I count myself privileged to have participated in the AJAN HIV and AIDS Prevention Programme for the Youth (AHAPPY) facilitated by a competent and professional team from the African Jesuits AIDS Network (AJAN). The programme hosted by the Arrupe Jesuit University Community was one of a kind.

The modules were structured to address the needs of Jesuit scholastics as they provided the platform to have an in-depth knowledge of the past coupled with the present trends and the need to challenge the status quo in order to restore hope and confidence for the future. Built upon a series of modules – Awakening to Myself, This World I Live in, Facing a World with HIV and AIDS, Knowing Myself to Grow Myself and The Foundation on Which I Build My Life – the programme invited me to pay to attention to different dimensions of my life experiences that were key to my personal growth as well as the development of my community.

The joy of knowing that I am God’s handiwork created with love to be a gift to the world was magnificent. Essentially, I was intentionally created to fulfill a purpose. And that requires me to constantly develop myself – emotionally, intellectually, physically, and socially – to make a positive impact. It also calls for wisdom and discernment in remaining significant and resourceful.

As a young adult, I was inclined to pay attention to intimacy and community, as well as challenging the existing chronicles of our world battered by various pandemics and Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI’s), and transforming them into progressive gains. Last but not least, I noted that in trying to invest in personal growth and maturity, l had to live a principled life coupled with positive values such as integrity, adaptability, fortitude, and open-mindedness and not leaving out the rare opportunity to be a leader and a mentor.

By,

Kundari Martin

Jesuit Scholar at Arrupe Jesuit University Community