, the
weed would grow and destroy the good plants. They did not know what to do.”
“One day Qhawe was walking through a field that had been destroyed by the bad
weed. The weeds were everywhere. Qhawe saw that his goats liked to eat the weeds!
Before long, they had eaten every weed in the field.”
“That night after everyone else was asleep, Qhawe took his goats to a good field
where the bad weed had just begun to grow. The goats liked the weed so much that
they did not eat the good plants. Each night he took the goats to a different field where
they ate the weeds.”
“After many days the people realized that the terrible weed was almost gone from
their fields. “How is this happening?” they asked each other. “Who is doing this?”
“One night a wise old farmer decided to find out. He waited in a field where the
weeds were still growing. After many hours, he saw Qhawe and his goats come in to the
field. They quickly ate the weeds and went to the next field.
“It is Qhawe!” he cried as he ran into town. Everyone came running to hear what
the old man had to say. “Qhawe is truly a good boy! Every night while we have been
sleeping, he has been working hard to save our land.”
“When Prince Mandla heard this, he was sad that he had believed bad things
about his friend. “We must celebrate what Qhawe has done,” he said to the people.
“And so a great party was planned. Everyone was invited. When Qhawe
arrived he was surprised to find that the party was for him! But what made him
the happiest was seeing Prince Mandla. The prince said, ‘Qhawe, I was wrong to
believe bad things about you. From now on, I will always be
your friend.’”
“That is a story just like mine!” said Vusi.
“I believed wrong things about Musa. I was not
nice to him. I am like Prince Mandla. I want to be
Musa’s friend. I hope he will forgive me.”
“I know that Musa has missed you, Vusi,”
said Grandmother. “Musa is with Phila in our
garden. Why don’t you go out and see him

43
now?”
 ACTIVITIES:
because
Being A Good Friend
1 How did the story end?
Do you think Vusi and Musa were friends again?
Draw a picture of what you think happened next.

SOMETHING TO REMEMBER:
In the story Vusi learned something very important. It is something you
should always remember too. Use the code to find out what he learned and what
he decided to do.

/ .

/ .

=A =B =C =D
=E =F =H =I
LEGEND:
=A =B = L= C = N= D =O =P
=E =F = R= H = S= I =T =V

44
=L =N =W =O =P
=R =S =T =V
=W
 I MATTER REVIEW
True or False: Circle T for the statements that are true and F for those that are false.
T F People are valuable because they were created by God.
T F You are exactly the same as every other person on earth.
T F You matter to your friends and family.
T F You can only make bad choices.
T F Bad pictures are good for you.
T F The choices you make today do not affect the future.
T F People should use good touch – not bad touch.
T F You can not get AIDS by drinking from a cup.
T F Musa was not ashamed to tell his friends that he had HIV.
T F You should not be friends with people who have HIV.

Fill in the blank with the correct answer.

• What is the most important thing that God made? ________________
• Are you valuable? _______
• Should you be ashamed if you or someone in your family has HIV/AIDS? _____

Multiple choice: Circle the letter next to the statement that answers the question.
How can you catch HIV?
A Holding hands with someone who has HIV/AIDS.
B Living with someone who has HIV/AIDS.
C Touching someone’s open wound when you have a cut on your finger.
D Sitting next to someone who has HIV/AIDS.
How should you treat people who have HIV?
A Do not talk to them.
B Be kind to them and treat them like you treat everyone else.
C Do not be their friend.
D Say bad things about them to others.
45
 GLOSSARY

1. Abilities – the things you are able to do; a skill; being able to do something

2. Actions – something that you do

3. Affect – to influence

4. Attitude – what you feel or think about something

5. Authority – responsibility for; power that someone has over others

6. Body Fluids – liquid that the body produces; includes blood, semen, vaginal
secretion and milk

7. Character – the qualities that make you different from other people; beliefs
in certain things

8. Choices – deciding what you want to do; selecting between different

options

9. Dangerous – something that might cause harm

10. Decision – selecting between two or more things

11. Disease - sickness; what makes you feel sick

12. Example – a model of something

13. Future – time that is still going to come or happen or that hasn’t happened
yet

14. Germs – invisible micro-organisms that often cause disease

15. Goal – something that you try to achieve, to become or to do

46
16. Harm – something bad; something that can damage

17. Honour - respect

18. Hyena – a wild animal that looks somewhat like a type of dog

19. Imagination – picturing something in your mind

20. Infect – to make a person sick

21. Matter – (v.) to be very important

22. Open Wounds – an injury where flesh can be seen

23. Prevent – to keep from happening

24. Protect – to keep someone or something safe

25. Pure – to not have sex until marriage; clean

26. Purpose – reason for something

27. Qualities - what makes a person or thing what it is

28. Respect – to think well of someone or something

29. Responsible – to do what is right

30. Serious – thoughtful; important

31. Special – different from others; having certain specific characteristics

32. Stranger – someone you don’t know (who is not known)

33. Syringe – the tool for giving shots; usually has a needle

34. Transfer – to move from one place to another

35. Uncomfortable – something that does not feel good

36. Unique – the only one that is like it; one-of-a-kind

37. Valuable – having great worth; important; special

47
 A MESSAGE FOR ADULTS
Dear Adult in the Home,
You will notice that your child has brought home this small book called I Matter. This book
was designed to teach children many important concepts that will help them throughout their
lives. Please take the time to read again with your child the many stories found in the book.
I Matter covers many important topics for the mental, social, physical, and moral
development of children. Throughout the book children will learn that they are VALUABLE,
IMPORTANT, and UNIQUE. It is so important that you at home reinforce these ideas with your
child. Let your child know that you think he/she is a valuable and important part of your family.
Likewise, be aware of the special interests and talents that your child demonstrates so that you
can encourage him/her to develop these individual uniquenesses and interests.
Children need people in their lives who will spend time with
them. They need people who are supportive of them and who
show them wholesome affection. By spending time with your child
you can build their trust in you. It is so important that your child
knows that he/she can trust you to protect him/her and to share
information and instruction about living good, healthy lives.

You must remember that children are

always watching you. In fact, the way you
communicate with them and live before them is
probably more important than the words that you use
with them. However, to hear you say “thank you” or “I am sorry”
or “I forgive you” or “you did such a good job” is so important for
their development as caring, loving individuals. Remember to use
negative words and words of condemnation sparingly. Correction
given in a loving manner is better received than that given with
harshness and anger.
REMEMBER THAT YOU ARE YOUR CHILD’S FIRST TEACHERS.
Consider what you are teaching. Are you teaching ideas that will
help your child to develop into a caring, thoughtful, and healthy
person? It is important to consider that others will eventually have
an influence over the life of your child. So be aware of who your
child’s friends are. Are they providing a good influence in the life of
your child? Have you built sufficient trust with your child that he/

48 she feels comfortable sharing with you things that are troubling
him/her?
 For the safety and health of your child, there are many topics which you must spend time
talking about with your child. Unfortunately, children must be taught that there are people in
your community who do bad, unkind things to children. So you must help them to know the
difference between good and bad touches. They must understand that it is bad for anyone to
touch their private body parts. Your child must be able to trust you sufficiently to tell you about
anyone who is trying to give bad touches to them. You must help them understand that it is
not their fault that someone tries to harm them this way. It was not their choice, but the choice
of the hurtful individual. You need to warn your child that there will be people who will try to
get them involved in other activities that can be very harmful to them - using illegal drugs,
drinking alcoholic drinks, involving them in sexual behaviors.
As part of your interaction with your child, talk about the HIV/AIDS problem that is
everywhere in your community, nation and world. They are probably already aware of this
terrible sickness. Reinforce for them the content that they studied in I Matter that taught them
how people get this sickness and how they can keep themselves safe from it. Also, reinforce
for them that people who have the HIV virus may not know that they have it. So they must
be careful of their actions around people that could put them in danger of getting HIV from
another. Reinforce the information that HIV will develop into AIDS. There is no cure for AIDS
and those who have AIDS will die.
Involve your child in kind acts to those who may be sick from AIDS. Model for them that you
can be caring of all people who are sick while keeping yourself safe from getting the sickness.
We know that you, like most parents or caregivers, want a good future for your child.
Encourage your child to make plans for their future. Assist them in setting goals and in planning
steps they must take to reach their goals. Encourage them in their efforts to reach their goals or
to make adjustments in their goals.
This book given to your child wants to reinforce for them that they matter to all those
around them. We want them to be able to say of themselves — “I matter.” I make a difference
because of who I am. Equally important, please understand that you matter in the lives of your
children. So you, along with your child, you can say - “I matter.” I make a difference in the life of
my child and in the lives of those with whom I come into contact with.

49
 This publication was supported by Cooperative Agreement Number U2G/PS001346
from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It’s contents are solely the
responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of CDC.