Welcome to the November 2025 issue of Salt and Light. Read the whole newsletter in is entirety by clicking the button or select the story you want by clicking the images below.
Supporting children living with HIV
“I am an AIDS orphan. My uncle said my HIV was caused by a curse & replaced my medication with traditional herbal medicine. When I got very ill, ACET Nigeria encouraged him to let me go to the Massiah Care Foundation. Now I am healthy, am going to school & have a community that cares for me.” Read more.
Empowering community protectors of children
“Lots of our children are suffering from sexual violence and unplanned pregnancies. The sad part is the fathers of the babies disappear after they find out about the pregnancy. Then, the girls are forced to get married at the youngest age, to older men. Many of the men have HIV.” Read more.
Your support is transforming lives in Nigeria
“I lost 4 children, each before their fourth birthday. The grief was overwhelming. My heart ached with questions & sorrow. 5 years ago, after I became pregnant with my fifth child, I met with ACET Nigeria, & during my health screening, I found out that I was HIV positive." Read more
Unashe, a Shining Star
“I was still grieving the death of my mother when I became pregnant at 17. I had to drop out of school & my father reminded me every day how much he was disappointed in me. Being a mother at such a young age destroyed my self-esteem as I wondered how I was going to take care of a child or have a future.” Read more
14-year-old Hom’s story
“When an older man groomed me into sending nude pictures online, ACET Thailand helped me report it to escape his blackmail & stop him doing it to other children. They acted as mediator with my family & have taught me how to protect myself & given me the confidence to not put myself in risky situations.” Read more
A first look at the new statutory RSHE guidance
An important event in our field of Relationships, Sex (and Health) Education (RSHE) is the recent release of updated statutory guidance for RSHE from the Department for Education (DfE). You may have seen some debate about this in the news; here, we will summarise the main changes and let you form your own opinion. Read more
Supporting RSHE educators
Our Esteem network of RSE educators reached over 66,000 young people in the 2024/2025 school year. This is in addition to the 7,638 students reached by our own Esteem team! The network currently has educators across the UK, as well as in Turkey, India, Cyprus, the Netherlands, Slovakia, Lithuania, the Czech Republic, Austria and South Africa. Read more
Coping with trauma in Ukraine
“The war has changed my daughter a lot. She abruptly became more mature, stopped rejoicing as before & stopped believing in something good. Now I see her smile more often, she made a map of her dreams at your meeting & hung it on her wall. I am glad that you helped my child become more open and happier. Thank you for being there!" Read more.