This booklet is designed to help parents and caregivers in South Africa address HIV/AIDS issues with children in a positive and interactive manner. Takalani Sesame, the South African version of Sesame Street, produced this booklet as part of its emerging HIV/AIDS content in television, radio, and outreach projects. The project is part of the National South African Department of Education's new educational curriculum.

The booklet is broken down into two sections. The first part shares general strategies for communicating effectively with children, establishing trust, and building rapport. The second section offers specific information about HIV/AIDS as well as advice on how to present this information in an age-appropriate manner. In this section, the booklet suggests ways in which children can learn to express feelings and ideas about their body, about people living with HIV, about coping with a parent's illness, and about coping with death in general. Each section includes tips for different age groups: from 3-6, 7-11 and teenagers from age 12 and up.

The language of the booklet is English, but on each page the main points are enclosed in text boxes that include translation into Afrikaans, SiSwati, Tshivenda, and isiZulu. A glossary of difficult words is included on the last page of the booklet.

Click here to access the SABC Education website, where the booklet may be downloaded in 3 parts (PDF format).

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English, with key points translated into Afrikaans, SiSwati, Tshivenda, and isiZulu

Talk to Me website.