Hi,
Good morning! Great coming back to you with yet another story. This Saturday, I would like to share with you a true story of a kid from South Africa, who was rated among the top 10 South Africans ever lived and contributed to the nation. Here it goes...... ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The Story of Nkosi Johnson, a South African Kid who chose to make a difference Source: Internet info
Nkosi Johnson was born in 1989 in a township slum east of Johannesburg. His mother was HIV-positive and passed along the virus to her unborn baby. But Nkosi was a fighter. He survived beyond his second birthday, which is unusual in HIV-infected babies. He was adopted by a volunteer worker, Ms. Gail Johnson at the age of two.
He was denied admission into a primary school, as there was opposition from some parents because of his HIV-positive status. Ms Johnson, his foster mother went public with a complaint and won her case. The school reversed the decision, and Nkosi went to school. That made provincial education departments across the country to draw up new policies. His big moment came when he addressed delegates at the international AIDS conference in Durban. He told about an audience of 10,000 the story of his birth and his life. He finished his speech with the words: "Care for us and accept us - we are all human beings. We are normal. We have hands. We have feet. We can walk, we can talk, we have needs just like everyone else - don't be afraid of us - we are all the same!" That made a powerful impact on public perceptions of the HIV pandemic and its effects. Nkosi founded a refuge for HIV positive mothers and their children: “Nkosi's Haven”. He died in 2001 at the age of twelve. In Nov 2005, he was posthumously awarded the International Children's Peace Prize. He was also ranked fifth in a public survey of SABC3's Great South Africans, the first 4 being Nelson Mandela, Christian Barnard, F. W. de Klerk, and Mahatma Gandhi.
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Nkosi, despite the limitations he battled with, made a difference. He lived only for 12 years. But, he left a legacy behind him that will live for generations. Everyone has been endowed with enough of what it takes to make a difference. Realizing the purpose of life and channelizing the energies on a chosen goal, every person, despite the limitations he or she may have, could find a way to make this world a better place to live.
Sources for more info: 1. Nkosi Johnson - biography http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=5164837&blogId=222866978#ixzz11mdN41Xe 2. The 10 Greatest South Africans of all time http://www.biz-community.com/Article.aspx?ai=4673&c=11 3. Nkosi Johnson http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nkosi_Johnson
With love and regards,
Siva --------------------------------
B. Sivaprasad
Corporate Trainer and Motivational Speaker
SS Technologies, 401, Rajya Lakshmi Nivas
5-2-26/1, Kukatpally, Hyderabad 500072, India
Tel +91-9963969797
Email: value4value@gmail.com
Skype: sivaprasad.bandarupalli
--------------------------------
Connect with me on
Good morning! Great coming back to you with yet another story. This Saturday, I would like to share with you a true story of a kid from South Africa, who was rated among the top 10 South Africans ever lived and contributed to the nation. Here it goes...... ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The Story of Nkosi Johnson, a South African Kid who chose to make a difference Source: Internet info
Nkosi Johnson was born in 1989 in a township slum east of Johannesburg. His mother was HIV-positive and passed along the virus to her unborn baby. But Nkosi was a fighter. He survived beyond his second birthday, which is unusual in HIV-infected babies. He was adopted by a volunteer worker, Ms. Gail Johnson at the age of two.
He was denied admission into a primary school, as there was opposition from some parents because of his HIV-positive status. Ms Johnson, his foster mother went public with a complaint and won her case. The school reversed the decision, and Nkosi went to school. That made provincial education departments across the country to draw up new policies. His big moment came when he addressed delegates at the international AIDS conference in Durban. He told about an audience of 10,000 the story of his birth and his life. He finished his speech with the words: "Care for us and accept us - we are all human beings. We are normal. We have hands. We have feet. We can walk, we can talk, we have needs just like everyone else - don't be afraid of us - we are all the same!" That made a powerful impact on public perceptions of the HIV pandemic and its effects. Nkosi founded a refuge for HIV positive mothers and their children: “Nkosi's Haven”. He died in 2001 at the age of twelve. In Nov 2005, he was posthumously awarded the International Children's Peace Prize. He was also ranked fifth in a public survey of SABC3's Great South Africans, the first 4 being Nelson Mandela, Christian Barnard, F. W. de Klerk, and Mahatma Gandhi.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nkosi, despite the limitations he battled with, made a difference. He lived only for 12 years. But, he left a legacy behind him that will live for generations. Everyone has been endowed with enough of what it takes to make a difference. Realizing the purpose of life and channelizing the energies on a chosen goal, every person, despite the limitations he or she may have, could find a way to make this world a better place to live.
Sources for more info: 1. Nkosi Johnson - biography http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=5164837&blogId=222866978#ixzz11mdN41Xe 2. The 10 Greatest South Africans of all time http://www.biz-community.com/Article.aspx?ai=4673&c=11 3. Nkosi Johnson http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nkosi_Johnson
With love and regards,
Siva --------------------------------
B. Sivaprasad
Corporate Trainer and Motivational Speaker
SS Technologies, 401, Rajya Lakshmi Nivas
5-2-26/1, Kukatpally, Hyderabad 500072, India
Tel +91-9963969797
Email: value4value@gmail.com
Skype: sivaprasad.bandarupalli
--------------------------------
Connect with me on
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