Health and Family Life Education embraces areas of study such as health and well-being, eating and fitness, interpersonal relationships, sexuality and management of the environment. In addition to the knowledge component, emphasis is placed on fostering positive attitudes and values and developing personal and social skills that underpin responsible behaviour. These life skills include problem-solving, decision making, critical and creative thinking, the ability to empathise and cope with emotions.
The ultimate goal is that children will be empowered to make life-enhancing choices which will determine the quality of adulthood they enjoy. Many of the health risks to which children are exposed today are associated with their lifestyles and their environments. Today, we are witnessing the reemergence of old diseases, which were thought to have been eradicated, and the emergence of relatively new diseases, which are having devastating effects on the population generally, and on the younger generation in particular. One such disease is the HIV/AIDS pandemic which has emerged as a major threat to the health and development of millions of individuals, families and communities.