Kami HIV Positive Muppet On Sesame Street In Nigeria

by NowPublic Staff | October 6, 2010 at 08:34 am

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Sesame Street Nigeria Launching Soon: Features HIV Positive Muppet, Kami - A Five year old girl

Elmo, and Big Bird will be making some new friends when Sesame Street Nigeria launches in October.

The Nigerian version of Sesame Street features a very cute HIV positive five year old Muppet named, Kami and Zobi, a taxi driver with a fondness for Yams.

We have a very focused health and hygiene umbrella concept area that we're concentrating on," Naila Farouky, senior director of international projects at Sesame Workshop, told CNN. "This is something our local advisors have prioritized -- something that absolutely has to be addressed on the show."

Sesame Street Nigeria has been in development for a few years now. It was by theU.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and President Barack Obama's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).

In one episode, children on the set make fun of Zobi, an ageless blue muppet, as he gets wrapped up in a mosquito net. There's a serious message behind the silliness -- a child dies of malaria every 30 seconds in Africa and encouraging kids to sleep under a net is one of the best ways to save lives.

Kami, a talkative yellow ball of fur, is an orphan whose mother died of AIDS. Her stories teach children not only about blood safety, but about acceptance of those living with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) that causes AIDS.

The video of Kami with President Clinton was taken 3 years ago before Sesame Street Nigeria was completely developed. It features Kami and the President talking about how it is OK to give a hug to someone who has HIV.

The West African nation of Nigeria has 150 million people, almost half are under 14. Recent estimates say about 3 million people live with HIV/AIDS in Nigeria. In 2009 192,000 people died from AIDS.